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Mazda CX-7 Body Work and Repair
Well, it happened - I got into an accident yesterday morning. No injuries, thank goodness, but I need a new bumper. When I brought the car in to the auto body shop, they also noticed a big ding on the passenger side front door (unrelated to the accident; perhaps a supermarket parking lot type of incident?). So that will need some repair as well.
Has anyone yet had body work done to their CX-7? If so, how did it go? I am hoping that the repair place will not have major problems in obtaining a new bumper. I must say, they were excited to check out the car, they hadn't seen one yet.
The other car in the accident, an old Nissan Sentra, had to be towed - was in much worse shape. I must say, the CX-7 is a tough cookie. I was able to drive away and the car seems fine (other than looking a little crappy up front!). Not that I felt the car was flimsy or anything, but now I really feel it's a good, solid vehicle that can withstand a lot.
Has anyone yet had body work done to their CX-7? If so, how did it go? I am hoping that the repair place will not have major problems in obtaining a new bumper. I must say, they were excited to check out the car, they hadn't seen one yet.
The other car in the accident, an old Nissan Sentra, had to be towed - was in much worse shape. I must say, the CX-7 is a tough cookie. I was able to drive away and the car seems fine (other than looking a little crappy up front!). Not that I felt the car was flimsy or anything, but now I really feel it's a good, solid vehicle that can withstand a lot.
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I've got only one door ding so far, but it just HAD to be on the driver's side!
-c92
Typically, they'll also have to repaint a good chunk of the vehicle, cuz the colors applied to the new parts, won't exactly match the colors on the other adjacent, unaffected panels. So, they'll have to paint the side panels, too.
I'm not surprised that the Sentra was crippled...it's so much smaller than the CX-7. That's like an antelope buttin' heads with an elephant :P
I know this will happen eventually, but CX-7 is going to butt heads with a larger vehicle (truck or SUV). I don't want to see any one hurt, but it'll be interesting to see how tuff the CX-7 really is.
Once again, I'm glad you aren't hurt (bad case of rattled nerves, huh?)
Vince.
When I had a wreck in my 02 Camry, I really felt like it would be a hard match on the color, {sandlewood}, but they did. It worked out well enough that you couldn't tell that it was ever hit on the rear bumper, so take heart that it will most likely match.
Good luck with your "turbo-tank"!
Anyway, no one was hurt but it was upsetting and a bit scary. My heart was racing this morning when I drove that way again (it's part of my daily commute to work). And now I feel a bit paranoid - I look at every oncoming car like it's a deathmobile! :P It will subside, I'm sure. But in 28 years of driving, this is only my second accident. I'm very lucky.
The auto body shop I'm using is excellent. They took amazing car of my husband's car 2 years ago when he hit a deer. I'm sure they'll do right by me, and I'm confident they'll get the colors to match. I'm dropping the car off on Feb.19th (that was the soonest they could take me, and they have to order the new bumper anyway), so until then, I have to drive around with a less-than-beautiful car
Please posts some pics on your CarSpace page (people love the before and after stuff).
If you ever see the Sentra mom again, here's a link for her daughter:
Defensive driving school for teens
What shocked me is that:
1) they made the assumption that silver would be the same between models; and
2) nobody (including the painter) bothered to look at the completed job. It was clearly visible close up as well as from a distance.
Must have been made by the car next to mine when the driver got into that car.
Seems silly that should have happened. Oh well, does anyone know if this can be corrected?
Darth Vader Grey GT AWD w/Tech Package
Do that to enough people, and behavior in your town will change for the better!
I take great care, trying NOT to ding cars sitting next to me, but occasionally, with strong wind gusts, the door is literally yanked out of my grip and the door is thrown against the neighboring car.
I've got a couple little dinky dings on my sides, too.
I suppose I can park far enough out in the parking lot, to get away from all of the other cars. But then I'd have to put on some hiking boots to get into the store :P
Oh, the inconveniences we have to live with.
Vince.
Do write from prison, will you?
Hardly.
And Vince, living in a congested area might be the root of the problem, but I think it really boils down to lack of respect for other people's property - whether it's by malice, ignorance, or just lack of control over the rugrats getting out of the Suburban parked next to you. It's just plain rude - especially to ding a car with dealer tags on it.
Sometimes it makes me want to drive around a '77 Toronado held together by duct tape, just so it won't matter...
I agree with you wholeheartedly! A very aggravating problem! Sometimes, it's a nasty wind gust (like I mentioned earlier). Others, it's someone trying to shoe-horn an extra large vehicle (like a Suburban or a Tahoe), into a space meant for smaller car and leaving scant inches to open a door. Or some joker, who doesn't know how to pull into a parking spot and pulls in at an angle, forcing every around him, to park in a similar manner.
Nice chatting! Vince.
Vince.
Well, the shop calls me at work this morning to tell me that although they have the bumper, they don't have the door skins. Apparently, Mazda won't even have any to ship for another 2 weeks. Thus, they (the body shop) wanted me to come get my car and bring it back when the skins arrived so that they could repair everything at the same time. I said no. They've got the bumper and my car - fix it. It's a HUGE hassle for me to pick up my car and return the rental and seeing as I busted my butt yesterday to do so, I was in no mood to do it all again in reverse. I'm so angry at my insurance company I could spit (USAA; their idea to suspend repair until the skins come in). Maybe I'm being irrational but I can't help it. I realize they want to do all the paint work at the same time, but...I don't care.We'll see how it goes.
In the meantime, I did take pix of the busted bumper and will try to post same in the next few days. I guess the only bright spot is that Mazda told the body shop that the car's so popular they can't keep the parts in stock. Does that mean that CX-7 drivers are smashing up their new cars that quickly??
No, it only means that other cars are drawn to it with great passion because it is soooooo attractive!! :shades:
Darth Vader Grey etc. etc....
Here are the last 6 digits of my car's VIN:
117030
It is very possible that the woman from the body shop said "door" meaning, "complete door" and I just assumed she meant a skin. I don't know. But any info you have would be much appreciated.
Good luck.
Vince.
No, the damage is to both passenger doors. I will be checking in with the auto body shop by week's end, to see how they're doing with the bumper. Yes, hopefully they'll have a better sense of when the doors / skins will be available, at which time I'll bring the car back for Phase II. :sick:
Man, it BETTER be! :surprise:
That being said, I guess none of us know what has really been removed by the spray, or what the finish is that he's seeing underneath, but I'd be concerned. When I was putting on my mud flaps, I remember seeing what I thought was a rustproofing "mastic" - thick (looking) stuff that was maybe "troweled" on in the wheel wells... If that's getting blown away, what's left under there to protect from salt, etc?
Just got a call from the body shop. The Mazda parts man supposedly was not talking about the CX-7 when he said the door panels were back-ordered; he mixed it up with some other Mazda model. Turns out now that they are suddenly readily available. Gee, what a coincidence!!
Also, upon closer inspection, the car also needs a new left headlight, which will take 4-5 days to get. So all told, they're hoping to have everything - bumper; door panels; headlight - done some time next week. Hallelujah.
Meanwhile, I'm getting the hang of driving the behemoth Durango. What a boat! But so far, so good, even on the curvy, narrow Merritt Parkway (Connecticut). But wow, it makes me miss my CX-7 like crazy.
Edited to add: I've now put the pictures of the damage on MyCarSpace. Not sure if I need to provide a link to it (if so, how?), or if people can just click on my user name to get there.
It sucks seeing such a new car mangled. Though, I don't feel too bad about my door ding now! Is the wheel messed up, too, or is that just dirt?
I was dying to have the car washed but was afraid to take it through a car wash and possibly cause more damage (assuming they'd let me even go through). Also, the roads are in such bad shape right now - between the salt, the sand, and now the melting mush - that it's an exercise in futility to have a car washed.
I am so paranoid about anything or anyone coming near the car, after all this work to it. Didn't realize just how much I really missed driving it these past 2 weeks til I got behind the wheel - MUCH better than the rental car (Durango). Whew!!
Thanks
If the dog is that big, why buy a CX-7?
Vince.