Re: Someone backed into my spider!

[Godfrey DiGiorgi <ramarren@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I think it's important to be honest and reasonable. It depends a lot on 
the specific damage that was done as to what course you should take. It's 
very unusual that a dent in the nose warrants an entire body repaint, a 
good body shop can match and respray the areas that are affected easily. 
Fixing the Spider nose is not cheap regardless ... if the panel needs to 
be replaced, it's a cut and weld job since the Spider body is an all 
welded construction. 

Presuming the damage is cosmetic only, bring it to a bodyshop (preferably 
one that other Alfa owners have recommended) and see how the person 
estimating the work reacts to it. Look around the shop and assess the 
quality of work done there. Do they tend to use a lot of filler? What are 
their skills with a welding unit? Are they detail oriented or are they 
more of a 'get it out' shop? All these things make a difference. 

The effect on the value of the car will be dependent upon the quality of 
the work done. Get the best possible work done (which might not be to 
have a full repaint done!) and there should be little difference in the 
car's worth (always presuming the damage was purely cosmetic). 

Godfrey 

>Perhaps someone has had a similar experience. Someone backed into my
>spider 90 while it was parked. Fortunately he left his number and now I
>have to get it repaired. My question is: How far can you go when it
>comes to repairs? Should I ask for a complete new paint job? Or will
>they just replace the damaged panel? How will this affect the value of
>my car? Can I use the 'Collectors' argument? Etc... Any advice would be
>much appreciated.

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