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That sucks. My nx is 3 days old and I had this stupid cargo van driving in front of me and a loose rock flew right to my windshield and cracked the window and chip my roof a bit.
Spoke to dent repair places and they said because it's just on the ridge, it would require some body work / paint, so I'd rather just have everything replaced like new otherwise this will just continue bothering me knowing I just bought this car 2 weeks ago and I'm just afraid that the repaint / quality just wouldn't cut it....
The bad news is, because this is a brand new model, they'll need to order pieces from Lexus, and I don't even know whether you can get these already painted or what... so either way, this could take awhile.... I'll need to replace the tail light (scuffed), the quarter panel area and possibly the door which is slightly dented, mind you I might be able to get this fixed without any paint given it didn't scratch too bad...
First of all, sorry this happened to you. Good friend of mine hit a deer (a little worse, involved the fender, door, roof and that back area) on his about 2 month old X5.
But, I'm a little confused. You say "you might be able to get this fixed without any paint given it didn't scratch too bad" but "you're going to have everything replaced like new including the rear quarter area and perhaps door".
Just to make sure your expectation is set properly, this is going to require paint. If they have to repair dents to the door and the quarter panel without using PDR they will have to pull those dents (they grind the paint off, weld on pull tabs, pull the dent out as flush as they can then break off the tabs), smooth and sand the area and repaint it. The rear quarter panel isn't replaceable (its part of the unibody), they will likely try and repair that dent and if they can't they will have to cut out that area and weld in a new piece, grind and sand that all smooth and repaint. For the door, they can replace the door skin itself but that doesn't come painted from the factory.
The good news is with a good shop you'll never know. It WILL require paint though.
But, I'm a little confused. You say "you might be able to get this fixed without any paint given it didn't scratch too bad" but "you're going to have everything replaced like new including the rear quarter area and perhaps door".
Just to make sure your expectation is set properly, this is going to require paint. If they have to repair dents to the door and the quarter panel without using PDR they will have to pull those dents (they grind the paint off, weld on pull tabs, pull the dent out as flush as they can then break off the tabs), smooth and sand the area and repaint it. The rear quarter panel isn't replaceable (its part of the unibody), they will likely try and repair that dent and if they can't they will have to cut out that area and weld in a new piece, grind and sand that all smooth and repaint. For the door, they can replace the door skin itself but that doesn't come painted from the factory.
Everything you said is true.... Essentially I met with the body shop for assessment and recommendations, and he strongly advised on NOT getting the original parts given the extent of the damage. He told me if this was his vehicle, for the amount of body work involved, he said they can easily fix and if any paint is needed, they'd blend it into the door, however, after looking at the scratch, he indicated that only the clear coat was scuffed and likely wouldn't require any paint per se.
I then met with a "dent repair" guy who does a lot of work for dealerships in the area including hail repair and damages of this nature, and he seems convinced that he can get everything back to what it was without any body work. I asked him if he was 100% sure of his work, and he indicated that if I wasn't happy with it, he wouldn't charge me, and that any attempts to fix wouldn't worsen the esthetic should it require any additional body work, so I'm bringing him the vehicle on Monday morning to give it a try and hoping for the best. (fingers crossed!!!)
I've dealt with PDR guys twice now. I've had great results both times. There is an art to it and it's possible to get a less talented person, but chances are you'll love it.
Everything you said is true.... Essentially I met with the body shop for assessment and recommendations, and he strongly advised on NOT getting the original parts given the extent of the damage. He told me if this was his vehicle, for the amount of body work involved, he said they can easily fix and if any paint is needed, they'd blend it into the door, however, after looking at the scratch, he indicated that only the clear coat was scuffed and likely wouldn't require any paint per se.
This is what doesn't make any sense. Unless they're going to do it PDR, in order to fix that dent they will have to paint, because they will have to grind the paint off to pull out the dent. Are we talking about the scratch in the dent?
I then met with a "dent repair" guy who does a lot of work for dealerships in the area including hail repair and damages of this nature, and he seems convinced that he can get everything back to what it was without any body work. I asked him if he was 100% sure of his work, and he indicated that if I wasn't happy with it, he wouldn't charge me, and that any attempts to fix wouldn't worsen the esthetic should it require any additional body work, so I'm bringing him the vehicle on Monday morning to give it a try and hoping for the best. (fingers crossed!!!)
I would definitely try this first! The traditional repair can always be done afterwards if it doesn't come out well.
This is what doesn't make any sense. Unless they're going to do it PDR, in order to fix that dent they will have to paint, because they will have to grind the paint off to pull out the dent. Are we talking about the scratch in the dent?
The scratch within the dent is just on the clear coat (at least that's what the guy told me) and they can likely just wet sand and re-polish so it wouldn't show.... as for the popping out the dent, the PDR guy seems to think he can go through the tail light or inside to pop it out, so I'll take his word for it.
Well, can't tell you how impressed and relieved at the dent repair guy I took this too and the money and headache he saved me in the process... everything looks like NEW again, and after I looked from every angle / light I could imagine, you wouldn't be able to tell there was ever a dent there! Appreciate all of the suggestions and encouragement from you guys! Thanks again!
Thats great! So relieved for you, I know exactly how you felt.
Isn't it incredible what they can do? Keep ahold of that guy, a really good PDR tech is worth a lot. I had one, lost track of him for a number of years and found him again! He's done some pretty wild stuff, stuff you would never think was doable.
07-03-15, 07:10 AM
Appreciate all of the suggestions and encouragement from you guys! Thanks again!
