I really baby my car and have been fortunate so far to avoid the dreaded door dings (for three years, knock on wood)!

But, now I've got a heckuva "ding". I was driving home from work a few days ago, on 4-lane city thoroughfare, when a big ol' honkin' black plastic/rubber club-like thing came flying at my Clubbie. The "club" was evidently debris in the roadway and the car in front of my sent it airborne, rendering it a dangerous flying projectile. Loud thud and I thought it hit my windshield only. Windshield looked okay and traffic was too heavy for me to be able to stop (not that stopping would have mattered anyway). Got home and found a big dent in the front of my hood. Made me sick.

It's going to the body shop tomorrow for an estimate. I'm thinking I'll be getting a new hood. If I do get a new hood, I think I'm going to take this opportunity to try out some different stripes. Trying to look at the bright side.

It embarrassing having to drive it this way.... I feel like everyone is STARING at the dent. Kind of like a big pimple on the face.

 

Damn that sucks, but at least you can be optimistic ablut it!

 

Sorry to hear about the damage but yo are lucky it did not come thru the windshield.

And yeah id does kinda look like a big ole pimple on the front of you car.

Sorry had to say that. Good luck with getting it fixed.

 

i'd try the solid thick stripping down the middlewith two thin stripes on both sides or the two stripes down the middle

 

UGH! that blows! Really sorry to hear about that. Nothing more frustrating than having damage to something you love due to someone else's carelessness-what makes it worse is when you have no recourse with whoever is responsible. BUT, it's good you're going for an estimate. They may be able to take that dent out without replacing the entire hood-unless you prefer a new hood replacement.As for the stripes, maybe viper style this time?

 

Oh man...that sucks.

 

I have a ding on the driver side door and it makes me mad every time I open the door, so I can sympathize. I'm glad you seem to be handling it well.

 

Interesting, I just happened to be walking around my MINI rapping on it with my knuckles (don't ask me why), and I found that the bonnet in particular feels and sounds hollow and cheap. That said I'm not surprised at all seeing what that debris did to your bonnet, but hopefully it also means it won't be expensive to repair or replace.

 

That's repairable. And in a good spot to blend within the panel. We recently had a bonnet with a dent a bit larger than that and it came out great. A good shop can have that fixed right up.

 

OP here. The best body shop in my town took a look at it today and said a new hood is needed. Perhaps a good shop in a big city could repair rather than replace, but options are limited here in the backwoods of deep East Texas.

On the new stripes, I'm thinking center stripes.... either viper style or as MightyNuts suggested, a thick center stripe with narrow ones on each side.

As to "handling it well", I guess I am. Well, once I got the initial cuss-laden hissy-fit out of my system.

 

I feel your pain for the dent. Keep the positive attitude Not much you can about it anyway - good luck with the new stripes and let us know how you like the Countryman. I saw my first one in a parking lot yesterday - dunno what to make of it yet.

 

:-(

I had a ding recently fixed in the club door, right at handle height. $300, paintless dent repair by a pro, it's totally gone. What you've got is in a way worse, in a way better (looks like no scratches...) but hey, it'll be covered by insurance... wife's volvo still has a gash in her passenger door from road debris!