Scrape on car and trading in

Bris14

Hi, just wondering if anyone could advise on the following please?

I recently scraped the rear wheel arch of my 2003 Renault Clio against a brick post (see attached picture). I can feel ridges when I run my fingernail over it, but can't see any actual metal - just white.

Would anyone have any idea if this would be a big / expensive job to fix? Was thinking of trying a local repairer, as I'm pretty sure Renault would be expensive (plus they charge €50 for an estimate).

The reason I'm asking is that I'm thinking of trading in the car for a bigger vehicle soon, and wasn't sure if this sort of scrape would reduce the trade in value by much. The Renault dealer gave a rough trade-in estimate of €4,000 without seeing the vehicle. Any ideas on whether it would be worth getting it fixed before trying to trade in?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

L-M

UNles there is nothing else wrong with the car, i'd do the following.

Go to halfords and buy a touch up bit of paint for ur car, and a bit of compound.
Lightly go over those bits, and compound. All u want to do it try and get the look of the white bits off it.

Or else just don't wash it for a week or two and do a lot of dirty road driving .
Is there anything else u know that could be faulty with the car that u didn't tell the dealer.

Bris14

Hi, thanks for the reply. I might have a look in Halfords, though the colour of the car is an unusual light green colour, so not sure if I would get anything to match.

I did mention to the dealer that it had this scrape, plus a couple of other smaller scratches, though I probably didn't explain it to him very well.

He did stress that the €4k was just an estimate and he would need to examine it and drive it before giving me a proper figure. I'm expecting him to go lower when he sees the car, due to the scratch, and also because the inside is a bit grotty (toddler food and drink spillages over the years!). Other than the visual things, there is nothing faulty with the car.

Thanks again

L-M

Bris14 wrote: »

h, and also because the inside is a bit grotty (toddler food and drink spillages over the years!). Other than the visual things, there is nothing faulty with the car.

Thanks again

Oh god nothing worse than that. It won't give good first impression. An hour with a hoover and some Cilit bang what ever will make the world of difference. Remember ur tryin to make him have NOTHING to say to bring down that 4K when u show it to him.

Bris14

Thanks for the tip. I will do that!

L-M

Bris14 wrote: »

Thanks for the tip. I will do that!

Let us know how u get on.

-Chris-

Bris14 wrote: »

I recently scraped the rear wheel arch of my 2003 Renault Clio against a brick post

Fair 'nuff

Bris14 wrote: »

The reason I'm asking is that I'm thinking of trading in the car for a bigger vehicle soon, and wasn't sure if this sort of scrape would reduce the trade in value by much.

It'll reduce the value of the car by the cost to professionally repair it.

Bris14 wrote: »

The Renault dealer gave a rough trade-in estimate of €4,000 without seeing the vehicle.

That value therefore will be based on an average/good condition, it'll be revised down if there's any further issues with the car. Bring the car to be visually inspected.

Bris14 wrote: »

Any ideas on whether it would be worth getting it fixed before trying to trade in?

I wouldn't bother, they'll get it fixed cheaper than you will.

Bris14 wrote: »

the colour of the car is an unusual light green colour, so not sure if I would get anything to match.

If it doesn't exactly match, run away. if it's damage that costs €400 to repair or if it's badly repaired damage that's been poorly touched up that costs €400 to repair, end result is that I'll pull the value back by €400...

Bris14 wrote: »

I did mention to the dealer that it had this scrape, plus a couple of other smaller scratches

They'll take that with a pinch of salt, some people's version of "a couple of scratches" is another person's "this car is wrecked".
As a salesperson, you base the unseen value (if you give one) on average to good. That way you can be pleasantly surprised or pull the car back by a reasonable amount.

Bris14 wrote: »

He did stress that the €4k was just an estimate and he would need to examine it and drive it before giving me a proper figure. I'm expecting him to go lower when he sees the car, due to the scratch

It's not as bad as you think, but don't make it worse by badly fixing it...

Bris14 wrote: »

and also because the inside is a bit grotty (toddler food and drink spillages over the years!). Other than the visual things, there is nothing faulty with the car.

Clean it before you go in (don't pay to get it professionally cleaned). If it looks well kept, you'll get more money for it!

L-M

AudiChris wrote: »

It's not as bad as you think, but don't make it worse by badly fixing it...
!

If it's bad i wouldn't hesitate at having a go at fixing it. All it requires is a steady hand, patience and a hair dryer:D

Bazzy

Tell them nothing go down its light enough damage i wouldnt panic too much dont give them an excuse to drop the price anymore let them find the damage there the experts (apparently) after all!!

-Chris-

Bazzy wrote: »

Tell them nothing go down its light enough damage i wouldnt panic too much dont give them an excuse to drop the price anymore let them find the damage there the experts (apparently) after all!!

Do the absolute opposite of this advice (with all due respect).

If someone's honest with me, I'll be fair with them.

If someone says their car's never been repaired and I find a resprayed panel, then everything they say after that is subject to double-checking. I'll pull back their trade-in value appropriately to compensate for the fact that they think it's ok to lie to the future owner of their car.

If they say nothing and I don't spot it, then fair dues - I'm the expert, I should have spotted it.

Bear in mind that if you're buying a car from an SIMI dealer that when you're buying the new car you'll be signing a contract that says that you say that your car has never been repaired (structurally or body panel-wise).
If you lie here, and trade your car in, and it's subsequently proven that your car has been repaired, then they would obviously have the ability to legally pursue you for compensation (we have several cases like this under consideration at the moment - might be a bit of a shock to the new owners in the next few weeks, pottering around in their new cars, but if you lie as you sell a car to a dealer you should be as ashamed as if you're a dealer who lies as you sell a car to a private punter).

Bris14

Thanks AudiChris and others for your replies and advice, much appreciated.

Alun

When I traded in my old Primera a few years ago, it had a big scrape along the passenger door. I didn't get it repaired beforehand, simply because I reasoned that it would cost me more as a private individual to get it repaired than it would cost a garage to do the same repair at trade prices.

Cyrus

first off id get a tube of scratchx (meguirs) from halfords and a polishing pad and clean the area off and then polish it, an awful lot of that white will come off and itll look a whole lot better.

then id leave it, make sure the interior is hoovered and clean and doesnt smell of baby puke

Honey-ec

Limerick-man wrote: »

Or else just don't wash it for a week or two and do a lot of dirty road driving .

Sorry, but when I was appraising cars, nothing made me more suspicious than a car coming in absolutely caked in mud - the vast majority of dealers will immediately wonder what you're hiding.

We used to immediately put cars that came in like this straight through the wash.

L-M

Honey-ec wrote: »

Sorry, but when I was appraising cars, nothing made me more suspicious than a car coming in absolutely caked in mud - the vast majority of dealers will immediately wonder what you're hiding.

We used to immediately put cars that came in like this straight through the wash.

I wouldn't ever ask a customer if i could wash their car. Generally i'd ask them while i was walking around the car if there were any dents or scratches that i should know about as i can't see the condition of the body work. In this case alot of customers are honest and point out where any marks are, (obviously dents are still visable with dirt.)

macroman

You'll be able to polish some of that out to make it look better, although it is severe enough and I'd day the panel needs a respray - not just a touch up.

philipnel

Have a look here, www.chipmaster-intl.com
My brother got his bmw 320 fixed with them sounds similar to your damage for 80euro. He had got an estimate from a body shop in cork and they wanted 480 Euro.
Turns out that the body shops use chipmaster themselves and pay them the 80 Euro and charge the customers the balance. What a rip off.

DonJose

philipnel wrote: »

Have a look here, www.chipmaster-intl.com
My brother got his bmw 320 fixed with them sounds similar to your damage for 80euro. He had got an estimate from a body shop in cork and they wanted 480 Euro.
Turns out that the body shops use chipmaster themselves and pay them the 80 Euro and charge the customers the balance. What a rip off.

Do you work with this crowd, new poster and both posts are linked to the same website :rolleyes:

philipnel

Are you saying because someone had a good experience with a company, they can’t share it with others, for your information we have used www.chipmaster-intl.com
on there separate occasions, as I said my brother got his cars bodywork done and saved E400 . I got my car valet with them also; I just had my other half’s voyager remap with www.ecofuealmaster.com which is another part of this out fit and looking forward to reductions in my fuel costs. You should look them up. Here arr a list of what they do.

Chipmaster SMART system (Small to Medium Area Repair Technology)


Chipmaster Gateway “Paint the scratch… Not the Car"
"Paint the scratch not the car" system offering customers a better alternative to body shop panel spraying to eliminate paintwork blemishes, scratches, stone chips and bumper scuffs etc.

Trim Master Gateway “Hole lot of trouble... No More"
Our system enables invisible repair to damaged interior finishes of vehicles.... Dashes, upholstery, door panels, split bumpers etc in any material including: Plastic, ABS, cloth, velour, leather, vinyl etc.

Dr. Dent Gateway " Dents away…. Same Day"
Dr. Dent Remove unsightly dents and dings from your vehicle's exterior WITHOUT PAINTING! The paint-less dent removal system repairs almost any panel on a vehicle where the original paint surface is not broken. Or used in conjunction with the Chipmaster System for more awkward jobs.

Glass Tek Gateway "Pain in the Glass? No More!"
Do not get your damaged windscreen replaced... repair it and SAVE! Glass Tek, A fast, effective permanent and invisible, repair system for cracked or stone-chipped windscreens. Glass Tek will meet all current and projected criteria for NCT standards.

Valetmaster Gateway "The devil's in The detail"
Give your vehicle a Spring Cleaning, a FULL Top & Tail Valet. Valetmaster, A comprehensive auto detailing system can clean and enhance the appearance of any vehicle using our proven techniques and materials.

Eco Fuel Master Gateway: With the current cost of fuel, the time to Eco Fuel Master Tune Cars, Vans, Buses, Trucks, Loaders and Boats is now.

Eco Fuel Master Car Tuning
Eco Fuel Master Commercial Van Tuning
Eco Fuel Master Commercial Buses Tuning
Eco Fuel Master Commercial Truck Tuning
Eco Fuel Master Commercial Marine Tuning

We offer a full range of tuning programs each with its own tuning characteristic giving different levels of economy and performance.

Wheel Master Gateway "Make your wheels shine like new"
Wheel Master is a state-of-the-art wheel repair facility to bring your alloy wheels back to factory condition without the need to replace chipped scratched bent or corrode alloys.

Tyre Master Gateway "Holed the road better than before"
Your Tyres are the only contact between you and the road. Do not compromise on your safety and the safety of others. We offer tyres at realistic prices for your safety.

MVOC

My BMW was badly marked due to scratches in the paint work mainly the result of unscrupulous motorists banging their doors against my vehicle in car parks and also the BMW had a rather ugly bump on the passenger door donated incognito by another vehicle. I had estimates running in the region of €1K to restore the bodywork. Chipmaster at the rear of Tramore Commercial Park on the Tramore Road, Cork completed the work professionally for €180, a saving of €800 plus.

In addition a first class valeting job was thrown in for good measure. I could not believe how good a job was done. In this economic crises I will be keeping my 2002 car, thanks to Chipmaster.

Seperate

AudiChris wrote: »

Bear in mind that if you're buying a car from an SIMI dealer that when you're buying the new car you'll be signing a contract that says that you say that your car has never been repaired (structurally or body panel-wise).
If you lie here, and trade your car in, and it's subsequently proven that your car has been repaired, then they would obviously have the ability to legally pursue you for compensation (we have several cases like this under consideration at the moment - might be a bit of a shock to the new owners in the next few weeks, pottering around in their new cars, but if you lie as you sell a car to a dealer you should be as ashamed as if you're a dealer who lies as you sell a car to a private punter).

Interesting. Just curious...

I have a few clients that have got the front-end of their cars resprayed due to stone-chips. Most of the time, you'd be hard-pressed to see the extra paint (no orange peel / fish eyes etc). Obviously, with a paint gauge - you will see the paint is thicker.

How would you approach that kind of situation... would you consider it a repair, and therefore reduce the valuation of the car?

cott001

MVOC wrote: »

My BMW was badly marked due to scratches in the paint work mainly the result of unscrupulous motorists banging their doors against my vehicle in car parks and also the BMW had a rather ugly bump on the passenger door donated incognito by another vehicle. I had estimates running in the region of €1K to restore the bodywork. Chipmaster at the rear of Tramore Commercial Park on the Tramore Road, Cork completed the work professionally for €180, a saving of €800 plus.

In addition a first class valeting job was thrown in for good measure. I could not believe how good a job was done. In this economic crises I will be keeping my 2002 car, thanks to Chipmaster.

Very interesting, does this company have a website,

Seperate

cott001 wrote: »

Very interesting, does this company have a website,

Why do you ask if you know them personally?

cott001

Seperate wrote: »

Why do you ask if you know them personally?

Know who personally

Gregor Samsa

cott001 wrote: »

Know who personally

From Seperate's link:

cott001 wrote: »

I just got my car back from Valetmaster Tramore Road. You were right GCOrk, car is spanky. Must take it back now to get a few old scratches fixed. Kevins is less than half the price with his Chipmaster System. Thanks for the heads up!!!!:rolleyes:

cott001

I got my car cleaned there last week and was thinking of going back to get a few scratches fixed. I thought it would be half the price that i was quoted but it looks like it might be even cheaper than that from that previous thread. I'm looking for the website to see if i can find some more info. I dont know anybody there personally but Kevin seemed very pleasant

-Chris-

I think you're pimping cott001, and I don't think it's appropriate.

-Chris-

Seperate wrote: »

AudiChris wrote: »

Bear in mind that if you're buying a car from an SIMI dealer that when you're buying the new car you'll be signing a contract that says that you say that your car has never been repaired (structurally or body panel-wise).
If you lie here, and trade your car in, and it's subsequently proven that your car has been repaired, then they would obviously have the ability to legally pursue you for compensation (we have several cases like this under consideration at the moment - might be a bit of a shock to the new owners in the next few weeks, pottering around in their new cars, but if you lie as you sell a car to a dealer you should be as ashamed as if you're a dealer who lies as you sell a car to a private punter).

Interesting. Just curious...

I have a few clients that have got the front-end of their cars resprayed due to stone-chips. Most of the time, you'd be hard-pressed to see the extra paint (no orange peel / fish eyes etc). Obviously, with a paint gauge - you will see the paint is thicker.

How would you approach that kind of situation... would you consider it a repair, and therefore reduce the valuation of the car?

I think it comes down to this:

AudiChris wrote: »

If someone's honest with me, I'll be fair with them.

If someone says their car's never been repaired and I find a resprayed panel, then everything they say after that is subject to double-checking. I'll pull back their trade-in value appropriately to compensate for the fact that they think it's ok to lie to the future owner of their car.

For me, if you've had bodywork done to your car, it's up to you to be honest and tell the new owner (in this case our garage) that it's been done.
I'll then have the opportunity to assess it and see if it'll affect the resale value and whether it'll need further repair.
If it's a good job, then there's no issue with it and the new owner won't have an issue either. There's no need to adjust the value of the car in this case.
If it's a bad job, then it'll need to be repaired before being resold and we'll have to adjust the trade-in value appropriately.

Don't forget that we need to know if there's been bodywork to the car so that when the next potential owner asks "has there ever been bodywork to this car?" we're able to answer knowledgeably.

If you say there's never been any bodywork on your car and I find that there is, then every word you say to me is suspect and we'll quickly find ourselves in an adversarial, rather than cooperative, position.


I think that's pretty fair....