I was putting a computer in the back seat and as I was doing that a runner came past, I moved out of his way and in the process dented the rear quarter panel. I am extremely mad at myself and the circumstances behind it.
In fact I am simply angry.
How much is this damage likely to cost to fix?
i167.photobucket.com/albums/u141/amazingtrade/P1050894.jpg
i167.photobucket.com/albums/u141/amazingtrade/P1050891.jpg
i167.photobucket.com/albums/u141/amazingtrade/P1050892.jpg
As you can see the dent itself isn't too bad but its taken all the paint away with it :(.
Anybody know of any trust worthy dent removal companies in the south Manchester area? I've seen one in Woodford which seems to have a good site but I know nothing about them.
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Bad luck old chap, it happens, worse when it's your own fault.
What does concern me more however is your appalling choice in footwear, with jeans too..;)
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Are you wearing a hoodie? :)
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No I am most certainly not wearing a hoodie. I like those trainers because I can wear them anywhere. They are subtle.
They are called Tennis shoes.
Jeans are just practice, trousers get too dusty and I am working in tight and dusty spaces a lot of the time.
Back to the my original question is the dent easy to fix and how much am I looking at?
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>>
>> Back to the my original question is the dent easy to fix and how much
>> am I looking at?
>>
>>>>>>>>>not easy
needs gobbing
then painting
£120
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Out with the polish, Rats.
Work across the scrape, not along on it, and you may be able to disguise some of the damage.
Should take you about five minutes.
Then forget all about it.
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But I know its there, that said I have forgot about the scratches. The problem if I do decide to hand it back in three years time and its full of dents I will probably end up owing them money :(.
If I can get it fixed for less than £100 then I will do it, if its going to be more than that I will have to live with it.
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Sat 30 Apr 11 at 13:11
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Looks like my money savings tin will be used for something else :(. I don't want to leave because if I don't keep on top of these things they get worse.
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Splash some waxol over it and forget!
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This area is expensive for most things and I have a back street person who does v good repairs & paint for £120 so BB is probably about right. (Yes, used them a number of times while the kids were learning...)
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I know where you're coming from Rattle and in your shoes i'd feel exactly the same. Looking at it independently though, i'd be inclined to follow Iffy's idea.
You could spend nothing and still see it.
You could spend £150 and still see it.
You could spend £10 and still see it.
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>> In fact I am simply angry.
>>
Enf of life. Commit Hara-Kiri.
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>> In fact I am simply angry.
I find a good curse usually helps.
Nearly new car, Rattle. I'd get it put right.
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Don't let your confidence be dented even more please, Rattle.
It could have been a lot worse and doesn't seem all that serious based on the photos. At least get some quality wax on it for the moment as some form of protection.
Last edited by: Stuartli on Sat 30 Apr 11 at 13:54
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I put an unsightly scratch on the tailgate of my Astra when I backed into a temporary roadsign opposite my drive. A carefully placed Irish tricolour sticker (£1.41 from ebay) hid the damage and gave a tasteful statement of my nationality. Why don't you get a royal wedding Union Jack and do the same? Your display of patriotism may even generate some business.
I do sympathise though, back when I was an ADI I took my two week old Peugeot 205 on it's first visit to a jet wash, still had the lance on full power when the cycle ended and the drop in pressure resulted in a lurch forward and a neat two foot gouge down the side of the door. Doh!!!
Last edited by: Robin Regal on Sat 30 Apr 11 at 13:55
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Call that a dent Sheikha?
That's a GIRL'S dent. You ought to have seen my daughter's Golf (shudder), or even quite a few of my cars, dented when bought and further decorated by me in most cases.
If it's scratched through to the metal, put some paint there. Otherwise polish and forget. It's not a priceless classic, it's a workhorse. It will be damn lucky if it never gets worse than that.
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Bad luck Rattle. I know that if it was my car i would want it sorted asap. A decent mobile dent remover should be able to get that dent out and re-paint it no problem.
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>> A decent mobile dent remover should be able to get that dent out and re-paint it no problem.
£150 Bellboy says. Do we really want to encourage the Sheikh to carry on spending too much on his motoring? I don't.
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Claim on your insurance. It's one of the reasons you have insurance.
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>> Claim on your insurance. It's one of the reasons you have insurance.
>>
And one of the reasons your policy has an excess.
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Park with the drivers door by the kerb, you'll never have to go round the dented side again....so you wont see it.
No need to thank me for the advice.
Ted
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>> >> Claim on your insurance. It's one of the reasons you have insurance.
>> >>
>> And one of the reasons your policy has an excess.
>>
My policy has a £50 excess. (Until a couple of years ago I had zero excess.) I'm not going to change my tactics over such a piffling amount.
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>> Claim on your insurance. It's one of the reasons you have insurance.
>>
It's one of the reasons you don't want to claim on your insurance.
Even more so applicable to rattle who has already claimed for vandalism to his previous car in the very short period that he has been owning cars.
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It's a little dent, there will be more. Wait until there's a few more before getting 'em fixed in one go if they're that important.
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Its a lease car, you wait till near the end of the lease and then decide what do to.
The paint looks in tact mostly to me, so thats some Tcut, wax and forget it.
It may be your first but its not going to be your last by a long way. The following ones to come will be far worse.
Forget it. Far worse things to loose sleep over, like when are you next going to get your leg over having passed a chance by. Unlike dents another one may not come along for a very long time.
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Cover the metal to prevent it rusting and then get them all repaired just before you get rid of it.
In the meantime, how about one of those magnetic signs advertising your business over the top?
edit.
Touche: my idea was always to get scratches and dents fixed in one go
Last edited by: bathtub tom {p} on Sat 30 Apr 11 at 15:24
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I can't really think of anything I can put to hide it, and it will draw attention to it, at the moment its only really obvious if you're looking for dents and scratches.
After my cars been serviced next week I will start a new savings tin to get this sorted. At one time I would have thought stuff it and put it on my credit card but I have cut it up :).
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You're right, its a PCP rather than a lease as such so after the final payment the car is mine, so if I buy the car there will be no penalties for it being in bad condition.
I am kicking myself but at the end of the day at least I didn't cause an accident, it could have been far worse.
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More worried about it rusting, it is a workhorse and one I plan to keep for a long time, my idea was always to get scratches and dents fixed in one go. I will get a couple of quotes to see but for now I have just put some wax on it to protect it.
I am still annoyed but I use the car as a van so I can make money on my business, if I am constantly having to pay for bodywork repairs then it I will never make any money. The only plus is I can claim some of the repair cost against my tax.
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>>More worried about it rusting<<
Isnt it galvanised?
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If it has scratched down to the metal than get a little touch up kit from Halfords/Fiat for a fiver or whatever and have a quick dab over the scratch. That should last for years.
For example, these kits don't look super cheap, but do supposedly match to OEM colour:-
www.cartouchuppaints.co.uk/touch_up_paint.php?cPath=1
Last edited by: spamcan61 on Sat 30 Apr 11 at 15:40
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The Chips Away organisation seem to rectify a lot of Rattle sized dents and scratches in and around my area. I guess that the local franchisee has a good reputation.
There's a franchise in Manchester according to their website.
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Even with the kits you need to know how to use them, its not my best skill if that makes sense. You can get the paint brush touch up kits but my experience they make things look worse. Its dented so that needs pulling out too.
For now there is no harm in getting quotes.
And yep it is galvanised but even galvanised things do rust eventually don't they?
I should have a more European attitude really e.g in places like Italy this is probably a daily thing.
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>> Even with the kits you need to know how to use them, its not my
>> best skill if that makes sense. You can get the paint brush touch up kits
>> but my experience they make things look worse. Its dented so that needs pulling out
>> too.
>>
Sorry I wasn't suggesting it as a permanent repair, just a means of avoiding any chance of rust by coating the scratch with a bit of paint and a bit of lacquer.
I really don't see the point in paying a ton plus getting this one little ding fixed when there could be another one next week/month.
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I am in two minds about it
1) I am skint and really need to start saving, something I have been doing.
2) If I get it fixed another dent can come along soon.
3) If I don't get it fixed it will annoy me every time I look at it, but I hope that will wear off.
Getting recommendation and quotes is needed before I can decide if I will leave it or get it fixed.
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>> I should have a more European attitude really e.g in places like Italy this is probably a daily thing.
Try a Paris rush-hour Sheikha.
Jockeying round the place de la Republique once, the scuffed front wing of a CX Citroen rubbed gently against the (even more scuffed) front wing of my VW 411 Variant. The CX driver and I looked at each other expressionlessly. Then he shrugged and gave a slight smile. I did too. Really made me feel good actually.
The fuss some people make about minor traffic nerfs in this country is almost unbearably pathetic. You long to give them something really worth making a fuss about.
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My ex cars like that, every single panel has a dent on it, this is the one which was rolled over in an accident. Its been in the bodyshop five times now, comes out look like new and the next week she goes and reverses into the lampost again.
At the end of the day its not worth having a heart attack over a silly scratch :). BUT that is logic, I can't help being so angry despite its being in the grand scheme of things a tiny little dent.
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Yeah, it is illogical.
My advise - patch it up if it is down to bare metal.
Leave it.
It WILL get dinged again.
Get the whole lot fixed if/when you come to sell it.
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>>I really don't see the point in paying a ton plus getting this one little ding fixed when there could be another one next week/month.
Are you saying that it would be better for Rattle to wait, because next week he might get two dents repaired for the price of one?
If he's careful, who knows, he might not get another dent for years, perhaps no others while he owns his present car.
:)
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Well I've owned cars on and off since 2007 and this is the first dent I've ever put on one but then sods law always applies to everything I do.
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>> Well I've owned cars on and off since 2007 and this is the first dent
>> I've ever put on one but then sods law always applies to everything I do.
From what you've told us, I doubt whether a new small dent would have been noticeable on a previous car!
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Hehe my first Fiesta was in good condition, my second was a shed, my Corsa looked like a new car.
I only really had one car apart from my dads which looked like a 'shed'.
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Sat 30 Apr 11 at 16:50
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Now you've got one shaped like a shed !
Ted
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>> Are you saying that it would be better for Rattle to wait, because next week
>> he might get two dents repaired for the price of one?
>>
Yes.
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or at the least two dents cheaper than one.
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>>Are you saying that it would be better for Rattle to wait, because next week he might get two dents repaired for the price of one?>>
Keep an eye open for BOGOF offers Rattle...:-)
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>> Claim on your insurance. It's one of the reasons you have insurance.
Not for little dents like that. And I would expect that Rattle's excess would be far greater than the cost of repair.
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£250 excess but thats not the only issue, the other issue is a simple claim like that gives them an excuse to put it up in October when its due for renewal.
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Its madness to even mention that to the insurance, let alone claim on it. Forget it.
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Yep :).
The money savings tin will be the insurance, it will take a few weeks for the tin to pay out. I've managed to save £180 in one month so it can't be too bad.
I do intend to get it fixed but I am not going to be in a major rush to do so.
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10 years ago (when I was your age actually Rats) I biffed my 4-day-old Skoda's front bumper quite firmly. I was glad to get its first imperfection out of the way actually, so I could stop driving it with kid gloves. I'm amazed it's taken as long as a year for something to happen to yours, don't worry about it.
Some beggar's already given the Mondeo a car park ding in one of the back doors, I harrumphed when I noticed it but that's about all.
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My daughter got a similar dent in her brand new Suzuki Swift courtesy of a careless woman parked next to her and she was absolutely distraught. The woman did agree to pay though.
I got a dent removal guy to come and have a look and he said he could do it there and then for £60.
i must admit I was very sceptical about these guys, but in about 15 minutes there was no dent at all, in fact when my daughter came home, she could not find where it had been.
What they do, is attach a reflective plate that has lines on it, so as they look at the plate and not the dent, the light bends the reflected lines where the dent is. They manipulate the metal carefully until the reflected line is true and the dent is gone.
The result is far better than filling and spraying as once you go down that route, it is never the same again, especially with metallic paint.
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Would that method work if the paint has been scrapped off as in my case though? I agree there is no point of having the panel resprayed, it is just a lot of money for more problems.
The dent really is no worse than it looks in the pictures, but I know it is there and it annoys me.
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The scar will remain but the inflammation will subside Sheikha.
Unless there is bare exposed metal there's no need to panic about corrosion. Didn't look like it in your photos.
I see you have stayed up quite late Rats. Been out in the stews of Longsight?
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Been conducting a scientific experiment in drink limits, more to come tomorrow :).
Been no where near Longsight thankfully :) Didn't drink much tonight but I've eaten a couple of Easter eggs since I got back home so I am wide awake now.
Can't quite tell how far its gone, I think its just down to primer rather than bare metal but its hard to tell.
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Rates, the scar is white. Its primer. Metal is shiny stuff that turns red, then brown in rain.
Let me rephrase this, FORGET IT!
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>>>Didn't drink much tonight but I've eaten a couple of Easter eggs since I got back home so I am wide awake now.
Easter eggs! As my teens would say you so need to get a life Rattle.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Sun 1 May 11 at 09:17
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>> >>>Didn't drink much tonight but I've eaten a couple of Easter eggs since I got
>> back home so I am wide awake now.
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>> Easter eggs! As my teens would say you so need to get a life Rattle.
>>
Just wondering how eating Easter eggs can keep you awake...
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I thought pilots ate carrots? Helps them see Germans or something I gather.
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your car must have had a dent mr tee43 for dents i often use a piece of wood or a long pry bar with a rag taped on the end
unfortunately in the case of the panda the metal has been stretched and in the hollow is a scratch through to the primer
had to laugh saw a dent master car swapping insurance details with the car in front of him in doncaster last week,bet he couldnt have sorted that out with a few mirrors and extra long thick coat hangers
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My first dent as well yesterday.
Up at 6 so cleaned car inside & out, washing out on line, one hour domestic cleaning, jogged to gym, took mother out for a very pleasant lunch with swmbo....back home to discover a sudden gust had pushed wheelie bin over into osf panel. Just a lovely dent. No paint damage.
Worse things happen at sea as my father would have said.
Will forget about it until I come to sell as there may be more then...
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>>>> I got a dent removal guy to come and have a look and he said
>> he could do it there and then for £60.
>>
>>
Which firm did you use Mr Tee?
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You can't really see the dent unless you look for it, e.g anybody buying the car will notice it but nobody else will. The scratch does stand out though. I've had a good look at it today and its down to primer and not bare metal which is a good thing.
Would something like this help do you think?
reviews.halfords.com/4028/228270/reviews.htm?sort=reviewTextLength
I am thinking it might make the white primer look a bit more blue and hence not look as obvious from a difference but I have no idea. I will know will still look a bit of a mess but if it just looks a bit better it will be worth spending £6 or so.
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Go down to Conrads and see if you can find an indelible felt tip of about the same colour.
It should take on the white primer and it'll hide the scratch to a large extent until you can get it done.
I've used this method very successfully on my black cars.
Ted
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Good idea, would a permanent marker be better I wonder? I have a very fine one which I use for marking CDs.
At least with felt tips I could buy a load of them and then see which one best matches the colour.
At this stage its all I really want to do, hide the bight white colour of the primer.
I am now starting to come to thinking it is a long term car, I intend to keep it past five years, it will get dings and dents but worrying about them will stop me enjoying the car.
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A permanent marker's the same stuff, I think. I do CDs with one from Conrads...useful in the garage too...I make notes on the the cabinet doors in there.
Just experiment with colours, you can clean them off with surgical or meth spirit and start again.
Ted
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>> The scratch does stand out though.
Get yourself a touch up stick that matches the colour of your car (from Fiat or somewhere like Halfords) and lightly apply the paint with a match stick, or cocktail stick if it's a fine scratch. More often than not get a better result than using the brush that's in the lid of the touch up stick.
If you apply too much, remove it with car polish before it's had a proper chance to dry and harden.
You'll need one sooner or later anyway for the stone chips that you won't avoid getting, no matter how carefully you drive.
Last edited by: VxFan on Tue 3 May 11 at 01:12
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I was going to mention touch-up paint, but I couldn't face the inevitable 50 questions about how to shake the tin.
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>> I was going to mention touch-up paint, but I couldn't face the inevitable 50 questions
>> about how to shake the tin.
:):)
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>> I couldn't face the inevitable 50 questions about how to shake the tin.
In the case of the OP of this thread, rattle it until is starts smoking.
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My Panda has its first dent :( - -
