Gary, I had my MR2 for 9 years....the first new car I bought.....hell, the first car I owned worth more than $3,000.
Let me tell 'ya, vanadalism on high end sports cars is absolutely stunning.
I had the car painted 5 or 6 times in the 9 years I had it.
I'd walk into the body shop, hand them the sheet from our govenment insurance, and ask them the simple question...do you want the work.
By the second time I was there (on the first paint job), I think they realized that I wasn't going to accept a less than quality repair job. By the last paint job they did, they would call me to look at the car before they sprayed paint. If the bodyman could walk around the car and dispute anything I pointed out, fine...never happened. If you, a mere mortal, can point out workmanship problems, surely a professional can find them on his own.
They had to paint one mirror once. They simply covered the window with paper, and folded the mirror against the paper, and sprayed it. The paper side of the mirror looked like hell. They got another crack at that one too.
By the time the car was totalled, the body shop was using my car for promotional work. They knew full well that if they expected me to sign off on the car, it was going to be a damn nice job.
You gotta be diligent. It's your car, not your insurance companies. Don't let them fix marginal stuff. Replace with new where you can. Don't accept masking lines...anywhere.....they didn't come from the factory. If that means they gotta pull the glass out to paint it, call your insurance company and get approval. They can't say no. The contract they made with you was that the vehicle would be returned in it's pre-accident condition, or it will be scrapped. If they want you to make concessions, they make concessions.
And finally, NEVER sign off on an injury claim. Let it go dormant, but do not, under any circumstances, sign your name to a document that says your as good as new.
And remember, with insurance companies, body shops and ex-wives...."Bitter is Better".
Off my soap box......
Later