The front driver’s side corner of our Clarity was crunched a few days ago. We were stopped at an intersection and a school bus tried to turn left from their street onto ours. They made the turn at a bad angle and struck our car with their rear tire area. Fortunately, everyone involved is okay. The Clarity on the hand has sustained quite a bit of damage: front bumper, grill, headlight, and quarter panel for starters. I can only imagine what they’ll find beneath the exterior panels. I’m now trying to sort out the best way to go about getting the Clarity repaired. Based on what I’ve read in other related posts in this forum, it seems that there are at least two things to verify when choosing a shop to do repairs on a Clarity: certification for aluminum repairs, and the ability to complete the job without exceeding the temperature specifications posted on the label on the door frame. What other questions should I be asking?
Edit: I initially thought the front grille was cracked, but upon further inspection it actually appears to be intact.
Have you contacted your insurance company? If so, do they have a list of approved repair facilities in your area? Alternatively, you might try contacting a Honda dealer in your area and ask them which facilities are approved to work on a Clarity. Ultimately, I’d confirm that your insurance company approves the facility where the work will be performed.
Thanks. I have been in touch with both my insurance company and the local place that’s on their approved list. I guess my initial concerns were mainly about the fact that (not surprisingly) this will be the first Clarity they’ve worked on. The place is actually affiliated with our local Toyota dealer, but evidently also has access to support from Honda (in contrast, they don’t do work on VWs, Fords, and some others). First impression was encouraging; they explained their process for curing the paint overnight at lower than typical temperatures (about 75 degrees?), and more importantly when they didn’t have answers to a question they simply said they didn’t know and would find out. I will, as per your suggestion, also contact my local Honda dealer and ask them for their recommendation as well. Thanks again.
my suggestion is that you should work with a bodyshop retained by your local Honda dealer, don't go with just any one that is on the insurance company's list. You'd be more likely to get OEM parts and shipped to you in a timely manner. Also with any damage to Clarity, you should ask the battery to be checked by both dealer and the bodyshop - don't leave this to the adjuster. The adjuster will always try to lowball the repair (for obvious reason) unless he/she is a personal friend.
