To fix or not

[BANSwee]

I dont know where to post but decided to put this here. MOds please move if necessary.

Story is, wife with the kids went on vacation for 4 days to relatives in PA and my wife just told me this morning that someone have hit the side of our MO . We were discussing how it ended up like that, and she told me she has no idea. Long story short, her uncle has a daughter that recently got license teen driver (I believe 17y.o) and she hit it when she was backing up ( can we start having kids drive when they are 18 or older?) I am really annoyed because we have pearl white and I know for sure its gonna be a pain in the butt matching the color of the body. I still have to see it later this afternoon when my family arrives

Anybody has a pearl white and need to fix the side of the mO?

[2young2retire]

Since the vehicle is new then there should be no problem matching the paint. My '09 Maxima was backed into last October and both doors on the right side had to be replaced. The body shop matched the paint perfectly and you cannot tell it had ever been damaged. Just go with a reputable shop and things should be ok.

[Qat]

Especially if the damage is on the doors they should paint the entire door so there is no blending involved. You should be good.

[3kgtSL91]

body shop shouldn't have a problem matching it...

and for kids to drive at 18, completely disagree, it's more of that some people can drive and some can't, has nothing to do with age... i started driving when i was 15 and never had an accident. i see people over 20 all the time that just can't drive at all or park for that matter!

[Halwg]

It wouldn't bother me at all to have a reputable body shop do the repair. It will be good as new. I've had good body work, and bad body work done over the years. It all depends on who is doing the work. The paint should match fine.

[BANSwee]

They arrived late. I still need to see it at daylight, but I guess its not that bad. just a slight scratch.

@3kgt, just because you can drive at 16 and others it doesn'y mean its better. I can drink and drive with no problem. I know others can.

What I meant about age is that at that point in their life they dont have enough experience. I started riding motorcyles at barely 14 but my older folks was so tight and wanted me to perfect riding before I have my own license. Age has a lot to do in life not just driving---

[HVT]

Man that sucks...sorry to hear that. make sure you have a GOOD body shop if it needs painting because the pearl is a PITA to get right. Ours is the same color and I've owned the pearl in the past. A good shop though will be able to do it right.

[Warhammer]

A good body shop shouldn't have any trouble matching the paint.

As far as the teenager who hit the car, I'd sit down and have a long discussion with the uncle about this. My teenager understood that if ANYTHING happened to the car that was her fault; i.e. accident or hitting anything, she wouldn't be able to drive by herself for at lest a month. Your insurance will fix it if you have full coverage, but the teenager should pay the deductible at the very least!

One day while on the way to work, my wife and I got a frantic call from our teenager asking us to not freak out. She went on to say she drove the car through the garage door from the inside! Needless to say, she paid the comprehensive deductible required by our insurance to get the car fixed. She didn't drive the car for a very looooooong time. On top of that, when she did want to go somewhere, we would let her drive but we would be in the passenger seat as if she had a permit. To get to school, she took the bus again which was an embarrassment. Only after she proved to me that she could be responsible was she able to drive on her own again. Took a long time to prove it to me. Especially after a $1500-ish bill to fix the garage door! Definitely put her through the ringer to say the least!

But...I have to admit, her driving skills improved exponentially after that whole ordeal. She gained a whole new respect for vehicles and how to be careful too.

[Pilgrim]

It's a pretty new car and well worth fixing. I have the pearl white and got rear-ended..and I defy anyone to see a difference in the paint. Any competent shop can do this right.

I think that the Pearl White is one of the easier pearl colors to match.

[HVT]

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

It's a pretty new car and well worth fixing. I have the pearl white and got rear-ended..and I defy anyone to see a difference in the paint. Any competent shop can do this right.

I think that the Pearl White is one of the easier pearl colors to match.

Well that's good to know! Pearlescent paints are a multi layer process and can be hard to do right the first time. That worried me about ours when we bought it...but geez it's a sharp color in the sun.

[Mr3Putt]

Originally Posted by BANSwee

I can drink and drive with no problem. I know others can.

No.

You can't.

And neither can others.

[njjoe]

Originally Posted by BANSwee

I can drink and drive with no problem. I know others can.

-njjoe

[Eric L.]

This thread needs to end if the topic revolves around that it is ok to drink and drive. Tell that to someone who has lost someone due to a drunk driver, before making absurd comments that it is an acceptable activity.

[HVT]

Originally Posted by Eric L.

This thread needs to end if the topic revolves around that it is ok to drink and drive. Tell that to someone who has lost someone due to a drunk driver, before making absurd comments that it is an acceptable activity.

I agree but I think he was just trying to make a point, not offend anyone in the process. I don't even think he agrees with that comment himself...lol. Anyway, back on topic.....Just find a good shop and the fix should be fine.

[Warhammer]

And I didn't get any comments on how to treat teenagers.