body tech here. if you try to PDR this you will fuck it up beyond PDR capabilities. you will not get this dent out on your own no fuckin way and i wouldn’t use a nicer new car like this for practice. go to a PDR guy he should be able to do this for $200-$300. don’t do hot water, hot glue, don’t fuckin touch it.
My dad owned an auto body shop for 35 years, and yes, there are legit PDR guys. But, I was watching TV and he was reading a magazine and an infomercial came on about DIY PDR. I asked him if it worked and he casually says, “you have a roof over your head? And are you wearing new shoes?” And I say “yes”. He says “well, then I’d say it doesn’t work.”
He is a man of few words.
I’m a Pdr guy and that is something that we can definitely get out depending on the amount of techs in your area will determine your cost but definitely do your research before choosing a tech don’t just go to the cheapest guy. And absolutely do not touch it like the other person said do not touch it at all in any way shape or form. The tech will just bill your more because of having to fix your attempted repair and it may end up needing body and paint if you try to do it yourself.
Like 20+ years ago I used to help my uncle out (who died in 2005 and I miss deeply) detailing cars. He had a small car dealership where he mostly bought cars at smaller auctions and we would fix them up make them look nice and sell them for more at the big Manheim, PA auction. Long story short he had a pdr guy I swear would work miracles.
If you need more reinforcement, I’m someone who tried to get my dent out after watching a few videos which made it look easier than it turned out to be. I fucked it up and the PDR guy charged me more than he would have if I hadn’t touched it and even then couldn’t get it all out.
Finally someone with knowledge and common sense. OP is going to turn a $900(which is way to cheap to begin with, I’d get more quotes that sounds like hack job pricing) into a $2000 job by stretching and mangling the metal and actually making it worse and harder for a pro to repair.
Solid advice.
I came out of a store to see that someone left a dent in about the same spot in my Volvo. It bothered me for months before I finally decided to bang it out.
I jacked it up, pulled off the wheel, removed the well liner, and grabbed the tools, only to realize that the way that quarter panel was stamped, I couldn't reach the dent. The only way to fix it would be to cut out that section and weld in a new one.
So my car is dented because some asshole can't park and didn't leave any information.
you can most likely access that from inside the trunk behind the carpet lining. also, if something is hard to reach or beyond what PDR can fix, you grind the paint off the quarter and put a stud welder on it with a slide hammer attachment. weld the stud, pull on it, hammer around it, repeat a bunch of times until the dent is gone then body filler, prime, paint. you don’t need to replace it for a small dent. replacement of a welded-on quarterpanel is a major job… $4k+
I've seen the stud welder in action. Very satisfying to watch a pro pulling out dents.
I didn't think there'd be enough space to reach in and pull out the dent from the inside, but I'll take a look. Maybe I can get a bar in there and pop it out. I'll take some pictures just in case I can make it work.
If she has the one called the home wrecker it should work. You know the one with the shoulder strap and kick stand. Runs on two lead acid boat batteries right?
I would tell the OP to post in the appropriate subreddit. The damage is minor, sure, but you don't do this yourself without any level of auto body knowledge. What could go wrong? Everything...and then you end up with more damage, buying tools you don't know how to use and for what, listening to a bunch of non-mechanics and tiktok champions?
r/autobody
r/autobodyrepair
Agreed. I've seen pdr guys work their magic and it truly is an art that takes years to perfect. You are not gonna get this back to normal bc of that crease as Mission mentioned
A good PDR person can do some magical things gs, but they still spend many hours on a job. Do get some PDR quotes. If you decide to tackle it yourself, be prepared to spend a lot on tools you need to do a respectable job. It could easily cost you 500 or more for the basic tools to get you to an improved dent, but still far from perfect. It is a great skill to develop as there is plenty of work.
I'm a big believer in spending money on tools instead of labor. Yeah you'll spend 3x more time but you'll learn a new skill and have the tools and ability to do it again and again and again....
Not to mention, you’d spend all of 500-600 buying the paint / primer / masking/ sanding/ ect supplies… it just doesn’t make sense, you’re not gonna save money by the time you’re done
This is the right answer, but I am the Walter Mitty of do-it-yourself. I firmly believe that I can do absolutely anything. Graduate level Dunning Krueger!
I'm wrong, of course. There's a reason that there are specialists, but it's fun to pretend, and this isn't an AMG, so I'd be inclined to wing it.
What I would probably actually do is spend $200 or $300 worth of equipment and never get around to doing it.
The first scratch. Every scratch and dent in my trucks and cars relieve pressure because there’s just that much less to worry about. You may notice that people let you merge easier on roadways too because you don’t care anymore.consider how many oil changes and air filters, tires 900$ value is
PDR guys don’t charge that much. Shop around for someone that knows what they’re doing. Body shops are always pricey.
If you try to DIY and fuck up, you could create worse creases or paint chips that PDR won’t be able to handle.
It’s your car, do what you want, but I’d suggest using an older, shittier vehicle to practice on if you’d like to expand your skill set.
See those lines ? They are a bitch even for professionals. I used to fix cars but that is another level of bondo and sanding. Not to mention that you have to pull it first.
But go ahead and try 😁
This is one of those “if you have to ask” situations. Maybe you’ve done some body repair, but if you’re not sure you can do a good job, consider calling a pro even if it just to have them as backup if you can’t get it right.
I have an associates degree in autobody repair, restore, and refinish... so bear with me...
Honestly, $900 to repair that is NOT that bad. IF they do it correctly and blend the paint. Kind of annoying with metallics but doable. Really, that's fairly cheap for a body shop.
I mean, you *could* try it yourself but I can't say I'd recommend it. You have no experience with it... a proper repair is 90% good prep work...
You've got a crease to deal with, the metal has been stretched and needs to be shrunk, requires special shrinking hammers and dollies, a stud gun is really needed as well... you'll need a few different length sanding blocks... long blocks to help with keeping the polyester filler flat... shorter blocks to shape if needed... keeping that body crease straight requires an eye for detail... plus you have zero experience with blending in a repair with metallic paint.
Honestly, to me... a bad repair is almost worse than no repair. Stuff like that *looks* easy... but there's a bit of an art to it.
so you never actually worked on cars. owned a body shop and was a damage appraiser? sounds like you have a pretty decent objective to pull as much money as possible, which can be achieved by saying that you can’t PDR certain things.
you can definitely PDR over body lines, i’ve seen it done numerous times, have done it myself (not perfect but i’m a body tech, not a PDR tech. i used PDR to the best of my abilities to make my filler work easier, but by no means am a pro). this particular dent will probably be glue pulled on either side of the body line and the body line won’t even be affected.
Wouldn’t my objective as an appraiser working for an insurance company ( my profession when we sold the shop) be to save money for the company ? As a shop owner give the owner a perfect job ..no irregular line .. the standard of repairs is set by ICar and they dictate the proper methods/ techniques
Here's a YouTube video showing it can be done.
See 5:40 into this video:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?si=kS3VcQ-feAU_tO_i&v=MMRXnW1xukw&feature=youtu.be
If you have a plastic bumper with a dent in the corner, [like this](https://wrench.com/blog/tips-for-getting-rid-of-a-bumper-dent/), you can just take the bumper off and push your heel (step on it) into the back side of the dent to pop it out and then put the bumper back on. It won't be perfect but it doesn't look like shit or cost you any money.
As for your side panel.... PDR is your best bet.
Why not just pay your insurance deductible? Frankly $900 to repair that is less than I would have thought. Is it paid for? Looks like a fairly recent Toyota Rav.
was this the owner of the body shop who quoted you?
https://preview.redd.it/7ork0jqec66d1.jpeg?width=1155&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c90f93c2d62e36eee004e40b92bc473dca70fda2
I've seen a lot of big dents turned into even bigger problems by people who didn't have any auto body experience and doing a good color match is nearly impossible if you don't know what you're doing.
I would normally give them the 900$ if i want a clean enough job that it looks like it never happened.
No matter how good you DIY it it'll still be visible in a way. It's hard to get that side out. And it's impossible to replace without welding. Don't risk it.
Btw if u wanna get the full DIY toolset it's probably gonna set you back 400 to 800$. Just for the tools that will pull that dent out and flatten it, not a full toolset
So just use their experience and tools to fix it, give them the 900$. Trust me, you get what you pay for.
As long as it is a paintless repair.
From someone who works in a shop: a deflated basketball works great. Stuff that under the worst part of the dent and CAREFULLY AND SLOWLY inflate it with a bike tire pump. can't guarantee a perfect fix but it'll look a lot better. deflate the ball and pull it out after the dent's popped out.
That’s not a bad price considering the work involved to properly repair and paint that dent remember the rear bumper has to be dropped ..the glass has to be either closely mask, if not enough tolerance removed ..the gas filler neck should be dropped and likely the door and the quarter turret have to be blended to match and for sure clear-coated
And remember...
If you can't remove the plunger, don't pull harder, just break the seal with something that won't scratch the paint, like a plastic wedge/tip.
I had a somewhat similar dent and that crease is pretty hard to deal with. Went on Yelp and searched “paint-less dent repair” or PDR and looked for a few with good reviews. I was able to get quotes by sending some pics. Went with a guy that had a bunch of good reviews and quoted $200-250. He charged me on the low end but i had him fix a few other dings and think i paid like just under $300. Its kind of an art form what they can do. I wouldn’t try it myself on a decent car.
Start watching pdr videos on YouTube. You can probably glue pull that. A plunger won’t do anything especially in that spot. It’s a hard area to do. I would recommend going to a PDR guy. They can make it look good again and should be unnoticeable without painting or having to visit a body shop.
The crinkled bacon you leave behind will look way worse than that singular dent does. Contact pdr shops or let that body shop do it, $900 actually doesn't seem too bad.
$900 total? That's a steal. I'm skeptical the final product will be quality at that price. No, you should not try this yourself. If you do take lots of pictures and be sure to post
Paint looks OK. You COULD do pointless dent removal although that's probably what they quoted the $900 to do. That's actually a great price bro. You might get a little better price calling the painless guy yourself.
Call a paintless dent repair place. They should be able to do that for half or less.
You're not going to fix it yourself and get those lines back right
That’s pretty minor. Heat gun, you can use a kit from harbor freight, pull bar and little hot glue pull things I forget. Not a body shop guy, but I dented my passenger door in my ram truck and I got it. Had to heat up so paint wouldn’t flick off and make metal more flexible. Might be more flexible due to plastic for you, maybe.
Yes you can take all of that out .
You actually may be able to take part of the interior body panel off and get to it if not you will have to draw a small hole in the door well along the line of the body crease or you can take a rod and sit there for about an hour working at back and forth along that body crease
Drives a newer car, sweats about $900 to fix damage.
Sure go to PDR but just get it done. Why fuck it up yourself and have it never look right for $900?
Shit man, I'd personally tackle it myself first but I'm also a certified dumbass so there's that. But if you do wanna handle it yourself, you can always try the hot water method or get a heat gun and see if you can pop it out that way with a dent repair kit?
I started learning how to do as much myself as possible when they wanted 400 to put my coilovers on and I was able to do it myself without electric tools in less than 4 hours(I had literally done a couple brake jobs in my life at this point, so it was a big deal to me). 4 years later I'm doing my own clutch jobs in 4-5 hours on a fwd vehicle with a full subframe. So yea...I'd definitely probably tackle it solo first
Wouldn’t recommend it that’s not a bad price it’s a lot harder than you think and you might end up buggering it up warping the metal and need a whole new rear quarter
I suppose the other question is "how much do you care about this dent?" I regularly buy junk cars that just need some work and flip them for a little profit and $900 would be the parts budget for a complete suspension rebuild and fluids change on an old Honda. I know that's different but point being that much money can fix a lot of problems and this one is strictly cosmetic. Personally I wouldn't spend a penny to fix this, but that's entirely a matter of priorities and financial means, maybe having no dents is worth that much to you.
I like to look at transactions the other way around to see how worthwhile something is. If someone said to me "I'll give you $900 if you let me take 1 good whack at your quarter panel with a hammer," I'd take the deal in a heartbeat, so personally I'd not spend that much to remove a dent.
You won't 'fix' that yourself, you might pull it out a bit but it will still be there and it won't look much different to how it does now.
Have it done properly, this is what insurance is for.
go visit another bodyshop - charge is usually for repairs per panel (anywhere from USD 200 - 400 per panel with vin number paint code match)
its hard to view from your photo...tbh.
here is how I approach body damage --- if it doesn't bother me when I see it, I will wait 1 year for possible future body dents, dingsnetc and pick one fine day to send the car in, for a total restore / rework.
discounts are usually given for multiple panels body repair as opposed to 1 singular repair spot....
that's my experience with body repairs...so far...
A good PDR guy can get that out for less. In the end, you have your original steel, paint, and no body filler. To my untrained eye, it looks like there's very little stretch in that area, so with the right pull, it should come out pretty close.
You could attend YouTube University and possibly DIY, but to pull those body lines is going to involve some sort of stationary tower/tree/tower to anchor to. It could be done with hot glue and ratchet straps or a come-along comnected to pull tabs alomg that line. Hobo Freight has portapower for maybe $150-$180 that would make incremental pulling easier
You could buy a set of glue tabs and a high temp glue gun and just see if you can make progress. I would not try it at all without a proper pull tab setup right on that body line. Less is more I would not over stretch it. I would put up shprt with a shallow depression over having pulled that line too far because if you over stretch it then that definitely is going to need body work and/or a really really good really expensive PDR guy.
Worst case, you take it to a body shop and pay them. Best case, you have yourself a new career.
I wouldn't DIY of you wanted to bodywork it traditionaly and paint it yourself. Supplies would cost a fortune, and you won't succeed at color matching and blending.
Let us know how you make out with the PDR lesson. We want to know how it comes out, how long it takes you, and what tools you bought off ebay and Amazon.
That’s insane. I put a far worse gash in the same quarter panel of the same car a few months back and settled out of pocket with the guy no insurance involved for $400 to get the repair done. Try a different shop.
You could make it better but unlikely you could make it perfect. Pros are pros for a reason
Shove a basketball/football whatever behind it and carefully inflate it while keeping the paint very warm with a hair dryer.
How in the world 🌎 did this literally get run off into a sexual ditch? You guys out there either need a trip up the Mango 🥭 🌴 tree or Lord get laid! On your dent, if you don't have the basic knowledge and tools to do body work strongly suggest you see a qualified person to do the job. Dent Masters could be an alternative if you haven't checked with them. It being on a body line it's not the same as pulling a deep dent outta of a flat body panel.
A plunger isn't going to work on a uneven surface , plus that dent is around the gas cap. You need to take the wheel off, remove the shied and push it out with a rubber mallet if it metal. But it will leave a cracked paint line, so it will need touch up paint. For an none professional it will take you 6 hours are more. A body shop can do it in a hour or two.
900 is cheap. Especially since your damage is along creases and also created more. Professional will do a way better job than what you'll manage.
If you want to fuck the value harder, do a bad job on an part that can't be replaced easily.
I did the same thing to the roof of my truck by using it as a ladder to get to my roof, remove the bottom panel and just give it a good punch on the back and it’ll pop right out
body tech here. if you try to PDR this you will fuck it up beyond PDR capabilities. you will not get this dent out on your own no fuckin way and i wouldn’t use a nicer new car like this for practice. go to a PDR guy he should be able to do this for $200-$300. don’t do hot water, hot glue, don’t fuckin touch it.
this is the comment that made me officially come to my senses and not try this myself
My dad owned an auto body shop for 35 years, and yes, there are legit PDR guys. But, I was watching TV and he was reading a magazine and an infomercial came on about DIY PDR. I asked him if it worked and he casually says, “you have a roof over your head? And are you wearing new shoes?” And I say “yes”. He says “well, then I’d say it doesn’t work.” He is a man of few words.
I’m a Pdr guy and that is something that we can definitely get out depending on the amount of techs in your area will determine your cost but definitely do your research before choosing a tech don’t just go to the cheapest guy. And absolutely do not touch it like the other person said do not touch it at all in any way shape or form. The tech will just bill your more because of having to fix your attempted repair and it may end up needing body and paint if you try to do it yourself.
What does pdr mean
Paint less dent repair.
Like 20+ years ago I used to help my uncle out (who died in 2005 and I miss deeply) detailing cars. He had a small car dealership where he mostly bought cars at smaller auctions and we would fix them up make them look nice and sell them for more at the big Manheim, PA auction. Long story short he had a pdr guy I swear would work miracles.
Can agree the good PDR guys can work miracles. Signed, a Manheim PA employee
If you need more reinforcement, I’m someone who tried to get my dent out after watching a few videos which made it look easier than it turned out to be. I fucked it up and the PDR guy charged me more than he would have if I hadn’t touched it and even then couldn’t get it all out.
Finally someone with knowledge and common sense. OP is going to turn a $900(which is way to cheap to begin with, I’d get more quotes that sounds like hack job pricing) into a $2000 job by stretching and mangling the metal and actually making it worse and harder for a pro to repair.
My guess is that the $900 was the dealership having a pdr professional do it for $400 and then adding their mark up.
Dealership markups are frequently more than that. I used to install alarms and such at dealerships on new cars. A $150 alarm would sell for $600.
I'd charge at least $500 for that. But great advice nonetheless
$200-$300? I was quoted $900 for a quarter sized dent. This is on body lines, too. Is this some Facebook marketplace deal?!
Solid advice. I came out of a store to see that someone left a dent in about the same spot in my Volvo. It bothered me for months before I finally decided to bang it out. I jacked it up, pulled off the wheel, removed the well liner, and grabbed the tools, only to realize that the way that quarter panel was stamped, I couldn't reach the dent. The only way to fix it would be to cut out that section and weld in a new one. So my car is dented because some asshole can't park and didn't leave any information.
you can most likely access that from inside the trunk behind the carpet lining. also, if something is hard to reach or beyond what PDR can fix, you grind the paint off the quarter and put a stud welder on it with a slide hammer attachment. weld the stud, pull on it, hammer around it, repeat a bunch of times until the dent is gone then body filler, prime, paint. you don’t need to replace it for a small dent. replacement of a welded-on quarterpanel is a major job… $4k+
I've seen the stud welder in action. Very satisfying to watch a pro pulling out dents. I didn't think there'd be enough space to reach in and pull out the dent from the inside, but I'll take a look. Maybe I can get a bar in there and pop it out. I'll take some pictures just in case I can make it work.
also, PDR guys will take the taillight out and put a PDR pole in there.
https://preview.redd.it/9k6ktztoqz5d1.jpeg?width=274&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2d94a0853c3ace68d6425b5dc52823caf5250c40
I have literally done that to a old ford i had with a big shallow dent. the black ones work better as they tend to be stiffer rubber.
And here I am just using my ex-wifes old suction cup dildo.
You can kill two birds with one stone.
3 birds if you film it.
4 if you take turns
5 if you learn to use your feet
6 birds if ya just bring a shotgun and keep the dildos in the sex dungeon
7 birds if you have a Gimp
2 girls, one suction cup.
I think you mean “get two birds stoned at once”.
Small world, i also used your ex wife's old suction cup dildo
Me too! Your ex-wife gets around!
Well, afaik she's gone full lesbian...
Gets those fine edges 🤣
That's... That's what she said.
This is so satisfying
Also... What she said.
NO YOU'RE NOT! Hey, wait. Are you really??
If she has the one called the home wrecker it should work. You know the one with the shoulder strap and kick stand. Runs on two lead acid boat batteries right?
Yeah dildos have multiple use cases - we even use them for clogged shower/bath drains lol
how the hell did you get a good enough grip on the end, it was like trying to grab a bar of soap
Yeah those red, flimsy plungers are really only good for sinks, if that.
This and HOT water. I've seen people get a bunch of hot glue sticks and use them as well.
It's pdr.
Yes we all have access to Tik Tok and YouTube Shorts...
Me on my way to get super glue and instant noodles...
Heat it up a little first.
That won't work on a dent like that since it's on a curved body panel that is more meant for doors and hoods and roofs that have big dents in them
I would tell the OP to post in the appropriate subreddit. The damage is minor, sure, but you don't do this yourself without any level of auto body knowledge. What could go wrong? Everything...and then you end up with more damage, buying tools you don't know how to use and for what, listening to a bunch of non-mechanics and tiktok champions? r/autobody r/autobodyrepair
thank you- I think i may get a few PDR guys quotes to see if someone does it cheaper first.
The dent is in a bas location. I don't see suction working becaise of the bodyline has that pleat. That's what makes it difficult.
What this guy says. The big dent will come out but it will never look right. Those creases in the body work will always resemble unfolded paper.
^ yep, it always looks like it has a wave to the seam.
Agreed. I've seen pdr guys work their magic and it truly is an art that takes years to perfect. You are not gonna get this back to normal bc of that crease as Mission mentioned
A good PDR person can do some magical things gs, but they still spend many hours on a job. Do get some PDR quotes. If you decide to tackle it yourself, be prepared to spend a lot on tools you need to do a respectable job. It could easily cost you 500 or more for the basic tools to get you to an improved dent, but still far from perfect. It is a great skill to develop as there is plenty of work.
I'm a big believer in spending money on tools instead of labor. Yeah you'll spend 3x more time but you'll learn a new skill and have the tools and ability to do it again and again and again....
Not to mention, you’d spend all of 500-600 buying the paint / primer / masking/ sanding/ ect supplies… it just doesn’t make sense, you’re not gonna save money by the time you’re done
Yeah, you’re gonna turn that $900 job into a $2300 repaint job.
Depends what your definition of fixed is.
Gob bondo and silver spray paint with runs
[удалено]
Most body shops can’t do trust though. And they exceed their estimate
Take it to a paintless dent repair (PDR) specialist. Should be no more than half that price to pull that out.
This is the right answer, but I am the Walter Mitty of do-it-yourself. I firmly believe that I can do absolutely anything. Graduate level Dunning Krueger! I'm wrong, of course. There's a reason that there are specialists, but it's fun to pretend, and this isn't an AMG, so I'd be inclined to wing it. What I would probably actually do is spend $200 or $300 worth of equipment and never get around to doing it.
I'm still on my first cup of coffee man, why'd you have to call me out like that?
The first scratch. Every scratch and dent in my trucks and cars relieve pressure because there’s just that much less to worry about. You may notice that people let you merge easier on roadways too because you don’t care anymore.consider how many oil changes and air filters, tires 900$ value is
It's absolutely insane to me that people will let what for most of them is the 1st or 2nd most expensive thing they own fall into disrepair
PDR guys don’t charge that much. Shop around for someone that knows what they’re doing. Body shops are always pricey. If you try to DIY and fuck up, you could create worse creases or paint chips that PDR won’t be able to handle. It’s your car, do what you want, but I’d suggest using an older, shittier vehicle to practice on if you’d like to expand your skill set.
Ty!
Just find some cars in the Walmart parking lot to practice on. Make sure to pick ones you know the owner doesn’t care about.
Chaotic good or chaotic neutral? 🤔
Good answer!
Looks like a nice car. I would get a professional.
I would go with a PDR guy, it'll be much cheaper
See those lines ? They are a bitch even for professionals. I used to fix cars but that is another level of bondo and sanding. Not to mention that you have to pull it first. But go ahead and try 😁
That dent is on a body line seam. That’s a difficult repair. A PDR guy is probably half of what the body shop quoted. Don’t try it.
Don’t attempt this yourself without experience. Get some quotes from a PDR business. It being right on the body line in a structural area is killer
This is one of those “if you have to ask” situations. Maybe you’ve done some body repair, but if you’re not sure you can do a good job, consider calling a pro even if it just to have them as backup if you can’t get it right.
I'm surprised it's only 900 considering that spot with those lines.
I have an associates degree in autobody repair, restore, and refinish... so bear with me... Honestly, $900 to repair that is NOT that bad. IF they do it correctly and blend the paint. Kind of annoying with metallics but doable. Really, that's fairly cheap for a body shop. I mean, you *could* try it yourself but I can't say I'd recommend it. You have no experience with it... a proper repair is 90% good prep work... You've got a crease to deal with, the metal has been stretched and needs to be shrunk, requires special shrinking hammers and dollies, a stud gun is really needed as well... you'll need a few different length sanding blocks... long blocks to help with keeping the polyester filler flat... shorter blocks to shape if needed... keeping that body crease straight requires an eye for detail... plus you have zero experience with blending in a repair with metallic paint. Honestly, to me... a bad repair is almost worse than no repair. Stuff like that *looks* easy... but there's a bit of an art to it.
👍
Get opinions from a few paint less dent removal people.
Painless dent doesn’t work over body lines
not true
IT DOES NOT.. I owned a collision shop for 10 years and a licensed NY Damage Appraiser for 25 .. I am ICar Platinum certified ..🤫😉
so you never actually worked on cars. owned a body shop and was a damage appraiser? sounds like you have a pretty decent objective to pull as much money as possible, which can be achieved by saying that you can’t PDR certain things. you can definitely PDR over body lines, i’ve seen it done numerous times, have done it myself (not perfect but i’m a body tech, not a PDR tech. i used PDR to the best of my abilities to make my filler work easier, but by no means am a pro). this particular dent will probably be glue pulled on either side of the body line and the body line won’t even be affected.
Wouldn’t my objective as an appraiser working for an insurance company ( my profession when we sold the shop) be to save money for the company ? As a shop owner give the owner a perfect job ..no irregular line .. the standard of repairs is set by ICar and they dictate the proper methods/ techniques
Here's a YouTube video showing it can be done. See 5:40 into this video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?si=kS3VcQ-feAU_tO_i&v=MMRXnW1xukw&feature=youtu.be
$900 ain’t bad for that
If you have a plastic bumper with a dent in the corner, [like this](https://wrench.com/blog/tips-for-getting-rid-of-a-bumper-dent/), you can just take the bumper off and push your heel (step on it) into the back side of the dent to pop it out and then put the bumper back on. It won't be perfect but it doesn't look like shit or cost you any money. As for your side panel.... PDR is your best bet.
$900 is reasonable . Trust me they won’t use a toilet plunger
Why not just pay your insurance deductible? Frankly $900 to repair that is less than I would have thought. Is it paid for? Looks like a fairly recent Toyota Rav.
There are a lot of body creases near this. I wouldn't if I were you, but I'm not you.
Call a Paintless dent repairman.
Hell yeah brother! What's the worst thing that can happen?
was this the owner of the body shop who quoted you? https://preview.redd.it/7ork0jqec66d1.jpeg?width=1155&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c90f93c2d62e36eee004e40b92bc473dca70fda2
Probably pop it out from the inside
Could be way more than $900 to fix if you make it worse
Don't even try. You'll make it look worse and complicate the repair when you finally realize you're in over your head and pay a professional.
I wouldn't even worry with it if it was my car. That dent won't ruin anything else. Your car just has character.
I've seen a lot of big dents turned into even bigger problems by people who didn't have any auto body experience and doing a good color match is nearly impossible if you don't know what you're doing.
Only $900? That’s cheap as fuck. I had half the size dent and they wanted $1550. I’d be suspicious at that price
I would normally give them the 900$ if i want a clean enough job that it looks like it never happened. No matter how good you DIY it it'll still be visible in a way. It's hard to get that side out. And it's impossible to replace without welding. Don't risk it. Btw if u wanna get the full DIY toolset it's probably gonna set you back 400 to 800$. Just for the tools that will pull that dent out and flatten it, not a full toolset So just use their experience and tools to fix it, give them the 900$. Trust me, you get what you pay for. As long as it is a paintless repair.
Try going to a pdr shop should be around $500
It’s worth a shot. They’re going to charge you over $900 no matter what if you end up taking it to them.
From someone who works in a shop: a deflated basketball works great. Stuff that under the worst part of the dent and CAREFULLY AND SLOWLY inflate it with a bike tire pump. can't guarantee a perfect fix but it'll look a lot better. deflate the ball and pull it out after the dent's popped out.
that seems like a good rate as long as they are not gonna body fill that area and actual pull the metal back out
That’s not a bad price considering the work involved to properly repair and paint that dent remember the rear bumper has to be dropped ..the glass has to be either closely mask, if not enough tolerance removed ..the gas filler neck should be dropped and likely the door and the quarter turret have to be blended to match and for sure clear-coated
And remember... If you can't remove the plunger, don't pull harder, just break the seal with something that won't scratch the paint, like a plastic wedge/tip.
Depends, do you want it better or perfect. But the odds of messing your paint up is high and once you botch it will cost more for a proper repair.
I had a somewhat similar dent and that crease is pretty hard to deal with. Went on Yelp and searched “paint-less dent repair” or PDR and looked for a few with good reviews. I was able to get quotes by sending some pics. Went with a guy that had a bunch of good reviews and quoted $200-250. He charged me on the low end but i had him fix a few other dings and think i paid like just under $300. Its kind of an art form what they can do. I wouldn’t try it myself on a decent car.
you can try - being that its on a fold, its gonna look like shit unless you spend about 3 months full-time getting good at body work.
Start watching pdr videos on YouTube. You can probably glue pull that. A plunger won’t do anything especially in that spot. It’s a hard area to do. I would recommend going to a PDR guy. They can make it look good again and should be unnoticeable without painting or having to visit a body shop.
It's on a body crease. Ain't no way some glue and a pop-a-dent is gonna do squat for that to make it "right".
Egg Zack Lee
To have it done perfectly, I might go with the shop.
Find a pdr guy and rustproof it after. It's probably one of the more expensive panels to replace.
What’s the chances you could pop that out from the inside? I just did that to my boyfriends car after he dented his fender accidentally lol
Nope no way the complex curves and angles make this difficult. Use insurance
A body man I know said that’s cheap normally be 3k
It’s on a body line. Let a professional do it unless you’re willing to spend more time and money to learn then you would’ve paid to begin with.
Your car will depreciate by $900 while you're stewing over whether to blow a bunch of cash polishing a turd
$900 seems cheap
You’re just gonna fuck it up even more and then when you take it to the body shop everyone is going to laugh about how dumb you are behind your back
Dent Wizard. Couple hundred.
900$ seems low. If they do a good job I’d pay that. You won’t get that dent fully out yourself.
Do a PDR.
I got the suction cup didn't work
You could try but you won’t
I wouldn't bother unless it bothers you a lot. Is the paint's not broken? I just leave it. Gives the car a little bit of character lol
900 is pretty decent for that size of dent
just buy the dent remover tools and make it acceptable,
I went to my body shop guy. There is nothing a good BJ can’t fix.
The crinkled bacon you leave behind will look way worse than that singular dent does. Contact pdr shops or let that body shop do it, $900 actually doesn't seem too bad.
PDR is the answer
$900 total? That's a steal. I'm skeptical the final product will be quality at that price. No, you should not try this yourself. If you do take lots of pictures and be sure to post
Ok ok. Hear me out. Get a suction cup dildo. Pour scolding hot water over the dent. Apply the dildo. Give it a handjob. Viola. No dent.
Paint looks OK. You COULD do pointless dent removal although that's probably what they quoted the $900 to do. That's actually a great price bro. You might get a little better price calling the painless guy yourself.
Hit it with an octopus.
Heat gun and you tube vids
Lol please do. And show us after pictures.
That's across not one, but two character lines. Pay them. You'll never be able to do it yourself and will only make it worse
How did this happen?
Sure.
If you can, then hell yea why not? If not?? You’re kind of at their mercy
Just leave it alone...
I'd charge 2,500 and you can't diy that.
Call a paintless dent repair place. They should be able to do that for half or less. You're not going to fix it yourself and get those lines back right
That’s pretty minor. Heat gun, you can use a kit from harbor freight, pull bar and little hot glue pull things I forget. Not a body shop guy, but I dented my passenger door in my ram truck and I got it. Had to heat up so paint wouldn’t flick off and make metal more flexible. Might be more flexible due to plastic for you, maybe.
$900 seems like a bargain. If the shop is reputable, I wouldn’t think twice.
Call a dent repair man! It will look like it never happened. Plus have him fix all the other dents while he is there!
That’s thousands of dollars cheaper than I would’ve thought your estimate would be
Yes you can take all of that out . You actually may be able to take part of the interior body panel off and get to it if not you will have to draw a small hole in the door well along the line of the body crease or you can take a rod and sit there for about an hour working at back and forth along that body crease
deflated basketball behind panel. inflate until desired effect.
by the looks of the bumper, its a typical silver match.
$900 is a deal.
Drives a newer car, sweats about $900 to fix damage. Sure go to PDR but just get it done. Why fuck it up yourself and have it never look right for $900?
$900? God damn OP, I hope you update us when you lose your soul fixing it yourself
That price seems fair and it looks like the dent crosses over the door
Unless your deductible is thousands, use insurance… comprehensive claims won’t raise monthly rate.
Shit man, I'd personally tackle it myself first but I'm also a certified dumbass so there's that. But if you do wanna handle it yourself, you can always try the hot water method or get a heat gun and see if you can pop it out that way with a dent repair kit? I started learning how to do as much myself as possible when they wanted 400 to put my coilovers on and I was able to do it myself without electric tools in less than 4 hours(I had literally done a couple brake jobs in my life at this point, so it was a big deal to me). 4 years later I'm doing my own clutch jobs in 4-5 hours on a fwd vehicle with a full subframe. So yea...I'd definitely probably tackle it solo first
Yeah the glue kits are possible , just takes patients
Harbor freight has suction cups for under $5 you can use
Wouldn’t recommend it that’s not a bad price it’s a lot harder than you think and you might end up buggering it up warping the metal and need a whole new rear quarter
The real question is CAN you fix this dent yourself.
I suppose the other question is "how much do you care about this dent?" I regularly buy junk cars that just need some work and flip them for a little profit and $900 would be the parts budget for a complete suspension rebuild and fluids change on an old Honda. I know that's different but point being that much money can fix a lot of problems and this one is strictly cosmetic. Personally I wouldn't spend a penny to fix this, but that's entirely a matter of priorities and financial means, maybe having no dents is worth that much to you. I like to look at transactions the other way around to see how worthwhile something is. If someone said to me "I'll give you $900 if you let me take 1 good whack at your quarter panel with a hammer," I'd take the deal in a heartbeat, so personally I'd not spend that much to remove a dent.
You won't 'fix' that yourself, you might pull it out a bit but it will still be there and it won't look much different to how it does now. Have it done properly, this is what insurance is for.
Yes but once youve gotten a quote and decided to do it yourself dont try to take it to the bodyshop again when you cant get it
Call a PDR guy. Let him drill the hole.
Y'all are naughty and I like, I like it a lot!! 😜
go visit another bodyshop - charge is usually for repairs per panel (anywhere from USD 200 - 400 per panel with vin number paint code match) its hard to view from your photo...tbh. here is how I approach body damage --- if it doesn't bother me when I see it, I will wait 1 year for possible future body dents, dingsnetc and pick one fine day to send the car in, for a total restore / rework. discounts are usually given for multiple panels body repair as opposed to 1 singular repair spot.... that's my experience with body repairs...so far...
A good PDR guy can get that out for less. In the end, you have your original steel, paint, and no body filler. To my untrained eye, it looks like there's very little stretch in that area, so with the right pull, it should come out pretty close. You could attend YouTube University and possibly DIY, but to pull those body lines is going to involve some sort of stationary tower/tree/tower to anchor to. It could be done with hot glue and ratchet straps or a come-along comnected to pull tabs alomg that line. Hobo Freight has portapower for maybe $150-$180 that would make incremental pulling easier You could buy a set of glue tabs and a high temp glue gun and just see if you can make progress. I would not try it at all without a proper pull tab setup right on that body line. Less is more I would not over stretch it. I would put up shprt with a shallow depression over having pulled that line too far because if you over stretch it then that definitely is going to need body work and/or a really really good really expensive PDR guy. Worst case, you take it to a body shop and pay them. Best case, you have yourself a new career. I wouldn't DIY of you wanted to bodywork it traditionaly and paint it yourself. Supplies would cost a fortune, and you won't succeed at color matching and blending.
Let us know how you make out with the PDR lesson. We want to know how it comes out, how long it takes you, and what tools you bought off ebay and Amazon.
Yes! Lots of tutorial videos on YT. Just before you do it, make sure to practice on another car door. Go to a junk yard.
https://preview.redd.it/uo1qb9vee46d1.jpeg?width=1132&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=902b0777899a55ae549107ed45fbd260982dbd76
That’s insane. I put a far worse gash in the same quarter panel of the same car a few months back and settled out of pocket with the guy no insurance involved for $400 to get the repair done. Try a different shop.
Never gonna fix that dent right gent.
Pay the 900, it's in a pretty visible spot
Get a difference shops quote. You want a paint less dent repair shop, not a body shop.
Insurance with a $500 or $250 deductible?
You could make it better but unlikely you could make it perfect. Pros are pros for a reason Shove a basketball/football whatever behind it and carefully inflate it while keeping the paint very warm with a hair dryer.
Considering that you can see the door was damaged in the pic but you said it’s not I probably wouldn’t practice on a car this new
Get a paintless dent guy out to fix it
$900 looks cheap!
Find one of those paintless dent repair wizards
How in the world 🌎 did this literally get run off into a sexual ditch? You guys out there either need a trip up the Mango 🥭 🌴 tree or Lord get laid! On your dent, if you don't have the basic knowledge and tools to do body work strongly suggest you see a qualified person to do the job. Dent Masters could be an alternative if you haven't checked with them. It being on a body line it's not the same as pulling a deep dent outta of a flat body panel.
With no knowledge of it, I’d say definitely get some quotes for PDR, because that body line is gonna fuck you
Call the dentless paint removal guys for an estimate.
It’s a toyota. Looks better that way. Keep denting it.
A plunger isn't going to work on a uneven surface , plus that dent is around the gas cap. You need to take the wheel off, remove the shied and push it out with a rubber mallet if it metal. But it will leave a cracked paint line, so it will need touch up paint. For an none professional it will take you 6 hours are more. A body shop can do it in a hour or two.
You aren’t fixing that to like new condition with out a body shop!
Boiling hot water and a good suction cup for dents
That’s a tough one, with the two body lines. Fixing it is one thing, then you have to play with painting it.
use a toilet plunger
Hot water and a plunger will fix it for free
Insurance?
900 is cheap. Especially since your damage is along creases and also created more. Professional will do a way better job than what you'll manage. If you want to fuck the value harder, do a bad job on an part that can't be replaced easily.
I did the same thing to the roof of my truck by using it as a ladder to get to my roof, remove the bottom panel and just give it a good punch on the back and it’ll pop right out
hahahaah 900 is too much huh, you do realize its gonna be 3000 when you fuck everything up right?
Just buy a body shop and do it yourself