Expert: Ernie - 3/25/2007

Question
Ernie-

Yesterday I was having a horrible day and because of this I was not paying as much attention as I should have been while parking my '07 Civic Si Coupe.  Here is what happened: I was parallel parking it at a corner and I came in at an angle that somehow put the side of my car (in-between the axles) over a large curb.  I began to pull forward to straighten out my car and proceeded to hear a horrible scraping sound (this is the "oh crap" moment).  The damage to my car is the side skirt (not an accessory side skirt or aftermarket part) is dented in and scratched up for about three feet forward of the passenger side door jamb.  There is no damage do the door (door also opens/closes without problem) and all the damage is below the door line.  Would you be able to advise me as to a reasonable range of prices I should expect to pay in order to repair the side skirt (parts & labor)?  Thanks!

Answer
Your damage is to the rocker panel,depending on the extent of the damage the part could be repaired at approximately $500 to $700.This is only a guess without seeing the damage.Replacing the part I would guess at no more than $1000.I have not replaced a rocker on a new civic yet so I don`t know the exact cost of the part so I am guessing in the $200 to $300 range for just the part.