Regal: rocker panel damaged

[Benzadmiral]

The Regal has had a painful adventure, thanks to its idiot pilot. I'd parked in my barber's lot on Saturday morning, right near the yellow-painted concrete curb. When I left, I cut the wheel way too soon. GRRRR-AAAACK! "Oh, Jeez --!" CRUNCH!

The front third of the rocker panel on the passenger side is badly scraped and bent inward. Nothing is touching the tire, and in fact it's kind of hard to see the damage until you're right up on it, or stand off and look directly at the side.

Growling, I drove to the body shop who repainted the Regal's roof and hood last year. The owner took a look at the damage, opined, "You can't bend that back out," and showed me another customer car with the same issue. "We'll have to cut the body, then put in a fresh rocker panel and repaint. Should take about a week."

So I've called the insurance folks (GEICO), and I'm covered and have rental car reimbursement. I'm off to the collision center on Saturday to get their evaluation, but I'll use the aforementioned shop for the work.

Right in the middle of summer, too. . . .

 

[Donald]

Hope you have Geico's accident forgiveness. (I do). But still what is the total cost and what is the deductible?

 

[Benzadmiral]

Don't know the cost yet, but my deductible is $750. My body shop encouraged me to call the insurance company, and so I presume the total will be quite a bit more.

 

[pandus13]

don't worry, could be worse: i hit my own car parallel parking (with my other car)

P.S.i thought barber's place is a place to relax....
P.S. to P.S. no I would watch the trailer from "the man from UNCLE" 20 times just for the driving skills...

 

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted By: pandus13
don't worry, could be worse: i hit my own car parallel parking (with my other car)

P.S.i thought barber's place is a place to relax....
P.S. to P.S. no I would watch the trailer from "the man from UNCLE" 20 times just for the driving skills...

When I get my car jammed into a downhill alley that leads to a canal or river, THEN I'll be worried.

 

[NHGUY]

If its the pinchweld that's folded under,I don't know why it couldn't be pulled back.

 

[sciphi]

Sounds like the outer skin got mangled pretty well. That is definitely a "cut out and replace" repair. There's no access to get PDR tools into there, and a rocker isn't a good candidate for drilling and yanking out either.

The approved repair involves replacing the whole inner/outer rocker. Cutting the floorpan a bit inside the damaged rocker panel and then welding the whole new assembly in is how it's done. The labor is the killer on that job, since the doors have to come off and a fair bit of the interior removed.

 

[Nick1994]

Just the outer skin of the rocker panel should be replaced. Geico is a pretty cheap insurance company, often doesn't pay for paint blending so don't expect it to match the doors very well.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Just the outer skin of the rocker panel should be replaced. Geico is a pretty cheap insurance company, often doesn't pay for paint blending so don't expect it to match the doors very well.

Well, I'm not using their collision shop, but my own. He's the guy who beautifully matched the paint when he redid the hood and roof of the Regal in 2014 on my nickel. The previous owner had let bird cr*p and tree drippings eat through the clear coat, and it looked pretty bad. He did a fine job. And he also repainted the front bumper of the Park Avenue in 2013.