Hello fellow TLers,

So I goofed up big time the other day. I was reversing into a parking spot (with my door open = STUPID) and I hit one of those yellow metal poles that are cemented into the ground. My open driver's side door drilled to pole, and bent the edge of the door in, taking some paint off with it. The door appears to close fine (although I did notice some moisture on the rubber seal on the top of the door).

Took it in for an estimate this morning, and they said it would be about $1,000. Yeah F&*#ing right. I'd be willing to have an auto body shop hammer it back into shape, and paint it myself, if possible. I'd even be willing to just paint it and leave the dent as is. Does this look like something that I might be able to tackle with a paint pen, or will I need to have it sprayed?

So what do y'all think? Repairable? See pics below:
http://imgur.com/zhx7YIp
http://imgur.com/p9VM2f8

Hard to tell in this pic, but the door edge appeared to fold over on itself.
http://imgur.com/VTfvf5c

 

very hard fix!
do it right and get it fixed professionally.

 

check out local PDR companies.

 

Its repairable but if you have no experience in body work then take justn and shark advise.

Also, shop around and get different quotes.

 

Thanks for the suggestions! However, from my research, this type of dent does not look like it would qualify for PDR? I am wrong?

- Btet

 

only one way to find out. they don't charge you for looking at it, they'll just give you an estimate. i've seen them do some pretty cool things...but you're right, this is in an odd spot.

 

you can always find a good junk yard door for about 400-500 bucks and if its not the same color, get it sprayed and you would be under 1000 car-part.com

 

Anything can be "repaired", it's more a question of an acceptable repair (to you). First, some perspective, and then a couple of suggestions.

I once read an interview with a Ferrari F40 owner (body of all carbon fiber), a Japanese businessman who regularly drove his F40 to his Tokyo office. When asked if he worried about 'door-dings', because of the heavy city traffic and tight parking spots, replied: "why?".

To him, it was just another vehicle to be driven and enjoyed.

As for your vehicle, I have two basic suggestions,: check carefully that the door itself or the hinges have not been bent, and that the door actually seals properly. Just close the door on a sheet of paper, and pull on the paper. Do this all around the door.

If there is an area that the paper pulls out easily, then you may need to readjust the door. Also, check that the space all around the door, between the door edges and the body, are even. Also, put a dab of heavy grease on the door latch bar, and slowly close and open the door. Try to determine if the latch on the door, centers on the latch bar on the body door jamb.

That will tell you if the door has actually been moved or bent or dislocated. If so, report back, as that is another different type of repair, but also not difficult for DIY, if not too bad.

Then, here are some suggestions for 'repair':

1) use a small artists brush and a bottle of touchup paint, which will prevent any rusting. That is generally what I do with my own vehicles. In theory, it is possible for you to purchase a body dolly & hammer, and pound the dent 'flat', but you cannot remove the 'fold'. Google online, and visit an auto-body-paint shop for the tools. You can also find the same tools at Harbor Freight at 1/10 cost, but the body shop can also advise you. I have done this, for around $50 in tools.

2) after the 'fold' has been flattened, or perhaps even if not, you can use a strip of door edging, with already applied 'glue'. Again, depends upon the creases horizontal to the door, and how they 'stack-up' at the door edge, as to how easily you can apply the edging. I found two 3-foot lengths of door edging at a local Oreilly. Depending upon the 'depth' of the 'fold', most of the dent will be hidden.

Also, for some Acuras there are OEM door edges, which cover around 1/4 inch or more of the door edge, and are meant to be used to prevent (or disguise) dings to the door edges from hitting the car parked next to you, or anything else (like a wall) that you smack with the door.

I am pretty sure these edging are avil for a TL, as I think I was reading the installation instructions (and actually looking for same for the RDX).

 

Unfortunately, the only way you could "hammer it out" is to take a hammer a dolly and get it as flat as possible, then put a light skim coat of body filler in it, but you'd still have to get it painted.

I used to be a collision repair tech and I can tell you, that's actually not a bad price for what it is. They could be quoting you that for a variety of reasons but it probably includes the labor to do what I mentioned above, prep it, and paint it. When they paint it, they way colors are nowadays, it's almost impossible to "just paint the door" or other body part (depending on the body lines and angles), because if you "just paint the door", the door will look a little different in color and texture to the rest of the car. They would have to blend it into the back door (which means taking the back door apart if they do it right). They shouldn't have to blend the fender but they might be taking the "better safe than sorry" approach.

Unless you take it to a Mom and Pop shop, 9 times out of 10, they won't fix the dent and not paint it, because of their warranty. You might be able to talk them into doing it under the assumption that any warranty is automatically voided, but it's probably a no-go. If it doesn't bother you that much, I would just try to get some touch-up paint that is close enough and then get some clear nail polish and put over top of it to keep it from rusting. That's ultimately going to be your biggest problem is the rust. Rust is simply cancer for cars.

Hope this helps, at least a little bit

 

Thanks for all the help guys!

So I've done some research and weighed my options. Currently, it looks like I am going to leave the dent as-is. The door appears to be aligned properly, and there don't appear to be any leaks or seal issues. The dent itself is not all that glaring when the door is closed, so I'm ok leaving it for now.

HOWEVER, I do realize the importance of painting this in a timely manner to make sure that the door doesn't rust. So I'm looking into purchasing the touch up paint. It looks like I have a few options: paint pen, touch up jar and brush, or aerosol. Have any of you had any experience with either of these? I would think that the aerosol would provide the most even coat (if done properly) but would likely mean that I would have to paint a larger area, and with less control. The paint pen would be best for smaller scratches, unlike the relatively large dent that I have. The touchup brush would probably allow more control, but has the potential for an uneven surface, however, I'm more concerned with protecting the metal as opposed to a flawless finish.

Thanks again everyone

 

That would be enough for me to get it professionally repaired, just eat the cost (unless your collision deductible is low) and drive on. It would bother me every time I get in the car. It's a lot of money of course, but the big question s how long do you plan on keeping the car? If you're keeping for years to come, fix it an enjoy it, and if not, sell it with the dent knowing it won't command as much in resale but it'll be up to the next owner to decide to repair it or not.

 

fix that shit and fix it right. I would never let my TL roll around like that. I clipped a curb a month ago at like 7 mph and it made a crack like 5" long in my bumper when the pressure clips popped. Not easily noticeable unless you are out looking at the car.

First thing I did was take that thing to my body shop that costs more and takes longer, but always does a perfect job (i've had them do multiple black cars for me over the years). 650 for plastic epoxy, paint and blend across half the bumper, had to buy a new wheel and get an alignment. about a 900 dollar mistake for me but I still am happy every time I look where that crack *used* to be and see it gone now.

We do not let TL's roll like this. Fix it. FFS.

 

the more messed up TL's on the streets, the more it makes the car look cheap and downgrades the acura TL name