small ding on door panel - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

dreamz · 07-07-2005, 11:43 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!

Cyorke · 07-07-2005, 11:49 AM

ou should be able to have someone like dent doctor pop them out for less than 50USD. hte guy we have do it at work charges 55 perpanel regardless of how many dents. Unless you start talking major hail damage or something like that. Call around and see waht you can find out. Look up paintless dent removal in the phone book. As to whether or not it is worht fixing is completely up to you. If you want it fixed and it bothers yoiu then yes it is worth fixing. Is it irrational to think you are going to be able to keep the car perfect for the first year of ownership, YES, unless you park it inthe garage and only take it out on neighboorhood streets when everyone else is sleeping. They are jsut cars they dent, rust, and break just like anything else. Obviously you can try to limit the amount of damage done to it but even that is hard. Youare at the mercy of how many other thousands onf drivers that live in your city or town.

jhbhatia · 07-07-2005, 12:06 PM

go to paintless dent removal places. shouldn't cost more than 100 for all this being straightened out and the area waxed/buffed off for that pricing.

dreamz · 07-07-2005, 12:18 PM

thanks for the help.

i called the toyota dealer before and they 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?

jhbhatia · 07-07-2005, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreamz

also, i don't want any drilling done. is it possible to fix without drilling?

Read my above posts, there are three ways to paintless dent removal,
1. they insert a long pole in thru your window gap and this scale applies pressure to the rear side (meaning, pushing the dent out..this is simple terms, there's more to it than just putting a scale thru your window gap!!).
2. Dry ice to smooth out the dimples and make them even
3. sucking cups (this is the last process..a lot of places use this as their first option - this is a way to know good from not so good places). its harsh..and shops should use it as a last resort..

all this followed by a nice wax/buff job should cost you close to $100. look for 'paintless dent removal' places.

dreamz · 07-07-2005, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhbhatia

Read my above posts, there are three ways to paintless dent removal,
1. they insert a long pole in thru your window gap and this scale applies pressure to the rear side (meaning, pushing the dent out..this is simple terms, there's more to it than just putting a scale thru your window gap!!).
2. Dry ice to smooth out the dimples and make them even
3. sucking cups (this is the last process..a lot of places use this as their first option - this is a way to know good from not so good places). its harsh..and shops should use it as a last resort..

all this followed by a nice wax/buff job should cost you close to $100. look for 'paintless dent removal' places.

thanks. the only reason i ask is because i googled "paintless dent repair" before and it came up with some information on drilling small holes, which i did not enjoy reading.

the suction cups probably won't work on mine because they're quite shallow, but thanks for the reply. i'll be doing some more research, and hopefully, it won't cost too much.

WhiteRabbit · 07-07-2005, 07:51 PM

the Dind King worked fairly well on my dents.

didnt mend it perfectly but made it less visible.

jhbhatia · 07-08-2005, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhiteRabbit

the Dind King worked fairly well on my dents.

didnt mend it perfectly but made it less visible.

Pulling dent or dings, sucktion cups and/or ding king!
Getting em smoothed out..use dry ice to straighten the surface!

WhiteRabbit · 07-08-2005, 12:50 PM

i made a thread about my use of the ding king, search "ding king"

skewe · 07-08-2005, 04:28 PM

i would not worry about it.
dings are too small to see.

will cost you more than it is worth.
Also, u might go to wally world and some dude rams the shopping cart into your car while you are shopping.

not being harsh but you will get used to it

dreamz · 07-16-2005, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skewe

i would not worry about it.
dings are too small to see.

will cost you more than it is worth.
Also, u might go to wally world and some dude rams the shopping cart into your car while you are shopping.

not being harsh but you will get used to it

you're probably right. 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.

Mike Gerber · 07-16-2005, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreamz

you're probably right. 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.

Take it to another PDR place and get another opinion. I live in the northwest suburbs of Chicago and around here they would charge about $125 - $150 to have PDR done on a dent that size. You can't be certain from the picture if PDR can be done on that dent, but do get a second opinion.

Mike

ANYTIME · 07-16-2005, 12:21 PM

I own a Paintless Dent Removal company. I can offer some advice to all that are interested. If you're going to have someone look at your car to possibly fix it, then look for someone that can offer you referrals of dealers they work for or private individuals. Find out how long they have been doing this and how many cars they've worked on. (Part timers have accumulated time but not cars). Usually a dent the size of a baseball and smaller are fixable to 100%. Creases can be fixed as long as it's not to close to an edge. (taillight , the end of the door or fender) Whoever you decide to use, please focus on the quality not the price. Usually you get what you pay for and I run across that constantly. People calling for the low price aren't always concerned about quality. You should do the same. Don't go for the guy that is low balling you or overly anxious to fix your car. The best in the business are busy and not waiting around for someone to call them. Kinda like going to a restaurant with no one there, why aren't they busy? Bad service? Food? You get the idea. With over 10 years and over 22,000 cars under my belt. That being said, I can say that I have seen my share of shoddy work, which cannot be re-fixed unless you take it to a bodyshop. Focus on quality, a 100% guarantee(you don't pay unless you are 100% satisfied),and someone who works on the car like it's his own car,as I do and everyone should.
Good luck in your search,
John

dreamz · 07-16-2005, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Gerber

Take it to another PDR place and get another opinion. I live in the northwest suburbs of Chicago and around here they would charge about $125 - $150 to have PDR done on a dent that size. You can't be certain from the picture if PDR can be done on that dent, but do get a second opinion.

Mike

i'm in evanston, and things are pretty expensive around here. i brought the car in and the guy took a look at it and said pdr couldn't be done. i'm still looking around for other places, but i haven't found too many.

i assume the $125-150 is the total cost (including labor, etc.).

Quote:

Originally Posted by ANYTIME

I own a Paintless Dent Removal company. I can offer some advice to all that are interested. If you're going to have someone look at your car to possibly fix it, then look for someone that can offer you referrals of dealers they work for or private individuals. Find out how long they have been doing this and how many cars they've worked on. (Part timers have accumulated time but not cars). Usually a dent the size of a baseball and smaller are fixable to 100%. Creases can be fixed as long as it's not to close to an edge. (taillight , the end of the door or fender) Whoever you decide to use, please focus on the quality not the price. Usually you get what you pay for and I run across that constantly. People calling for the low price aren't always concerned about quality. You should do the same. Don't go for the guy that is low balling you or overly anxious to fix your car. The best in the business are busy and not waiting around for someone to call them. Kinda like going to a restaurant with no one there, why aren't they busy? Bad service? Food? You get the idea. With over 10 years and over 22,000 cars under my belt. That being said, I can say that I have seen my share of shoddy work, which cannot be re-fixed unless you take it to a bodyshop. Focus on quality, a 100% guarantee(you don't pay unless you are 100% satisfied),and someone who works on the car like it's his own car,as I do and everyone should.
Good luck in your search,
John

yeah, i know i'm not going to go with someone who's lowballing it just to get business, but i want to know that i'm not being taken for a ride. i don't know how much this thing is supposed to cost me, but i have a feeling $515 is too much. i can't believe the guy when he says he can't fix a crease, which is on the door panel, not on an edge.

Mike Gerber · 07-17-2005, 02:42 PM

deamz,

There is one here in Wheeling that both myself and my father-in-law (he lives in Rodgers Park) have used before with good results. They are on McHenry Road (also called Wheeling Road) just North of Dundee Road. If you were coming from Evanston you would take Edens North and get off at Dundee Road West. Go West about 10 miles. When you get to Wheeling make a right turn at McHenry/Wheeling Road. It is up about half a block up on your left in an auto mall. No affiliation, just a satisfied customer.

Here's their information:

Dentbusters
120 McHenry Road
Wheeling, IL 60090
847-541-9396

Mike