A couple of weeks ago a teenager girl backed out of her parking spot and hit my left front fender. Not bad, but first dent in 15 years!!!! It was all her fault and insurance will cover it. BUT....I think I can pull it out myself and buff it up to look as good as new and not go after her. But should I? I think just letting it go will be punishment enough because she will be "waiting for the other shoe to drop" for a long time and I am afraid that a professional shop could ruin my Pearl White paint job.

 

I'd go with insurance if someone hit my lexus. If she minor tap my civic, I would let it slide.

 

If insurance has been contacted then it's already reported to them and she will get dinged for it. If they've been contacted then get it fixed properly, if not then it would be up to you if you fix yourself.

 

If it were me...... if at all possible try to have it repaired without any paint work. An unmolested original car is the way to go. If a police report was filed or insurance is involved you may get an unexpected car fax incident. I’d just try to get a few dollars cash to cover it and end it. Good luck and let us know how it works out.

 

Depends on the type of hit and severity. A good PDR guy can have a go and the results can be pretty amazing. Otherwise, the typical pull and repaint by the body shop. If you are an owner that is going to keep the car forever than the value loss is minimal so whether you have this done PDR or at a body shop, so long as you are pleased.

 

Another vote for trying Paintless Dent Removal. If you can find a good one in your area they can be like a magician. If paint is damaged then it can be another ball game. I agree with others that Original paint is important, but how much that really matters on a car that is at minimum 13 years old now is debatable.

 

How do I find a PDR shop? Do they advertise as such?

 

File the insurance claim for the repair. get the check from insurance paid to you and then diy the repair or take it to a good PDR shop. Call around to a few of the larger used car lots - talk to the trade in manager and ask who they use for PDR and touch up work on the trades they take in.

 

Is the paint cracked or is any primer showing through? A picture would help. Where are you in Texas as I have a buddy who now runs a custom body Shop & was Dent Wizards top PDR tech for years in DFW. If you are in another area he might know someone and provide a referral. Almost anyone can become a PDR tech pretty quickly so you have to ask about training, experience and read reviews to ensure your “tech” is really qualified.

 

If possible, imho don't have any paint work done I think everyone here knows what I mean. When it's 100% sunlight outside, and cars are totally cleaned, cars with body work can be seen easily by the reflections on the afflicted areas. The paint matches 100%, but the texture does not. A car's finish from the factory, looks like a mirror. A car that has been repainted has a reflection that looks blurrier in comparison and is easily spotted. My uncle explains it until the sun goes down. We're talking about normal cars being repaired in a body shop. Body shops have more work than they can do--i.e. lined up. so they repair them as fast as they can. They are not working on $200k restorations like we see on TV. It isn't worth their while doing work like they would when the budget is $200k. Hence the crinkly texture paint look. And I have seen brand new cars with this look, implying they've been hit. Think of it this way. Using OE crash parts is the exception and a person has to beg and plead for it (how is it any different with health insurance--my 5 y.o. son broke his leg, and a 3rd week intern, seriously, was the one in charge of the cast--every step of the way we were pushed towards PAs and podiatrists, people who did not attend medical school!!). If most jobs don't even use OE parts, what does that imply about the overall job? And I get it, most cars are leased nowadays so who cares, it's not your car. But on this forum, we all own our cars... my .02

 

On my 1998 Nissan, purchased new and still on the road today, around 2000 someone scraped the rear quarter (d*** apartment living). After taking the purplish mark out with cleaner wax, there was what you describe--paint cracked with primer showing along the wheel arch. I didn't even touch it up (well I never had the right touch up because it too was white pearl and dealers never had the 2 stage touch up). 21 years later there is no rust whatsoever on that spot, and there is rust on the car in other areas (even when I was in Mississippi this past week, I saw a same vintage Nissan and there was rust starting in the lower corners of the wheel wells so that is prone prolly even in CA). So this is why I say in some cases, leave it alone as annoying as it is to have one's car not perfect anymore...

 

It sounds like what you are talking about is known as "orange peel" it is present on cars with body work and also new cars that are not properly wet sanded and buffed. This is easily taken care of with a proper wet sanding and paint correction. This flattens it out and gets you a mirror shine. Paint blending is an art and a bad body shop guy can do a very bad repair the key is to find a good one.

As to a PDR guy, I like to use yelp and google reviews to find the best one. Look for one that posts photos of their work and gives you a satisfaction guarantee.

 

I am in Corpus Christi TX

the paint is prety much undamaged except for some hairline cracks. She hit from the side on the left front fender. Didnt damage any of the lighting but aparently knocked the factory installed Radar detector out.

 

You're talking big money if the radar detector is damaged. Better make sure you have a claim against the person causing the accident and a full estimate of the cost to repair. It could be in the thousands as the plastic bumper cover just cover and hide the damage behind them.

 

I dont care about the radar detector...not at all. Never use it except to avoid dangerous situations. I just need to find a PDR shop.near here.