I just re-read this thread, and looked at the body-damage links.

I have come to the statistical conclusion that blue/white-striped BDR's are prone to accidents.

I got run off the road a couple of years ago and went through a barbed-wire fence! (There's a thread here somewhere) The top wire cleared the windscreen and caught me across the eyes, I will never complain about wearing glasses again.

Since I was only 100 yards from home and bleeding, I fought my way across a ditch and went to check my injuries.

I drove myself to the ER in my truck, where a local cop had a chat with me.

What did the PD do? Did they try to find the delivery truck based on a pretty good description from UT? Nope. Wrote me a citation for leaving the scene of an accident.

The barbed wire took out the windscreen and pretty well destroyed the paint job, about $6K's worth.

Is there a curse on blue/white BDR's that I don't know about?

UT

Fixed it for you.

I hope that it was taking as good advice with concern for Gregg and others safety.
Oh and I think Gregg should get his eyes checked because me and another Cobra owner are trying to figure out how you can't see a traffic light from these cars no matter what your height is. Your angle of view changes as you approach the light. It is not like the traffic light is blocked from your view the entire time you approach the intersection. :3DSMILE:

Wow,

I can't belive how much it costs to fix a Backdraft! And why are you waiting for suspension, can you not get it from BMW?
I'm not trying to be rude, but that kind of fiberglass work is not worth what you guys seem to be paying. Am I right to think that the gray car got a new fender (from backdraft) and some inner panneling, radiator, and radiator support and it looks the blue car had the local shop build up the fender, Is this correct?


Justin

JustOne,

There are many custom parts that had to be repaired and remade to fix this car. Backdraft pieces are not just something available at the autobody parts store. So, many, many hours went into replacing/rebuilding the car. I was able to watch it progress from week to week and think the charges are fair. High end, yes. But Earl Sheib this shop is not! The craftsmenship shown by the guys working on the car is excellent. He will received a very well reconstructed car that is probably better than new. Believe me, if the insurance company had thought otherwise about the cost, he wouldn't have gotten what he did!

So, keep saving for your first Cobra. Then buy really good insurance. I think you can see its worth!

SkipB

SkipB,

I am very familiar with what it takes to fix a custom fiberglass car and or boat when an accident occurs. However unluss there is much more to these accidents than what I see in the pictures, than these repair prices just seem high.
The blue car only lost part of a fender flare and some cracks, the shape is still there to work with and the cracks are very easy to fix. Heck all you have to do is some grinding, put a few mills of cloth on and build the shape up from the backside. My concern is the insurance pricing, and what insurers may be scared off when a 16K repair turns into 31K and an 8-10K repair turns into 22K.
Most of these cars, just like Vettes and hotrods or boats turn out to be just as good as new or even better due to the attention to detail of most good repair shops. If the main frame rails weren't bent then really no harm ever occurs, just cosmetic damage. The nice thing about glass is that you can mold and match it to anything you want fairly cheap.

JustOne
The damage to my Blue BDR that you see was far more than just the front fender. I am not going to debate the cost of repairing the fiberglass as I am far from an expert. I can tell you that the front wheel was pushed back into the inner wheel well causing damage. They replaced the steering rack as a precaution and all other suspension parts are new. There was also spider webbing to the rear fender so it also had to be ground down.
I feel as if the car will be returned to me in as good a shape as it was when it got in the accident thanks to the meticulous work as Skip has already mentioned and really that’s all I care about. For example the driver’s side pipe well be polished so it matches the new side pipe.
So really I say thank up to Autoworks and Statefarm.
Regards
John

JustOne,

After reading what you wrote back and John's reponse, I assume you realize the damage in question was more than just a quick fiberglass repair. As for what the insurance companies charge, I haven't found Cobra replica charges to be too outrageous. But, what you do want is adequate coverage in case something does happen. I would want my car repaired to "as new" condition and not just "fixed" as you might accept on a daily driver Toyota or something. One other factor to remember is that this is a custom made car too. You won't find much on them in the Mitchell manuals.

The other factor is the guys and the shop involved. They refuse to compromise on repairs. Autoworks International puts our incredible custom cars and their repairs are equally amazing. So, they are not cheap as I mentioned. They work as many hours as necessary to insure the car is perfect when it leaves their shop. I should know, as my car was custom painted by Miguel, their bodyshop manager. I can't tell you how many hours he spent sanding and priming, resanding and repriming my car before he started the actual paint job! I have been told by several people that my Backdraft has one of the best paint jobs on it of any Cobra anywhere. I am not sure about that, but the paint is amazing. I am a little bit particular as I work in the industry and represent quite a few companies that sell repair products (including fiberglass products) in the auto body business.

Check out the Autowork's website to see what they have done in the past and are currently working on right now. I think you will be impressed. State Farm must have been impressed too as they paid for the proper repairs.

SkipB