I will be meeting with an insurance adjustor Monday to work out the details of having my S2K repaired after a woman backed into the drivers door. The damage isn't terrible but is significant. Am I being unreasonable to expect a new door rather than popping and filling with bondo or whatever they use these days? I feel that a new door would be appropriate for this special edition, limited production sports car but I don't know if I am within my rights to demand it.

 

You can demand whatever you want, whether you get it is another story

Yes, a repaired door will significantly reduce the value of your car. Get it replaced.

No ask, no get.

 

Yes, you should demand a new door. If they refuse, inform them that you will then be filing a claim for "diminished value" of the the vehicle in addition to the repair cost. The only problem is proving that the vehicle actually has a diminished value.

 

When I sustained door damage on my '98 Accord, they replaced what they called a door shell, and not the entire door. I don't know if this type of repair is applicable to the stook, but it might be worthwhile to check. Good luck on your repair.

 

The outer door, or skin, can be replaced in most cars... How well it turns out depends on if the shop uses genuine Honda parts or not... Insist on them.

I had a Sentra SE-R's outer door skin replaced and didnt ask about genuine parts... I thus didnt get a genuine Nissan skin and you could tell the fit was off. The inner door (structure/frame) was still the original, so the door shut and sealed correctly, but the outer skin's body lines never looked right.

Another thing to consider is that the body panels DO have the Serial Number sticker on them, and by replacing the entire door, you might lose that sticker.

In my bungee cord mishap (if you want to know, email me) I had to basically have the left side of the car painted and some minor dings taken out. The appearance of the car was basically as if someone had keyed it in places, with a few dents that were pretty minor. Anyhow, the Honda body shop I took it to didnt choose to replace the panels, but rather repair them and paint. The issue was one of being original, and also of proper fit. By not having to remove the panels from the car, the panels ALL line up correctly like they were assembled in Japan.

The work was done really well, aside from a few more swirl marks than I like, but its a black car and the swirl marks are no worse than the rest of the car, which is to say they arent bad -- I'm just picky. Shouldnt have bought a black car

 

Unless the intrusion bars inside the door were bent in the impact, the chances of you getting an entirely new door are slim. What most often happens is the replacement of the outer door "skin" this is what i would insist on, as if the damage is minor they may rather just pull, and hammer out the original outside skin and fill it out with bondo. Using bondo is ALWAYS bad, but a new outer skin, if done by a competent shop, using genuine parts, should be indistinguishable.

 

Yes, you should DEMAND a new door. If its just your door and not the other panels you're better off. What they should do is order a door, match the paint and swap the locks and parts.

If the inner door beams are damaged you need a new door. If the outside metal is only damaged they can put a new skin on it.

 

Every panel on your S2000 has a VIN sticker on it from the factory. If they put a new door on the car, it will not have that sticker on it. Therefore, a replacement door could diminish the value of your car. With modern repair techniques,a reputable repair facility should be able to fix your car properly. Just my .02 cents.

 

Being an insurance adjuster for the past 14 years I'd say find a highly competent body repair shop and have them negotiate the replacement of the outer panel (skin).
Like the others above have mentioned, you're better off keeping the original door shell with the manufacturers labels and VIN identifier.
Obviously, if the door shell is damaged then you have no choice but to negotiate for a replacement door shell.

 

The doors are a structural and safety component on the S2000. Were the internal door beams bent or damaged in any way? The door beams should NEVER be fixed. They should be replaced. Which would require a new door.

The Helm S2000 Body Repair Manual states: "If a door beam is damaged, the whole door panel assembly should be replaced."