NightRider202

Alright, so my car was parked and the guy next to cut his wheel to hard when he was backing out. He managed to put a nice dent behind the door in my TC. He took off, I found him, there was hell to pay, it's a long story. Does anyone have any good advice on popping this dent out?

I'd like to think if it was popped out in some way it wouldn't look too bad. The only damage is in the flat panel, and a couple good scuffs. Thanks for the help, I'll see if I can get some closer pics up here as well.

Onikage

Holy crap man! He is gonna pay right?

If there isn't any paint damage maybe you can call up one of those paintless dent removal services. I think there is one called Dent Wizard but I don't know if they service Mass. area.

RoswellScion

Plunger...? I hope the guy that hit you helps pay for it. Definitely go by a paintless dent shop and get a quote.

phoenixtc

That does not look good. If the dent is up over the body line you may run the risk of cracking the paint if you pull it out. Plus it looks too deep to just pull out. That looks like a major repair. I don't think the paintless dent place is going to touch that. Good luck.

tricked_tC

Well dude, you've got yourself a little situation there. I'm a professional bodyman here in VA. I see and fix cars with that sort of damage everyday. There is no way a dent wizard can fix that. They only fix dings and stuff. The metal has been stretched too far inward to come back out perfectly. Metal has a memory like that. Chances are the gap between your door and that quarter is a little wide now right? Considering that, you have two options:

1. Have someone straighten the quarter. This will involve pulling the dent back to it's somewhat originate state, and then using body filler to make it smooth again. Then it has to be repainted. Considering the size of that dent, it'll cost a lot to straighten it.

2. You may have to replace the quarter panel. A dent that big and deep is hard to fix with body filler. To replace that quarter panel, a bodyman's gonna have to cut that quarter out and weld in a new one. And then it will have to be painted. This too will be pricey. Especially if insurance doesn't pay, because buying anything on a 2006 car is pricey.

It's really sort of border-line between needing to be straightened with body filler, or needing to be replaced. But at any rate, it has to be repainted to look right again and you can expect to drop some serious change to get it right. Sorry that happened to ya.

fm_tc_cruizer

That looks exactly like my car when it got hit with a shopping cart! Kids were actually riding in the cart, so the weight of the children going down the hill was enough to cause the same damage. Anyway, I took it to a body shop. In certain lights, I can still see where the paint was buffed & painted. It bothers the crap outta me. So I would recommend paintless dent removal if at all possible.

mowmow

First thing first

1) Did you get in insurance, DL, all the important info on the guy that hit you ?
2) If you can hurry up and take a picture of the guy's car, I'm sure he must have
gotten some on your paint on his ride too.
3) Confirm his insurance, file a police report
4) Don't even try to let the guy off easy by letting him pay out his pocket, trust me
I've tried to be a nice guy and let him pay, when it comes to paying people tend
to push you off and makes incredible amount of excuses. Let insurance company
go after that instead. That what insurance are for.

From the extent of your damage, you probably are going to get your frame re-align
then a new quarter panel and make sure you go to a good bodyshop and blend the color with the quarter panel with your door, rear hatch and rear bumper. It's going to take sometime to do but this is what I would do. My FM tC got hit and run last year
by a Dodge ram 2500 on the front fender in a parking lot. So I know how much pain
and frustration it is. One more thing, you're entitled to rent a car and paid by the idiot's insurance while your car is in the bodyshop under surgery.

vortexofhate

iTrader: (2)

ouch, sorry to hear about that...like others have said i really hope you got his insurance information. I would go straight to the insurance company and let them deal with all that. That is why we pay for insurance after all.

NightRider202

Yeah working out the insurance is still in process. The guy said that he didn't hit my car, but I have pictures of my paint on his bumper, etc etc. So I will have money coming to me to fix it either way, from his insurance company or my own (I hope not for the sake of not having a hit on my premium). Worst case scenario I'll start with the easiest option, i.e. the plunger! Hahaha, thanks for all the advice though, it's very much appreciated. I'll be glad when the embarassment of driving a brand new car with a dent in it is gone...

NightRider202

Not to mention I'll call Dent Wizard and send them some pictures, see what they think. They might be the cheapest way out if I have to pay someone to fix it. But if the other guy is at fault I'll get it done right.

honey0bucket

that wont come out....not with the paintless dent removal guys...you'll be lucky if you dont ahve to get a whole new quarter. anyway you look at it you have to turn it into insurance.

BIGRKtC

Same thing happened to me on the drivers side. Hit and run as well. The guy walked passed me coming out of my friends apartment. I saw him get into his car, the only car that was in position to make the dent. I took my friends bags in and came right out to find a dent in my car. I was ____ed because the complex is on a golf course and dous not have a apartment for less than $1400/month, so I know he's got insurance. Called the cops they said to wait to see if he returned. Later he did and we took pics of the scratch on his bumper that matched my cars damage. Called the cop back so she could see it herself. She ran the plates and the car belonged to a women. She tried calling for a couple of days and got no answer, called me and told me that she couldn't get in touch, also the car belonged to a women not a man, and the kicker, she claimed that I could never proove the demage was from my car. Basically, she was tired of helping me and I was screwed. During the process I made the huge mistake of reporting it to my insurrance. They quoted me 750$ of demage, cut me a check for $250, because apparently I have a 500$ deductable, and jacked up my insurrance the following year by about $400. The dent still isn't fixed because I can't afford it. Don't get metlife, they suck.

7thgear

go through the insurance bro. you kinda got unlucky that he hit the quarter panel cuz that piece is the most expensive to repair. i scratched and dented my whole quarter panel a few months ago and it almost costed me around $2000 to fix. it's because of labor of taking out the windows, doors... blah blah, etc.... that piece is pretty big. it extends all the way to the front of the car also. but look on the bright side, your car is hella clean though. i wish my bsp tc was that clean. mine looks like crap right now. been raining so much that the color turned grey.

mowmow

Ouch, yea i've heard horror story from metlife insurance. Actually I was in a similar situation too, it was a hit and run. The idiot came back to shop and I busted him on the spot got all the info with witness ( Always have one and have their names and contact # ) Turns out this guy's insurance was lapse (i.e. not insured ) I was fortunate enough that I had uninsured motorist as part of my policy, didn't pay a dime got it all fixed and rental car while my ride was in the shop.

In the worst case scenerio, if your deductible is too high and you can't get your ride fix, ask your mechanic, ask your buddies, find a reliable bodyshop let them know you are poor student or what have you, and paying out of your own pocket, usually they are willing to work something out with you to get it fix. I know because my wife scraped the bottom of my front bumper on steel belt tire debris last year. I took it into my local bodyshop told them this is out of my own pocket, $250 and I got the whole bumper, sanded, repainted, etc in and out within 3 days. Typical insurance claim will be $500 - $600 or more