FSportDRM

iTrader: (2)

I doubt it. Cops have better things to do than worry about a door ding. In So Cal they say dont call unless the damage is $750 or more.

Aeromotive

So I called my insurance today, didn't start the claim process, just described the situation. They said I'd have 0 deductible and 0 responsibility, meaning my premium wouldn't increase. On the other hand my brother works for the Toyota-lexus dealership I got my car from and he quoted me 600 CAD (his special price, which means the actual price is around 1000 CAD).

The girl who scratched the car was 5 y.o. and got scared out by my reaction. She did it before the cops were there, so there wasn't much they could do... I unleashed my fury on her parents though. It can be buffed out but I'll definitely mention it to the insurance.

The car is leased and I'm probably gonna buy it, that's the only reason I'm considering claiming it.

CrackerJac

Wow man, I feel for you. I definitely enjoyed the read and I hope you get your car fixed ASAP! These people were total *******s!

Aeromotive

So almost 2 months later my insurance company says they'll cover everything with 0 deductible. However I'm baffled at how my dealership's bodyshop will take 2 days and paint (almost completely) both passenger doors just to have that ding taken out. So I'm thiking about paintless dent removal. Has anyone tried it and is it safe/reliable? It's not about saving money because I'm not paying anything. It's just about keeping the factory paint (with the risks of chipping/flaking) and not having that color fade because they will try to match the paint with the other panel... I just don't think a 3/4 inch ding is worth all that trouble/possible disappointment of a conventional repair.

Thoughts? Opinions?
Thanks.

Crossxup11

Good to hear your story has a happy ending.

Side note: When I park my car, I usually pull up next to other luxury cars, especially other Lexus cars. I assume the owner of the other car doesn't want to ding their car and will therefore be more careful than the average driver.

DSPEED

iTrader: (2)

Heads would have rolled. What a bummer! It won't show up on a Carfax though. Even if it did it wouldn't be something that would diminish the value of your car. You have picture evidence to show a future buyer what exaxlty happened.

JDR76

I've had very good success with paintless dent removal. A good professional can do a great job and will immediately let you know if it's not suitable to a PDR repair.

RocketG35

I had a dent in my driver's door, near the handle, that crossed above/below the crease line. I recently had the dent fixed via PDR at it is almost unnoticeable. If you didn't know there was a dent, you wouldn't see it. I know there was one, so I can see some minor imperfections - but I'm completely satisfied with it. The big door sill also makes PDR challenging, but any body line/crease dent is a tough place to fix and requires some patience and skill. Its also possible that they can't fix it.

It doesn't look like there was any paint removed - was there? If not, I'd definitely try PDR first. I had my dent repaired for $50 (discounted during Lexus Finesse meet) - my guess it would've cost $75-100 to repair normally.

There are also mobile shops that come out to paint and blend small dents which would be significantly cheaper/faster than going through the dealer. They do jobs for $100. I know you're not paying for it, but because they recommended to paint both doors, you could get away with just having that one spot painted and blended. USB is probably a tricky color to blend though. And if you're not happy with the result, then go the dealer route.

Will you be receiving a $1K check for you to do whatever you wish with? If so, trying PDR first would be what I'd do if there's no paint removed.

Aeromotive

Thanks for the answers. I'll try PDR. I don't think there's any paint removed, but I'd rather do PDR and retouch the paint myself than have them try to blend the different panels colors. I know I would still notice it and it would bother me.
I don't know how much I'd receive in a check if I decided to go the PDR route... my insurance would send an estimator to check it out and write me a check.
Keep in mind I'm in Canada so it doesn't work the same way as the US.
I'll keep you posted.

Oh and by the way the nail scratches can't be covered under the same claim because they're considered vandalism, not accident. I'd need a separate claim and my deductible is 250$, not worth it IMO. I'll just take it to my detailer to buff it out.

flexspace

iTrader: (2)

I've had PDR done from hail damage and you can't tell at all.

However, yours looks like it will require a paint blend unless I'm seeing things incorrectly.

Aeromotive

I think most of the discoloration you see is the paint of the other car. I'm going to the dealership's bodyshop but I'm still worried the blend would show and I can't live with that... or maybe I'm just OCDing.
In all cases I find it a bit exaggerated to keep the car 2-3 days and paint almost two panels completely just for that ding.

Aeromotive

Yes it was, but since it was intentionally done by a human being (as opposed to a car, by accident) it's a separate thing.


...


In Canada we always tend to protect guilty people and penalize the innocent.