[suman]

As the post title suggests, the Silver Streak got into an "encounter" with an Army Gypsy inside the Delhi Cantonment area on the 17th of last month. The bumper & the fender (RH side) were damaged & the front door couldn't be opened because the fender had got pushed back, thereby obstructing the door -


Sent it off to my FNG in Gurgaon & he called back saying that he wouldn't be able to attend to it as the fender was majorly damaged so he suggested that I send it to the Ford workshop. No way! was my immediate reaction but I thought I'd check possible costs with HF Okhla anyway. It was past 6.30 in the evening & there was no one at the HF Bodyshop but an SA I knew told me

"Sir, fender toh kaafi mehenga hai, 4000-4500 hoga bina painting ki"
"Holy Cow!!"
was my immediate reaction. Besides, I was pretty sure that they would insist on changing the bumper as well. Not to mention the fact that the car would be out of action for God only knew how long!

I called back the FNG & asked him to suggest a local denting shop. He gave me the name & directions to one which was supposedly one of the best in Gurgaon (by the name of Mallik). Off I went the next morning & found the place & held my breath as Mallik examined the damage & pronounced - Koi ni, theek kar doonga, kisi ko dekh ke pata bhi nahi chalega. So I gingerly asked him how much it would cost & he said the bumper would be dismantled & fixed by a bumper repair shop (there was one next to him), said that would cost around Rs 300 (that guy wanted 350 but we settled for 300) and then he would take out the fender, beat it into shape & thereafter paint the fender & the damaged portion of the bumper for Rs 1,500. So, a total of Rs 1,800 which I thought was bloody good under the circumstances! He promised that the body work would be completed, fender & bumper put back & patti (primer) applied by 4pm. Car would thereafter be released & I would send it back sometime the week after for another 4-5 hours for painting & polishing. Sounded like a good deal to me.

Now, I must say I was quite impressed with these guys, the way they dismantled the bumper & the fender, including the mudflap, SXI monogram & the side indicator - . The bumper guy also fixed the headlamp clip which had broken. I hung around for a while watching the bumper getting repaired (heat treatment) as well as the fender getting hammered into shape. First time any body work was done on the car -



True to his commitment, the denting & patti application was completed & the car was sent back with everything in place by 5 pm. We were bloody lucky that the rains had held off for that day (the NCR was going through a particularly torrid wet spell during that time). The rains resumed next week & it was only on the 23rd that the sun peeped out & I sent the car back for painting. True to his promise, Mallik got it done & sent the car back in the afternoon with only the final rubbing compound application & polishing & the monogram & indicator fixing to be completed. The weather held out the next day as well so back went the vehicle for an hour & all was complete!

I must say that we were quite impressed with Mallik's expert workmanship & overall efficiency. It is not easy these days to find a guy who sticks to his commitment as far as timelines are concerned & it was a very pleasant surprise to see him keep his word on each & every occasion. A couple of clicks of the Silver Streak now -



And, the story would be incomplete without mentioning the quote from HF for Fender replacement & painting. I called them the day after the accident & they quoted Rs 4,000 for the fender & (sit down & brace yourselves) Rs 4,500 for the painting of the fender!!!

Sir, hum toh Cobra Booth painting technology use kartein hain, isi liye thoda mehenga hai...

So, Rs 8,500 without any of the bumper work! Now you will understand why Mallik was such a Godsend for me! I called up my FNG & thanked him profusely for having guided me to Mallik's workshop. And I now rest easy that I have discovered a good Body shop in Gurgaon. And a Bumper repair shop as well.

(Coming up in a while........More Money Saved thanks to FNG)

[benbsb29]

Suman, good to know you found a nice body shop.

We had a similar experience as well.
My friend who had a brand new Santro grazed the car along the pillars in his basement parking space, and was heartbroken. I acompanied him to the HASS, and needless to say the rates quoted were crazy!

Parwath suggested a good body shop where we took the car and the work done was amazing! Excellent color matching, and removal of dents. The quote? Less than one-third of that provided by the dealer!

[vnabhi]

Good to know that things are ship shape again. BTW, what is an 'FNG'?

Going to a local denting guy is always prudent in such cases.

BTW, what is that horizontal beam in front of the radiator---is that the 'dog bar'?

[suman]

Originally Posted by benbsb29

Suman, good to know you found a nice body shop.

Tell me about it Benny, I now sleep easy! More so because I have another Beast in the family & dent repair for that one would be an even more expensive proposition.

Originally Posted by vnabhi

BTW, what is an 'FNG'?

FNG = Friendly Neighbourhood Garage

Originally Posted by vnabhi

BTW, what is that horizontal beam in front of the radiator---is that the 'dog bar'?

Are you referring to the bar bolted on two sides of the shelf below the horn? If so, Bingo! This is the first time that I was able to see the famous Dog Bar up close!

[ghodlur]

Suman,

The transformation is simply outstanding. If you had posted the before and after job photos in separate posts, it would have been real difficult to notice if there had been any accident/body work at all. Good that you found the FNG at right time, saved you on the cost too.

BTW what is the cobra booth painting technology? Some thing to do with snakes

[suman]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

BTW what is the cobra booth painting technology? Some thing to do with snakes

Heh heh, just a new way to make more money that's all. All in the name of dust proof & moisture free paint booths blah blah....

[.anshuman]

@Suman: where is this FNG located?

[suman]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

@Suman: where is this FNG located?

FNG: Rakesh Automobiles, located on the left just after you enter the Sheetla Mata road from Atul Kataria chowk & go past the factory outlet (I forget the brand). Met him through GD
Mallik - on the Sheetla Mata road, go past the Marble shops, then you come to the gaggle of automobile repair shops (where the road is raised a bit). There is a red building on your left. Opposite that building (on the right side of the road) is a small lane going on. Mallik is located in that lane, on your right as you enter.

[krish3]

wonderful job done by the local shop guy. Looks as good as new.

A nice lesson in how to save money. I'll have to find such people in Bangalore and Cochin.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by suman

Are you referring to the bar bolted on two sides of the shelf below the horn? If so, Bingo! This is the first time that I was able to see the famous Dog Bar up close!

Yep, that's the one. I'm not sure if later models have it---they might have removed it on the pretext of 'pedestrian safety'

[Rastapopoulos]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Suman,

The transformation is simply outstanding. If you had posted the before and after job photos in separate posts, it would have been real difficult to notice if there had been any accident/body work at all. Good that you found the FNG at right time, saved you on the cost too.

BTW what is the cobra booth painting technology? Some thing to do with snakes

Yeah the cobras bite and its a costly bite !

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Good to know that things are ship shape again. BTW, what is an 'FNG'?

Glad you asked about the FNG - I was thinking am too Naive


@ Suman -The job done by mallik is realy fabulous. You sure found the right guy to take care of the injuries of the beast.

Any problems after the fixing? I mean in terms of the door mechanis etc? is it back to its normal movement?
I am sure it does looking at the job done.

[suman]

Thanks guys, yup this Mallik was the discovery of the month for September!

Originally Posted by Rastapopoulos

Any problems after the fixing? I mean in terms of the door mechanis etc? is it back to its normal movement?
I am sure it does looking at the job done.

Absolutely no problems. There were no issues with the door mechanism per se, it was just that the corner of the Fender had got pushed back & was blocking the door (see first pic for details)

[kpzen]

Nice work ! Looks pretty neat.

Was the full bumper painted ?

Do get the wheel alignment done. (In case you haven't)

[suman]

Originally Posted by kpzen

Nice work ! Looks pretty neat.
Was the full bumper painted ?

Thanks! Nope, not the full bumper, a little over one third I'd say. I did make him touch up some earlier scratches on the left bottom corner as well

Originally Posted by kpzen

Do get the wheel alignment done. (In case you haven't)

Need to change the tyres in the next few days, tyre noise has really gone up. That's why I haven't got the alignment done yet.

So tell me, 195x60x14s - Turanzas or A drives? And why? Or should I just go for some cheap tyres in stock size since I intend to sell the car by the middle of next year?

[Sugeeta]

@suman : can you kindly share the phone number of this FNG?

My accidental repairs in a nasty monsoon pile up in July cost me a total of INR 40000 out of which I had to pay INR 18000, rest was covered by Insurance.

There is a FNG in my area as well at Rajouri Garden called Raju & Bunty Car Repairs. However, this setup has recently graduated into "modification jobs"; so does not have time for ordinary denting painting stuff.

I often go to Gurgaon for audit related work, so can pay your FNG a visit.

SM