Ugh. I am so, so very embarrassed. I'm so used to driving an old, boat-like car that I backed out of my parking space this morning straight back like I always have, not knowing some jamoke had parked his old minivan slightly off the parking lines…and, I dented up the driver's side door a little bit, caused a few scuffs & a few scratches on the driver's side door and the rear driver's side door. I can't believe I did this. I'm not used to having a more nimble car & being able to back out of my space & make a hard turn with the wheel and not worry about hitting either car next to me. Am also not used to the headrests in the backseat of my Prius C Two. I have them "pushed down" as much as possible, but there's a car seat for my young son on the passenger side and I can't push down the one behind me any more. Am NOT blaming the car. I was the idiot that, even though I checked my mirrors, still somehow screwed up. So with the dent that's right below the door handle on the driver's side, a slight one right above the bottom panel and some scuffs on the rear driver's side door…anyone here have any experience with the "pop-a-dent" stuff? I've read some horror stories about some kind of "glue" that's used…and am in the DO NOT WANT camp after reading a few reviews. Are they true? Or is there a solution that's "better?" Ultimately I'm planning on paying a reputable shop out-of-pocket to the tune of $500 bucks (so long, money saved the last year for a new iPad this fall ) to get this done "right," but I thought I'd float this out there to see if there's any advice that might save me the bucks. The shop I took my car to where I got that estimate of $500 (trust me, in the Chicago area, it's WAY lower than anyone else) was nice enough to buff almost everything out for free; he asked if I can "…live with the dent," to which I know I can't. The car isn't even 3 weeks old. I will see it every day since it's on the driver's side. I hate paying that money, but I will to get things back to normal (this shop will do it right, complete with replacing the exact color of my car and 3 coats of "clearcoat"). And since this money is "fun money" it won't effect our budget. The majority of the scratches/scuffs are out, but the two dents are visible. I just bought this car, and got a '13 Corolla for my wife last Saturday (our cars were 25 and 17 years old…it was time). I work for a not for profit, my wife part time. We're not made of money. I want to correct my own dumb mistake (still QUITE embarrassed I did this) and make it right, I'll pay if I have to. I just thought I'd float this out there & see what you all thought.
I'd go with one of those paintless dent repair guys, too. I've used them on other cars and they've done excellent repairs.
Don't worry, stuff happens. When you bring in your car for dent removal, make sure ahead of time that the shop doesn't report as accident related. Detailing sounds much better on a carfax than accident.
I don't know if this would work in yur situation, but my brother in law once stuffed a deflated soccer ball under a dent in my Mustang. He then inflated it and while it didn't 100% eliminate the dent, it did minimize it to a cosmetically acceptable level.
Thank you for saying this. I've tried to take some time to calm down. I still feel like a horse's…backside, but I'm with you; I'm not going to go with a place that attaches this repair to my VIN number. As it turns out, the damage is a LOT less worse than I thought. I had a detail shop near my work look at it, and the owner was nice enough to buff things out for me for free. At this point, you have to know to look for the two dents (one pretty small, the other larger…to me). There is some scuffing that needs some paint work, and I think I'm going to go that route. It seems like the shop (which is reputable…I've checked them out) will qualify this as detail work, which sounds like what that “dent doctor” place might do. Still gonna cost me; owner said he'd do it for $500 & will follow the proper procedure to reapply coats of “clear coat” according to spec. It may be silly to some, but I want the “perfect” car back. It's a lot of money, but it's not going to effect our budget (just no new iPad for me this fall…my current one still works fine & will do) and it means a lot to me to feel the pain of paying off my own stupidity & will hopefully cause me to be an even better driver than the one I've become since buying a Prius. iPad ?
Psssh! A new iPad or waking up to a car with a 'boo boo' That's a no brainer. And I'm glad to hear that you found a decent place. A buddy of mine ruined the driver side of the car when parking(grinded against a concrete pole). JUST Today, I ended up accidentally running over roadkill AND later on plowing into a blown tire on the freeway at 70mph~! I checked under the car and my catalytic converter may have been crushed.. Oh! one last thing, welcome to the forums
Thanks for the welcome! This place is great. So helpful, appreciate all the time folks spend here. Oddly enough, I went through the same "alligator attack" on the interstate by my home; hence my need to sell my relic and get into a Prius. Ugh, unfortunately it's the one time I can say I know exactly how you feel. I hope the converter isn't truly damaged to the point of replacement. Gotta be pricey. While I hate to spend saved money, I know after things are fully repaired my Prius C will be just like new. It'll still be in the back of my mind what had happened, but no one else will know or be able to tell.
Do a Google search under "paint less dent repair". Got to be a bunch in your area. I've had excellent results on several occasions.
If the headrests are an issue I would simply remove them! Keep them in the back or somewhere until you need them. Eliminates those giant blind spots!
How much would a door be from a junk yard? That is if you can find one the same color as your. Might be a little less expensive.
I'd thought of that, but not sure how many currently-the-latest-model parts there are. Maybe there are some, but my issue is more than just the driver's door, it's also the rear drivers' side door as well unfortunately.
Use paintless dent removal, having it replace and repaint the door will have more issue as the color shade could be different.
I found a place recommended by my Toyota dealer, the place they use. I've been assured they use genuine Toyota materials. And they're giving a pretty decent price break, at least based on the research I've done. iPad ?
Just to button this up… The shop I took my Prius to did an outstanding job. I can't even tell that there was ever any damage. All the parts of the door are tightly put back together, and everything looks new again. And the did use genuine Toyota paint, clear coat & materials. Very happy with the outcome.
Did you go through insurance? If you did, make sure to get your diminished value check from them. They won't issue it unless you ask.
No. I purposely avoided insurance due to my deductible. The best price for the repair I could find was exactly the same price as my deductible, so I went out of pocket. Thankfully it was just cosmetic scrapes and nicks, and a small dent, not nearly as bad as I thought it'd be. Nothing structural.
