Expert: William Forster - 6/21/2006

Question
My husband opened a car door in a parking lot and accidently made a tiny scratch on the door of a black BMW parked next to him. He left his name and phone number. The owner of the BMW had an auto body shop call us and they said it was $450 to fix it. They said they have to take the door and the handle off, repair it, and it needs a 3 hour paint job, etc,. Does this sound right? When we looked at the car, it only appeared to scratch the paint, not anything else. It was a very small nick.

Answer
Hello, and thank you for your question! Well, 450 is actually pretty much in line. Black is the most difficult color to work with, and BMW owners think that they are a special breed. (THEY ARE PICKEY!!!) Removal of the door handle and mirror are necessasary, the paint will peel around them if they are not removed. If the scratch is anywhere near the edge of the panel, blending of the adjacient panel is necessasary for a proper match. I know, it's just a tiny scratch, but it's a scratch that wasn't there before your husband caused it to be there. I really suggest that you just pay the bill, and not draw the ire of these people. If you fight the claim, you will miss work, incur court costs, and I promise you, you will lose. Sorry for the bad news. I hate answering cost questions, they seldom have a happy ending. I just try to answer as honestly as possible, and give you the perspective of a body shop. I hope this helps. Bill