They're too damn high! I'm talking about cosmetic repairs. I work as a delivery/install/setup guy and work with a partner driving a moderately sized Izuzu NPR box truck. I have never driven the truck (luckily in this case).
Anyway, my partner was driving last week when we went to a house on a call that had a rather narrow driveway with a brand new Honda Ridgeline parked along it. We drove by it and thought nothing more of it. That is, until the next morning when we showed up for work only to be greeted by a police officer collecting evidence from our truck with the Ridgeline parked along side. Needless to say, the owner had reported a hit and run. We had no idea we had hit the truck and we got it all straightened out between the owner and us so that wasn't a really big deal.
The big deal is the cost of the repair. I simply cannot believe how much it is costing the shop to repair the Ridgeline. The scrape is roughtly 5 inches long and 4 inches high. It barely got to the primer. It is
not dented. The repair estimate? Over $1,500!!! That was the last I heard, after it had gone up from $800.
I simply cannot imagine what could possibly drive up the cost that high on such a minor paint scrape. Appearently the repair shop claims that they have to remove the entire panel (rear fender). Well, the entire panel on a Ridgeline is the
entire body. It's all one piece. I don't see why they cannot simply repaint the affected area.
That's not the only exhorbitant repair costs I've encountered lately. A friend of mine who owns a 2003 BMW had a problem with it overheating on the freeway a few weeks ago. He had it towed to the nearest BMW dealer. The problem? A cracked radiator hose. Engine damage? No. The cost to repair the cracked hose? $1,300.
What's with these outrageous repair costs???