Trouble with a door

[Radagast]

So I had a close encounter the other day, pulling into a parking lot and someone came barrelling out the other way - right down the middle of the driveway rather than on their side. I had to swerve a bit and hit the curb, I thought it was just a hard bump and I wasn't worried about the tire which will be thrown out next Thursday, but I discovered later that I scraped the side of the car right at the bottom, mostly underneath the rear passenger side door. It's a pretty significant scrape and it's causing the rear passenger door to not always latch shut unless it's pushed firmly.

First things first, can someone tell me exactly what the part/area is called where the damage is?

Secondly, I assume it's relatively expensive to totally fix as that's a fairly large piece on the side of the car?

Finally, is it possible to just have it hammered back into a semblance of shape so the door works properly? And if so I assume I'd want it painted to avoid rust problems? I do have some touch-up paint but not sure if it works on such a large area.

http://www.chrisandheidi.com/mazda/mazdascrape1.jpg
http://www.chrisandheidi.com/mazda/mazdascrape2.jpg

Pictures are large so I left them as links.

Thanks for any help/advice!

[Thrizzl3]

ouch....that's actually part of the frame. you must have hit the curb pretty good then.

[Radagast]

ouch....that's actually part of the frame. you must have hit the curb pretty good then.

Apparently I did. The alignment was way off too and the tire had a bulge, although the tread was gone on it anyway and it was replaced on-schedule yesterday.

So Mazda says it's the rocker panel, and they (actually the body shop attached to Mazda) want $880 to patch it up, or about $2000 to replace, including painting. They say that area will rust like crazy if the metal is left exposed. It's definitely interfering with the rear passenger door and slightly with the front passenger door as well.

If it's going to be THAT much I'll have to go through insurance. Are there any other options that I should know about?

Thanks.

[Noisy Crow]

Slegde hammer & a rattle can of primer would do the trick!

Before going to your insurance company make sure you know the impact on your premiums. This will count as an at-fault accident, and will be counted against you for about five years.

[Flagrum_3]

Apparently I did. The alignment was way off too and the tire had a bulge, although the tread was gone on it anyway and it was replaced on-schedule yesterday.

So Mazda says it's the rocker panel, and they (actually the body shop attached to Mazda) want $880 to patch it up, or about $2000 to replace, including painting. They say that area will rust like crazy if the metal is left exposed. It's definitely interfering with the rear passenger door and slightly with the front passenger door as well.

If it's going to be THAT much I'll have to go through insurance. Are there any other options that I should know about?

Thanks.

What Mazda forgot to mention is that the rocker-panel is part of the subframe, and it being damaged in the specific way that it is, will definately deminish the vehicles crash-worthiness. Personally I would have it fixed properly and by 'professionals' who can straighten subframes correctly. Also, yes, if the surface is not repaired/painted properly it will rust very quickly, meaning a replacement in the near future...I'd suggest playing it safe and fixing her right, right now.

My 2c


_3