bobzemuda

bling bling!





After watching a Jeep Grand Cherokee go through a tight spot in front of me, I knew I was going to take a hit. He was close to the top, and I was watching out for that and slid down a rock and bounced off a tree on the side instead.

Damn.

My weather stripping pulled away from my window, and I had to silicone glue it shut as it's about to rain and I didn't wanter water down in my door.

I'm thinking about claiming this one on my auto insurance. If I'm going to pay a few hundred dollars to fix the dent so that water doesn't get down in my door, I might as well pay the deductable and get it all fixed.

I knew this day was going to come sooner or later, and if it weren't for the weather stripping I'd just hit the paint chipped dent with some paint and be done with it. The pics don't do the damage justice. It looks worse in person.

Thoughts on how to handle this?

This is what I get for helping a Jeep club get ready for a Jamboree I can't even go to.

Bill

Enigma

man that sucks

bobzemuda

It was bound to happen sooner or later. I was shooting for later, but with all the trees in Missouri, and the number of Jeep built trails I go on, it happened sooner.

Still, with all those payments staring me in the face, it still hurts. Had I known that I was gonna wheel my car when I bought it, I would have bought a 96. Once I decided to, I already had the 2000 so I just rolled with it.

Still made my stomach drop. It should hurt a lot less the next time.

shazaam

Next time= SE4RJ

We can put a bigger dent then some jeep trail

AznSky

no, first is Attica -_-

Then SE4RJ

shazaam

you guys aren't going to do any hard wheeling in attica .. I'm not there to egg you on.

bobzemuda

All the pics of Tellico I've ever seen aren't as tight as everything at Sayersbrook Bison Ranch in Missouri.

I got screwed because I was on a high moderate trail I wouldn't have normally been on ( I really haven't wheeled that much) as we were driving down to meet these guys at the bottom of a hill.

None the less, my tow strap is still wrapped in plastic. It seems to bother some of the Jeep guys. I'm tired of being asked "do you have a locker?" and "you have a limited slip diff then right?"

Big no to both, and they just don't like that response. Not to mention, everyone was doing a wheel stand going up a hill Saturday, and my wheel was the closest to the ground because of the IFS. No doubt at the end of the day we'd all like solid axles, but they aren't always the 100% answer as Schaefer showed in his video crawling up a rock a couple months ago.

I'm starting to get used to the dent, it still makes me a little sad though. It's like busting my cherry to the wrong tree.

I was thinking of going 33"s soon, but I think I might go with a rear locker first. I think I would benefit from it more, and possibly some regearing.

Bill

shazaam

Ha! you just fell into the same trap I did about 2 mnths ago. If your going to throw in a rear locker, you might as well regear right? and if you regear you've gotta do the front too? So if you've got the front open, might as well throw a locker in the front. Instead paying labor twice. and thats how the price skyrockets.

PoBoy

No need to regear...33's and stock gears do the job. 4.88's would be nice and all, but not needed.

shazaam

yes it works, but man do you lose power,and this is with the TRD headers, and the FIPK (now removed). But I'm getting the 4.88 this weekend, and I'll let you know the difference

bobzemuda

I don't really want 4.10 with 33's when I do go to bigger rubber. Right now I need to get my door fixed a bit so I don't have to keep my window weather stripping glued up.

bobzemuda

You've got a lot of driving to do to get those broken in before Tellico.

shazaam

nope .. going down to NC to get it done. so on the way back thats 3-400 miles, plus the 10 hour drive to tellico. Cange the diff fluid friday night when I get there ... .... locked, and loaded

williemon

You might find a local shop to fix it up for you, pay them outright and dont bring insurance into this. Get several quotes and let them know up front that this is a no ins. deal. Then pick a place you feel good about and see if they will work a little bit more with you to bring the cost down. Also, look into the paintless dent removal. They may can help, but not sure.

You gotta figure, you pay the deductible, then your insurance will still up the payments you pay and you will still have a mark against you where their concerned. You will find yourself paying much more for those dents with ins. than you would to fix them without ins. involvement. Plus, if you want to change ins. within the next 3 to 5 years, the new ins. will ask if you have filed a claim within that time period. Better if you can say no.

Use your insurance for major issues, not small ones. Besides, your gonna ding it up again anyway. Why bring ins. into it every time?

bobzemuda

This is pretty much where I stand right now. The problem is that my weather stripping isn't meeting up to the window. The spot where the paint flaked off quite a bit, is actually even deeper then the rest of that dent as well.

I'm gonna get some estimates from some shaddier body shops in my area as I'd really like to just pay a few hundred dollars myself to have it mostly fixed, then 100% fixed as I know it'll happen again, these two were just pretty bad.

Rust is my biggest concern, thus the need to get the weather stripping area fixed and the water not running into the door.

Bill

williemon

Just dont let a cheap price lure you into a contract that would give you a cheap repair. Id rather spend a bit more to insure that 2 or 3 years later, the repaired area does not grow fur.

shazaam

any progress on this Bill? Or is still there?

bobzemuda

Still there. No chance of repairing it soon. It'd be like wasting $800 of mod money.

My insurance would take a jump that I'm not interested in taking, so I won't be turning it in there.

I'm getting used to looking at it.

Bill

shazaam

yeah I talked to my body shop guy on Friday .. hes going to fix my door so I can open it properly again .. i'm not getting it painted though .. going to wheel it this summer and then in the fall get it painted all at once.

AznSky

YOu still haven't fixed that panel that got bent by the wind??