A&Q about 350Z
Q:
Hi Y'all!
I'm in a little quandry with the dealer and wonder if you'd advise me. My 350 ZR is a 2005. I love the car, and drive it all the time, but don't do track or rally's or anything (Too old.) Contrary to what I say below, I am kind to the car, and keep her in good shape, except as below.
About ten months ago I betgan a series of mishaps. I ran against a curb, front edges of parking spots, and sustained my first damage during that time. The underside was bad enough that the plastic panel needs to be replaced. Ant the bumper and its front spoiler need to be replaced; and then a little paint to coordinate bumper and spoiler they say.
I don't know what got into me, but I just assumed it was the chassis, therefore no damage to the car. The wife had me have it estimated; and the fix would have been over $700. I figured since the car was only 4" off the ground I'd probably do it again until I learned better, then I could have it all fixed.
So today since I haven't had any damage since that referred to above, I decided to get an estimate and probably get everything fixed. So the dealer/appraiser (the same guy I used for the first appraisal) gave me an appraisal...of $1400 dollars! DOUBLE the original from about nine months ago!! With maybe a little more damage, but nothing major over what I had done before. No structural damage. No more cracks in the bumper/spoiler, no additional paint to match.
So I will get 3 4 more estimates, but this guy can't be that far off, can he? I reminded him of the old estimate, BTW; so he restated that with no painting (just reinstall the spoiler with a few scratches), a new bumper but only "white", not necessarily matched; and a new underside panel - uncoordinated. And the bill would just be $740!
Should I think about taking him up at the "patch" price? Should I pay the $1400 because of my ignorance? Should I just not fix it? The dealer tells me other Z owners (who are only involved in driving themselves) don't fix such problems at all since they're almost completely out of site and cause no harm as is. Can I count on that being a truthful statement, and consequently not worry (at least for a while).
As you can see, I'm discombobulated and would appreciate any advise and or leadership from you guys. I guess since I'm 65 and recovering from a life-threatening illness, I'm trying to be a kid again; AND BY D..N, that's exactly what I intend to do from here on! But I do want to make a correct and responsible decision here. So it is in this context as above that I need your help. I sure would appreciate hearing whatever you have to say.
A:
im not sure what your saying but is it just the front bumper thats messed up? what plastic panel? and what spoiler are you talking about? can you actually see the damage or is it just underneath? if it doesnt bother you then dont worry about it.
$1400 from what your saying it sounds like the guys ripping you off
just so you know a full brand new front bumper can be had for about $250...of course this doesnt include paint, but it shouldnt be any more than a few hundred on top of that. And installing a front bumper isnt all that much work, ive done it
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03 CS Touring
VIN #189
A:
If you're talking strictly about a needed replacement/repaint of the front bumper, then $1400 is more than twice as much as you should be paying. NissanUSA is one of the lowest price OEM parts suppliers. As drivenZ said, a new bumper was only a couple of hundred dollars, and painting it should run no more than around $300 more. Installation of likely around 1 hr. should make the total bill NO MORE than $700. I'd try to find someone around $550 or $600. JMHO. (Just my humble opinion).
Believe only what you think, not what you feel.
A:
Just find a quality body shop...or call several shops...they can get you the parts & they will tell you up front what it's going to cost. Forget about the dealer!
If you want to go a cheaper route...place an "want ad" in the classifieds on other Z web sites that your looking for a new front bumper, mention the color too!..You never know what response you'll get. Guys are always moding and you might get lucky finding a new bumper real cheap!
Your local body shop can paint it, if need be and install it . Replacing the front bumper is VERY EASY to do! Good Luck
My SB ZR still feels like HEAVEN....what a wild ride!
A:
I had a Nissan dealer and an independent body shop quote filling in the two license plate holes and re-painting my front bumper to get rid of the stone chips and Nissan's price was $550 installed and painted, the body shop was almost $100 more. Both also gave me prices for a brand new bumper painted to my body color and installed and Nissan was $640 and the body shop was almost $750. I'd opt for the new parts as it should be blemish free.
2003 Redline Touring