The story: our landscaper was over at the house a couple weeks ago doing some work for my wife. I was out mowing the yard at the same time. My weedwhacker kicked up a couple of pebbles and we all heard them go 'ding' off the bed of our landscaper's new Dodge Ram pickup. There are two chips in the paint, each maybe 2 mm in diameter about three inches apart. I told him to go get it looked at and that I would pay to have it fixed, but call me first if it was over $ 250.
He dropped by the house yesterday and had two estimates from local reputable body shops, each of which were for about $ 1100. According to them, the only way to repair it with a match is to sand, paint and clear coat the entire right hand bed panel. I told him that I would have to send this along to my homeowner's insurance and file a claim.
How does this sound to the Collective? I have a $ 1000 deductible, so I will essentially be paying the whole bill. The moral of the story is, if you have to get a rock ding on your vehicle, make sure it is done by someone with insurance or assets.