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      03-19-2013, 09:41 AM   #12
conceyted
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Drives: 2013 X1
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: New Orleans, LA

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Bread View Post
I'd probably keep the OE part, the numbers will match (not that it really matters) and there's less disassembly required, reducing the chance of annoying rattles and alignment issues. Like I said above, I'd strongly suggest they don't blend the paint into surrounding areas. I'd rather have the repair be slightly visible than have a bunch of extra paint on the roof and rear quarter panels that would be very easy to detect with a paint thickness gauge. Plus I'm assuming you have Alpine White, a single stage paint, not Mineral White, a metallic paint, which would be more visible as a non blended respray.

If your deductible is $500, I'd also ask the body shop if they'd cut you a little slack for cash and a non blended repair and just pay it out of pocket, you never know when you might actually need your insurance and previous claims tend to make your rates go up faster than if you have a clean history.

Finally, I suggest my (to date) flawless method of not ramming the garage with bicycles. I always leave a folding chair or cooler in the area my car occupies when I leave with a bike on the roof. That way when I get home, even if I'm totally knackered, I can't just attempt to pull into the garage.
I have Mineral White Metallic. I appreciate the thoughts on blending. I like the idea of keeping the original part mostly for alignment purposes. I am pretty OCD about things so having the gaps around the lift gate be off would drive me insane. I may talk with the people at the body shop and express all of my concerns and ask them to fix it whatever way they can guarantee repair 100% and keep the gaps identical.

My only fear of repair is the use of body filler and the curve that the body panel makes around the area of the dent. I have never attempted to work with sheet metal and been successful at it, so I really have no idea how a repair of this panel would even happen.
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