Ok, my brother came home today scared, because he got in a minor crash. Im on summer vactoin, about to be a senior, and he came in the house shaking and scared. I asked whats wrong, and he said he hit a car. His car only has scratches, but the van he hit, the door is about to fall off. (mind you, my bro is 16). So, he begged them not to call the cops, or the insurance company. They didnt, so my bro said he'd pay for the damages. Well, the people he hit, they called a frend of theirs to see how much a new door would be. The guy said $1,800.00. The van he hit was a '98 Chevy Astro. I do not belive its gunna cost 18 hundred dollars for a new door for a '98 van. But i cannot find any replacment doors for this specific year. Can you please reply with an estimate on how much this will be???? THANKS!
2006-06-28 09:33:40 · 15 answers · asked by lilyoungsta20111 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Car Makes ➔ Chevrolet
I agree with the people who answered previously; less than half of the $1800 will be for parts--the door, wiring harness, lamp, and paint. You're talking more if the power window motor, window glass or locks have been damaged. The rest will be labor for the installation and painting (and paint-matching) time.
I'm so sorry this has happened to your brother. It's always intensely frightening to do damage to another car (or your own)--much less when you're 16. I'm glad he took responsibility for the damage he did, though--it shows he has good morals and strength of character, something that seems to be lacking when people damage others' cars.
If your family doesn't have the money to compensate the Astro's owners, I would call the insurance company. There will be a rate hike, but there will be a rate hike if the insurance company ever finds out about the incident anyways. For that much money, if you can't pay the Astro owners can legally take you to small claims court.
I hope you can settle this amiably and with as little pain as possible. My best wishes to you, your brother and the rest of the family.
2006-06-28 19:22:51 · answer #1 · answered by bracken46 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your best bet is to go to a junk yard. I agree with the previous answers, the labor would cost that much, but if you were to find a good door at a junk yard and knew someone who could help you out with putting it on you might come out cheaper.
But let me tell you from a friends experience, even if the person tells you he wont call the cops or insurance company unless you know the person very well, you should buckle down and get it over with, the deductible is probably going to be cheaper any ways, and you might not have to even have the police involved.
I know this isn't an estimate, but it might help.
2006-06-28 16:43:54 · answer #2 · answered by justfreeme 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, maybe the reason they're asking for more money is so they DON'T call the cops/insurance company etc. The door itself is probably only 400 bucks, but what if there's other damage to the van? Anytime you bend metal, you're talking stress to the whole vehicle, there's a lot of cast metal parts still in cars, a good 'bang' could crack something there. Plus, there's the whole part where HE hit THEIR van, now they have to go through the whole process of fixing it, that's compensation for them, too...
2006-06-28 16:37:56 · answer #3 · answered by gokart121 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The 1800 might not be just for the door. It may also include removal and proper installation of the replacement.
Also a decent door for that van may not be that easy to find, hence the higher price.
Try something like junkyards.com I once found a real bargain on a hatchback for my Nissan, this should give you a ballpark figure, but remember removal and install will add to the price.
good luck.
2006-06-28 16:41:05 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your brother is getting off cheap, with no doctors, no insurance, no cops, (no parents?). Pay the $1800 with a smile. Perhaps he'll drive more carefully . . .
What else could he do? Rummage through junk yards looking for a door? How handy is he with tools? Then the paint has to match -- the original paint might have faded, etc.
2006-06-28 16:49:59 · answer #5 · answered by G0TH1C 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have to agree with some of the other posts. $1800 for the door, installation, and painting sounds about right. Big mistake not getting a police report and insurance involved.
2006-06-28 16:45:08 · answer #6 · answered by sfcjcl 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If they take it to a dealer its going to be more then that. The door cant be more then 600 dollars, but the labor and reapirs is what really gets u.
2006-06-28 17:05:15 · answer #7 · answered by jmg559 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the door to my grand am was 1000 with labor. a doors a door. either bite the bullet and let insurance handle it or pay the man.
2006-06-28 16:39:10 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Anywhere from $1500 to $2500 for parts labor & paint... $1800 isn't out of line at all...
Body work is expensive... thats why we have INSURANCE!
2006-06-28 16:37:51 · answer #9 · answered by ubet426 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
this happened to me when i was younger.it was a truck i had hit and messed up the bumper i agreed to pay but when they wanted more than what it was actually worth trying to pull one over on me i refused to pay>>>no accident report =no accident so if your bro is getting the same done to him give them what you think they should get. not 1800 get real!
2006-06-29 23:22:04 · answer #10 · answered by racinkain 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋