About to buy a Suburban

[Darstedly]

Hello all. I joined yesterday as I'm about to buy my first Suburban. I'm looking at a 1998 K1500 that the owner says has a dent in one of the rear barn doors. I've yet to go and see it but wondered if anyone has an idea of the cost of repairing that sort of damage in the south east of England. Thanks.

[Springthing]

It really, truly depends on the depth, location, and what other damage may have come about.

If it is just a simple dent - like someone was practicing some rugby moves in the yard and rushed, head first, smack into the middle of the door - then it should be a simple pull that will pop out.

If it is near an edge then it's a little more involved with having to reshape the edge and get the curve back.

If it's a crease then it all depends on how bad the creasing is and how easy it would be to roll it out again.

If there is paint damage, then you are looking at the door being painted as well.

Totally rough guesstimate (in the US..US dollars..)

Low end/simple concave right in the middle - $50-$100
High end creased that goes into the edge with missing paint from a scratch - $300-ish?

Hopefully someone else will be able to help. I really have no idea about how prices are in your area.

Good luck, and let us know if you have a new purchase on your hands!

[tbplus10]

Welcome aboard.
Most of us couldnt convert dollars to pounds, let alone figure the labor rate for repairs in England.
Depending on the size and depth you may be able to repair this yourself.
A few methods I use with good success are:
Hot and Cold, rubbing Dry Ice wrapped in cheese cloth over the dent then hitting it with hot air from a heat gun.
Or
Remove the rear inside panel and use sheet metal spoons to smooth out the dent.
Or
A dent suction cup. You can buy them at most auto parts stores in the US, dont know if their available in England though.

[MWright936]

Welcome to the site! Good luck with the suburban!

[retired2001]

Welcome to the site! As stated above, someone local is going to be your best resource on the body work. There are a lot of folks on the site with Sub's so it should be a good resource for most things "Siuburban". Good luck!

[cascott325]

welcome to the forums

[Darstedly]

Thanks everyone that replied. When I see the damage I'll see what I can do. I'll let you know the cost too in case you're ever in the UK! I didn't think that I would be the only one on line from England, though. Maybe it's a time zone thing. Maybe I'm all alone out here.

[Springthing]

I don't think many people can afford to drive a suburban out there - and from what I hear, I'm guessing most people might be afraid to navigate the streets there with a big ol' 'burban!

[dwill3015]

Welcome to the site!

[bry2500]

Welcome to the site. Hope the damage is minimal and you get a good deal. Cheers!!

[JMoney02]

Welcome, my Ex-In-Laws were from England(Kent/Crawford) and to fix the dent, get just a BIG Harley Davidson sticker to cover it, I'll mail it to you, it will be cheaper than the Bonnett Shop right?

Jeff

[Darstedly]

A bumper sticker is a great idea. I've seen the damage and it's the right hand rear quarter panel under the tail light that has been crumpled. There is a quote for the full work of around £4,500 (incl new panel, new bumper, etc). The seller's insurance company wanted to write the car off. I've called around and a panel basher could do the work for £500. A new bumper costs £600 here. A 1998 Suburban seems to go for about £7,500 depending on mileage and there aren't that many available. I've offered less than half that and the seller has accepted. I'm happy and can't wait to collect the car. I'll be able to have the panel repaired and some other work done on it and still come off only a little more expensive than the prices I see for US based cars. If only we didn't have import duties and value added tax. If only the Atlantic weren't so wide! :great:

[ct9a]

Congrats on the new truck.

[tbplus10]

Congrats on the purchase.
I always refered to my ex-wife as a Panel Basher (among other things) but somehow I think even though their doing roughly the same thing the end results are different.

[Steve]

Hey, welcome to the site. There are quite a few folks from the other side of the Atlantic, so you're not alone. My wife's former step-siblings are all in the UK and they had never seen anything so big as my truck when they were out here ... not all that common according to them.

Anyhow, get some photos of the Burban posted up when you have time!

[nosnorb]

I just bought a 94 suburban about a month and a half ago. It's a great truck, but the gas is killer!

[Springthing]

Glad to hear your offer was accepted! Please be sure to post pictures, especially pre-bashing, so we can get a clue as to how things are before and after. I'd personally be interested in seeing how it all turns out.

[Darstedly]

Delays delays! I'll post the photos the vendor sent me. They were taken on a phone so may not look too good. I think I'll be able to pick up my new car in about a week. The seller's insurance co wanted to write the car off (did I mention that already?) if he claimed the full £4,500 for the repairs. They offered him the car's title for about £1,500. So he ends up with the difference plus my money. Nice deal all round. Thing is, I want to be sure I've got clean title. I don't want to pay for the car only to have it impounded while I spend three months extracting the title from the insurance co. Anyway, the ponderous wheels of beaurocracy are now turning and things should be settled soon. Once I've had it serviced I am off to Switzerland and a few weeks driving around Germany and France. That's a long way by our standards!

ps here's the link to my photos http://www.gmtruckclub.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=551&pictureid=2998. If that doesn't work they are in an album in my profile. Enjoy

[adampaul1964]

It's a small world aint it! I am originally from England and been living here since 1980! totally Americanized now (my wife wishes I still had the accent!) My Parents live in Wetherby, Yorkshire so I still keep in touch with the Homeland!!
Welcome to GMTC and good luck with the Suburban! (I had 220,000 miles on my '97 when I sold it 2 years ago and it's still going strong!!) :great:

[Darstedly]

It's a small world aint it! I am originally from England and been living here since 1980! totally Americanized now (my wife wishes I still had the accent!) My Parents live in Wetherby, Yorkshire so I still keep in touch with the Homeland!!
Welcome to GMTC and good luck with the Suburban! (I had 220,000 miles on my '97 when I sold it 2 years ago and it's still going strong!!) :great:

Good to hear from you. It is a small world! I know what you mean about totally Americanised. Yorkshire is lovely but living in the US must be great. My brother and sister both live in Hawaii. . . . Maybe when we've explored enough of Europe in our new car we'll do a trip in the States.:lol: