Cost to repair a Merc

if it is one repairable panel then 500 pounds will get you a good job done

Thanks, took it to Merc repair centre today, they quoted 200 pounds + VAT for the repair, since the paint job is fine, they only need to "suck" the dent(the size of 4 cigarette boxes) back up. Reading on my insurance policy, if I called them last night, it would cost me 150 pounds + another 250 pounds extra as an inexperience driver.

S.Chang

S.Chang ( snipped-for-privacy@mapson.ieee.org) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Is the paint broken, with sharp edges on the dent? It may be worth ringing one of the "DentMaster" franchise lot.

First, you get your Excess deducted from the claim. Then - what's your NCB at the mo? You'll lose that, for a start. Then add a chunk on for an "at- fault" accident for the next few years. Pay it yourself.

And this, children, is why we buy s*it old cars as first cars. Because we

Of course you care - although with age comes wisdom, and you realise that the rust bucket you loved as a first car and got upset over when you bashed it didn`t make a whole lot of difference to the value :-p

And then 10 years after you scrapped it, you notice there's not so many on the road now, and as you look through the small ads and Ebay you see them in worse nick than yours was fetching silly money, and kick yourself. Lots.