Actually Gould divorce her and give her the busted car as part of the settlement

 

I agree with other posters here. This repair will cost over $1000. I would also recommend getting this fixed professionally or the value of your car will be significantly reduced.

One disadvantage of going through insurance is that it may negatively impact the Carfax report. The insurance company will require a police report and the police typically notifies Carfax when the report is filed. And unfortunately we all try to stay away from cars with accidents reported on Carfax. Hence poor resale.

Where do you live? There is a shop in Lake Bluff that uses BASF Glasurit paint and clear (same as OEM) that does great work. They seem to be fairly reasonable too. Let me know if you need their contact info.

 

That guys - $ isn't a big concern if they really do a good job. I just want to avoid being ripped off, especially since I don't have the technical eye (and the knowledge) to dig into what is being done to fix this. Got a few local estimates for $1400-$2000 which included repainting the front passenger door and top to paint match.

Thankfully, tax returns are on it's way and wife won't be complaining about no vacation this year.

Thanks man. Is it http://www.certifiedautobody.com/ ? Going there and to a BMW collision center tomorrow - let's see how it turns out.

Thank for suggesting the BMW collision center. I would have never thought they would be reasonable, but you gave me a reason to check them out.

I got a good car wash today and the aluminium isn't deeply scratched or anything. Most of the white part in the picture is from the wall paint. So hopefully the door won't need to be changed.

Haha ... wife was too sorry that this happened. I was more concerned she was OK and thank god, this didn't happen on the road. I guess sh*t happens - gotta live with that.

 

Yeah, sorry to hear about the damage. I had a VERY similar outcome with a hit-and-run in a parking lot. Almost identical. The body shop had to replace the door entirely. The other parts were saved. Total bill (work done through BMW CERTIFIED body shop) was nearly 4K. So yes, get the insurance involved.

 

Actually the shop I was talking about is Inter Pro Auto Body located at 417 West Washington Avenue, Lake Bluff. It is really close to Certified Auto Body. If you are planning to go to Certified, please let me know how their price compares with everyone else. Also, find out what paint materials they use. As I have said before, BMW OEM is all BASF Glasurit waterborne paints and solvent based clears.

Don't forget to do your research on whatever shop you choose. A quick check on google revealed a bad review of Certified Auto Body. Now, I have never been there personally, but a bad review would be something I would consider in my final decision.

BTW - I don't think that the doors on your car are aluminum.