88fastcamaro

My beloved 88 camaro driver door had a unlucky run in with a shopping cart or vehicle. The dent is about a foot round and right in the middle of where the door moulding is so its dented in as well. I took it to a body shop and they want around $780 to fix the dent and (blend the paint to match)but already told me they will have to use filler as the dent can't be completely pulled out. Ive also considered using a dent removal service or trying to acquire a new door with no luck. The car is the Maui blue color Its a very unsightly dent and I was wondering if anyone can give me some advice with the repair especially if there is any way to get the work done without filler? Doing the work myself is not an option as I am handicapped .

your help is as always appreciated

TTOP350

iTrader: (8)

I'd check aroud for a good pdr guy. That will require research to find a good guy. Also, since its in the middle of the door, it will be a hard fix due to the door bar that runs down the middle of door skin.

Big&BadGTA

iTrader: (1)

Check w/ PDR guy first, at least to minimize what else is needed.


I watched a heffalump let a cart go in the Hechinger's parking lot in the early 90s, and the cart hit my pristine GTA in the front fender. $300 to fix, and I could always tell. Annoys me to this day, even though the car is long gone. No bondo filler, they were able to get the dent out, but still.

PurelyPMD

iTrader: (3)

I would go the paintless dent route too - had this one on a quarter panel done a few years ago, never knew it was there once fixed!

QwkTrip

iTrader: (22)

Shopping carts are no joke. Last week I stopped a cart that was being driven by wind. It was moving as fast as somebody could run. (Just happened to run into me where I could catch it) I let go of it and it just took off again. Had to put it in the cart corral to make it stop. I saved somebody from a big dent.

ZsTransAm

A dent that big is almost definitely not going to come out with PDR. I can understand not wanting filler, but its just the way things are done now, you'll have a heck of a time trying to find a shop that can metal finish it out. Done right, a repair with a little filler will look perfect for the life of the car, just make sure you find a reputable shop.

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

Paintless repair will only work if there are no creases in the dent. If there are creases it is hard to avoid paint.

On normal days I will park way out in a parking lot by a concrete island or light pole. On windy days I will try to find and park in an "employee" area- keeps me protected from flying carts and typically it's a safer area from damage from other vehicles.

TEDSgrad

iTrader: (4)

My body guy worked long and hard to remove 20 years of door dings. There is something to be said for every panel being original!

6998poncho

They have paintless dent removal tools now that work pretty good. I bought a cheap one that I've been practicing with. I managed to pull out a dent on this truck that was about 3/4" deep. It still needs more work but I'll get around to it when it warms up a bit. It requires gluing these pucks to the finish with hot melt glue (doesn't harm the paint) and pulling them out. Watch some Youtube videos; there are plenty of them out there.
The pics I have are pickup truck metal which is thicker than car door metal.
I want to add that I nicknamed shopping carts as parking lot torpedos a long time ago.

ZsTransAm

That is pretty cool, its not easy to find a guy who is capable of doing that. 1, its more profitable for a body tech to get it out 90% and mud it, and 2, the metal on modern cars is too thin to metal finish so no one ever learns how.

lemons racer

Nothing wrong with high quality filler, it's already on the car, the quarter panels are a seperate stamping from the roof, spot welded together and the recessed area filled on the body assembly line.
I was working for an aerial platform rental company when GM and Toyota rebuilt the Fremont CA. plant (now Tesla), if a car got dinged on the line they had a crew that would fix it as it continued down the line, bigger dents they took to a repair building on site. Still sold as new and perfectly legal.
It comes down to what you are happy with, a quality repair on what you have $, or replace with a perfect door $$$.
One more note, in 2007 I picked up a 1978 Buick Skyhawk, (Nighthawk black gold paint option) to build a 24hrs. of LeMons race car, after stripping it down I noticed a green & white tab-sticker inside the drivers door, turns out to be a repair sticker which made me curious, turns out about 60% of that door had a thin skin coat of filler from the factory, without that sticker I would not have known.

1986BANDIT

i think i would have ran across the parking lot to give her a thunder-smack "sorry miss thunderass hefferstien,there was a fly on you"

reminds me of when i got my berlinneta out of paint jail after some dip-**** keyed it,i pulled into the bank and some
"suit and tie guy" pulls beside me and proceeds to slam his door into my 1-2 day old $3500 paint job.i got out of my
car alarmingly quick and hoofed his door(steel toed work boots,lol) and motioned for him to get out of his car.

that poor pencil neck shat himself on the spot,im sure of it.far too many brain dead idiots in this world and im here to help with this problem.
i think that day was the first time he ever squealed the tires on his leased pile o crap while trying to get away from me.(he is damned lucky he did)

Hawkeye1980

iTrader: (3)

when I first got my car back in 1989. I had just waxed it and I was a mess, old clothes, sweaty, etc. I took my late aunt to a block buster so she could watch some movies. I parked next to a new little POS toyota. Far enough away so my door would not ding it when she go out. Anyway I hear a commotion and this little punk kid was arguing with my aunt. So I walked over and he got a bit scared as did his girlfriend. He claimed my aunt put a mark on his new car with the door of my car. She apologized and rubbed it off. He persisted in arguing and there was nothing there. I said, dude, she said she was sorry and there is nothing there. If there was I would pay to have it taken care of for you. My car is new too and I just waxed it. I get how you feel about your car.

So we started walking away and I heard it. CLUNK. I stopped dead and I was ready to go on a rampage. My aunt said, just come inside, I SAID GO IN THE STORE I WILL ADDRESS THIS.

I turned and said, kid, if there is even a hair on my car, you will look awfully funny with your A__ sticking out of your hood. As I walked over they were both shaking. Fortunately for him there were no marks. I got right in is face, and said consider yourself lucky punk. Looked at his girl friend and said, you want real man, I will be in the store. I stood there and watched time drive off and took his plate number. I had family who were cops in that town, just in case.

I am pretty sure he wet his pants.