small ding on door panel

**dreamz** · 07-07-2005,ï¿½10:13 AM

my car is still pretty new. i only bought it in december, and i`ve been very protective of it.

by nature, i`m a perfectionist. i got a little irritated when i discovered little specks and scratches on my car, but as i was waxing it the other day, i discovered to my dismay a slight dent on the side, near the wheel. it`s not very noticeable, but it bothers me.

i thought my car would be perfect for at least a year, and i thought it reasonable to expect a dentless/scratchless car. is it normal to expect that or am i just being irrational?

is it worth fixing? how much would a job like that cost?

thanks!

**69 GTO Judge** · 07-07-2005,ï¿½11:11 AM

I know that a compnay up by me called Dents Unbent charge about $80 for small dings.

**Beemerboy** · 07-07-2005,ï¿½11:11 AM

Look in the phone book or call your local dealership and find out who they use for dent removal....most of those guys are moblie........I just had two bigger than yours do my 04 Murano and you can`t even see where they where.

**dreamz** · 07-07-2005,ï¿½11:30 AM

the toyota dealer said it would be $150+, which i thought was ridiculous.

i`ll have a look through the phone book and see, but how do you know who`s reputable? and is $50-80 about normal for something like this? also, i don`t want any drilling done. is it possible to fix without drilling?

**CharlesW** · 07-07-2005,ï¿½11:37 AM

Originally Posted by dreamz

the toyota dealer said it would be $150+, which i thought was ridiculous.

Sounds ridiculous to me.

Originally Posted by dreamz

i`ll have a look through the phone book and see, but how do you know who`s reputable?

Get recommendations from previous customers. Good used car dealers usually have a good one on call.

Originally Posted by dreamz

and is $50-80 about normal for something like this?

$80 would be the going rate around here for one dent. Depending on the work involved, that $80 might cover removing both. It wouldn`t be $80 for each.

Charles

**Beemerboy** · 07-07-2005,ï¿½11:53 AM

My two dents where 150 but I live in CA and that`s about the going rate...Also mine where allot worse

**dreamz** · 07-07-2005,ï¿½01:53 PM

well, i`m going to check my phone book and see what i find. hopefully no drilling, painting, etc. will be done.

**maximv1** · 07-07-2005,ï¿½05:33 PM

Originally Posted by dreamz

the toyota dealer said it would be $150+, which i thought was ridiculous.

i`ll have a look through the phone book and see, but how do you know who`s reputable? and is $50-80 about normal for something like this? also, i don`t want any drilling done. is it possible to fix without drilling?

the price the dealer gave oyu has mark up in the price. we do that at my dealership. that is how they make money of work that they sublet out. look in the phone book, there has to be pdr guys who will come to your work or home. you will probably pay at least $80-100 for both dents., but it is ALOT cheaper than going to a body shop.

**dreamz** · 07-16-2005,ï¿½11:12 AM

Originally Posted by maximv1

the price the dealer gave oyu has mark up in the price. we do that at my dealership. that is how they make money of work that they sublet out. look in the phone book, there has to be pdr guys who will come to your work or home. you will probably pay at least $80-100 for both dents., but it is ALOT cheaper than going to a body shop.

i went to a place today to get an estimate and they said that there`s a crease, so they can`t do pdr. they`d have to take it apart, smooth it out, repaint it, then re-do the clear coat, altogether about $515. i don`t know if he was screwing with me, but that`s insane.

i`m starting to think it`s not worth it. i just might have to live with it.

**Hailfixer** · 07-16-2005,ï¿½04:07 PM

Well I`ll take a stab at this one. I`ve been doing `PDR` for a couple of years now (started in `91). I primarly repair hail damaged vehicles. Some with thousands of dents per car. Also have worked in some factories that have very high standards, including MB in Germany. I`m telling you this to make this statment, not all PDR techs are created equal. Creases can be fixed if they are not too deep. How deep is too deep, well if you put the panel on it side would it hold water? Is the paint scraped off? If not, most likely it could be done by an experienced tech. But, any good tech would have to see it first to be 100% sure. Sorry if this is a little convoluted, but pictures really don`t convey PDR type damage very well. Try the high end dealerships in your area. Contact the new & used car mangers and find out who they use. Good Luck.

Michael

**dreamz** · 07-16-2005,ï¿½05:57 PM

Originally Posted by Hailfixer

Well I`ll take a stab at this one. I`ve been doing `PDR` for a couple of years now (started in `91). I primarly repair hail damaged vehicles. Some with thousands of dents per car. Also have worked in some factories that have very high standards, including MB in Germany. I`m telling you this to make this statment, not all PDR techs are created equal. Creases can be fixed if they are not too deep. How deep is too deep, well if you put the panel on it side would it hold water? Is the paint scraped off? If not, most likely it could be done by an experienced tech. But, any good tech would have to see it first to be 100% sure. Sorry if this is a little convoluted, but pictures really don`t convey PDR type damage very well. Try the high end dealerships in your area. Contact the new & used car mangers and find out who they use. Good Luck.

Michael

thanks.

it`s pretty shallow. at least to my untrained eyes, it just looks like a slope, not so much a dent. the paint isn`t chipped, but it could use a good buff.

i`m running out of places to check, but maybe i`ll find a good one.

**JeffM** · 07-16-2005,ï¿½08:18 PM

google is a mans best friend, sorry about the dents dude.

**ShineProDetails** · 07-16-2005,ï¿½08:23 PM

That`s crazy for PDR. Usually if it`s "in" or near a crease it will chip the paint. I`ve had worst removed from customers cars, than your dings. I`d get another quote.......

**CARTfan** · 07-16-2005,ï¿½09:36 PM

Originally Posted by dreamz

i thought my car would be perfect for at least a year, and i thought it reasonable to expect a dentless/scratchless car. is it normal to expect that or am i just being irrational?

is it worth fixing? how much would a job like that cost?

thanks!

One would think that a dentless car for at least a year would be a rational expectation, however with so many careless and disrespectful people out there, that`s an unrealistic expectation. There`s nothing wrong with YOU, because you respect and take care of your car so you`re going to expect that others do the same. I bought my new car less than two months ago so I`m in the same boat you are. My car went ONE DAY dent free. I told myself I wasn`t going to be a looney and park it super far away from everything, but one freakin` day. Needless to say, I got the ding removed and I don`t park remotely close to anybody.
:doh

**dreamz** · 07-23-2005,ï¿½02:13 PM

Originally Posted by ShineProDetails

That`s crazy for PDR. Usually if it`s "in" or near a crease it will chip the paint. I`ve had worst removed from customers cars, than your dings. I`d get another quote.......

i went to a couple more places.

pdr place 1: small, dingy place. the guy taking a look at my car estimated it at $95. then he opened the door, looked around, and after saying that it was a difficult spot, raised it to $175. minus $25 for the coupon i had, it was $150 total. he said he`d have to drill from the bottom and pop it out.

pdr place 2: larger than the first. i was greeted by a friendly guy. he squatted down next to the car and explained everything to me: how the scratches were moving downward, how the reinforcement behind the panel might`ve caused the dent, etc. he told me about his pdr specialist, that he works all over the place for dealerships like honda, body shops, and so on. he explained three different methods, gave me an estimate on the time and success rate, and his guarantee (if they can`t get to it, i don`t pay). his estimate was $120 max, though it could be less.

unless i find anything better, i think i might go with this shop. plus they`re open on saturdays and sundays, so i won`t have to take off work.