Hi,

Today was my first gas up in the new car. I forgot that my gas tank is on the driver's side now. As I pulled up and was getting out, I opened the door until the first resistance point. Then, as I was getting out, I accidentally pushed it a bit further and hit the door against a concrete barrier

Needless to say, there is a tiny dent in the lower right door panel. The cement scuffed the panel just a tiny bit (1/2mm) and it feels as though there's plenty of clear coat on top (just tiny pinhole penetrations through the clear coat.

I want to do PDR; however, I've heard they may need to drill a hole in my door. I don't want that. I've noticed MINI has a lot of holes in the door to get that snake thing in there. Has anyone had it done, where they didn't need to drill and just took the panels off or used current holes in the door panels?

I'm just very frustrated and while an accident, it is completely my fault :( The dent is barely noticeable, but still...

Thank you.

 

That sucks, I feel your pain. They won't have to drill a hole. They can remove interior trim panels if they have to in order to access the inside of the door.

 

Thanks... If the car was 10k or 20k miles, I guess I would understand. I can't stop blaming myself pretty much. I should've just gassed up at my local station (Mobil 1) but I wanted to use recommended BP and stopped on my way to get tints and clear bra...

Also, does anyone know if, say, I ordered a new door and decided to get it painted - are there any body shops out there which will can paint the car up to factory specs? I've been reading extensively about this and I've heard the reason body shop painted cars have softer paints is due to electric primer bath and higher baking temps.

 

There are other possible remedies.

You might try heating the area with a hair dryer until it is hot-to-the-touch, and then placing a piece of dry ice (using ice tongs) on the dent for a minute or so. Lacking dry ice, turn a can of compressed air upside and spray the propellant (LOx) on the dent (after warming it).

Stamped steel has 'memory', and will often pop back. Often it won't, but it's a cheap try.

Good luck (as John Calvin would say)!

 

As long as the dent isn't near a folded edge, or behind an internal stiffener, PDR can fix it.

THe PDR guy will tell you with one look if it can be fixed or not. The paint damage is another story.

 

No way would I get a new door.

 

At least you did it yourself I got one by a dumb female driver opening her door

 

A god PDR guy can work miracles. I had a major door-ding incident last spring when a door from a minivan flew open (in the wind apparently) and put a big ding several inches long down through the middle of my passenger door. If the ding is up near the curve (where the door profile curves inward towards the window), it's more difficult to get the ding out since there is a welded reinforcement bar on the back side of the sheet metal there. It can be done, though. The guy I had do the work "massaged" it out with all sorts of tools from the inside and out and you can barely see any evidence that something happened. If I stand at certain angles and study it, I can see a bit of waviness, but nobody else will ever know unless I point it out. Try PDR before you consider another type of repair.

 

You're worried about the PDR "maybe" having to drill holes. I wouldn't worry unless your specific PDR guy (or gal!) said he would "definitely" have to drill holes. Just take it in and let the pro have a look; he will be able to tell you right away if holes are needed or not.

If they are, you should at least get a second opinion. Putting holes in a panel makes the "Paintless Dent Removal" much less "Paintless", after all.

 

When I took delivery of my JCW from Flow MINI in Raleigh the beginning of last year, I noticed a slight dent in the top of the fender on the driver's side as I was heading home. It was very slight and only noticeable from certain angles -- really more of a dimple than a dent. Unfortunately the most prominent viewing location was from the driver's seat. It looked like somebody had dropped something about the size of a baseball on the fender, or maybe leaned on it. No paint damage, just a slight dimple in the metal.

I called the dealer and they said that they would arrange for the Dent Wizards to work on it the next time I could bring it in. When I finally wanted my first oil change, the dealer arranged for the Dent Wizard to be there in the morning. He went to work on it while I was checking in for the oil change. Before I had a chance to go outside to see what the guy was doing, he was done, and there was no trace of the dent anymore. I have no idea what wizardry he performed, but I was very happy to have my new car back to new again.

 

In my experience, the 'holes' that may be drilled are not drilled on the panel but on the inner door edge where they can't be seen unless the door is open and you look for them. They are usually plugged with an unobtrusive rubber plug. For some dents such holes are necessary in order to permit access for the PDR magic tools. I have had PDR done on an S-Class Mercedes, a Lexus RX, and a Mini Cooper. Happy every time.

 

Yes you are right. However, I don't even want that. MINI seems to have multiple access points (holes) throughout the bottom corner and bottom of the door. I also wouldn't mind removing the door panels.

I will try my hardest to take a picture of the dent. It's extremely small and there is almost absolutely no paint damage (cement is porous and made pinhole intrusions into the clear coat).

 

You almost never have to drill a hole for access in a door. (I never have, yes, I'm DPR trained, even have a certificate to prove it...lol)

 

Look, this is a whole lot of worry and fretting for a "maybe". Just take it to a good place and see what they have to say. Chances are that there won't be any holes needed at all.

 

The last thing on earth you want to do is change that door! Have PDR guy assess it & do his thing if applicable. If not, it sounds like a body shop might be able to repair it & do a small paint blend of the area. This would apply if even if PDR works but abrasion cannot be satisfactorily buffed. The blend is the lesser of evils vs blending color & full clear coat of the door skin which will most likely change the appearance of the door even though there is only color applied to the repaired area.

Changing the door means painting the whole side of the car which is ludicrous. Don't screw around w/ original paint job if possible as it will likely snowball into a far bigger & more expensive task than is practically necessary.

The interior trim panel can be removed if there is an access issue for PDR.

 

Also, my friend from the body shop told me that they can wet sand and buff the door... That sounds a bit harsh to me. Should I go for it, or just get the dent out with PDR and that's it? I just feel that it's a lot of unnecessary clear coat sanded away for something so small that there isn't even a need for a touch up or anything (and I am SUPER picky about my things).

 

I would do the pdr and see how it comes out. Then maybe find someone who does airbrushing for your local dealerships to remedy the scuff. I personally would not wetsand the door. I have used pdr with amazing results and have had a company called aero colors do my airbrushing of rock ships and i could not hardly tell they were wver there.

 

jtack - I don't think I'm gonna go this invasive on the door just for a less than a mm long scratch that cannot even be felt under the nail. I will just get the dent out and that's all.

I will update on Monday how it went.

 

The PDR guy will probably wet sand and buff the repair anyway. It's not like what you are thinking, it will be just a small area, and you won't notice it

In other words get the dent PDR'ed.