Hello all. Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. Last night some genius decided to take a last second left in front of me and we got in an accident. I am ok but my Prius has significant damage. I am in the Seattle area and I am wondering if anyone has had any body work done thru any of the local dealers. I would love to get some feedback about your experiences. I purchased my 2006 Prius from Bob Bridge and I have been happy with them so far but it never hurts to ask. Thanks all
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Hawk @ Dec 5 2006, 01:30 PM) [snapback]358033[/snapback]</div> Hawk: That was unfortunate for you. Most dealerships do not perform body works. They subcontract it out to other shops. That is my experience. Ask your dealer which shop they recommend and go there directly. Ask for genuine parts since it was not your fault.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ceric @ Dec 5 2006, 10:42 AM) [snapback]358039[/snapback]</div> Well, as for me, I'd shop around, but still demand new genuine parts. I had my front bumper replaced by an auto shop that I usually have my car work done at. This isn't in Seattle of course. It was about $1000 vs. over $2000 from the place recommended by the dealer. OTOH, the other guy (or insurance company) is paying for it, so I wouldn't skimp. In my case, my wife went over the curb and hit a rock (in a parking lot), and the deductable was $500. Then our rates would probably have increased by a total of more than $500 in the next couple years. Dave M.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Hawk @ Dec 6 2006, 02:30 AM) [snapback]358033[/snapback]</div> Stetner Auto Body on Lake City Way next to the Fred Meyer. They brought my Prius back from what I thought would be a total. They are probably the best auto body shop in Seattle. I cannot recommend them highly enough. When you do any research into car repair, you'll discover that there are about seven levels of repair, starting with barely acceptable and moving on up to virtually undetectable repair. My car was hit by a hit and run driver during the night a year or so ago and was pushed up onto the curb. The left rear quarter of the car was smashed in and the wheels were damaged. The guys at Stetner showed me how the car was put together in the first place, and how the damaged panels would be removed at the original seams and new panels welded in. Over the next two weeks, I watched them literally remanufacture my car. The job was so complete that it cannot be distinguished from the original assembly. Bob
Hawk, Bob Allen's recommendation sounds good. Two things to remember: 1) Your car is very-much-so a newer car, and therefor should get the best level of care. 2) The insurance companies can NOT tell you where to get your car repaired . . . so, see #1.
Thanks for the info. I have done allot of research and I have decided to Take my car to Stroud’s Auto rebuild in Tacoma. They have had a couple stories done about them in local papers and tv news about being one of the best shops in the north west. http://www.stroudsauto.com/ They also have a very good reputation for successfully recovering “diminished value†settlements from the insurance company. My car has less than 1000 miles on it and I want to try and reduce the impact of this accident as much as possible. Thanks for all the feed back.
