1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Help! Prius door ding... :(

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by drgriffith, Sep 27, 2008.

  1. drgriffith

    drgriffith New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2008
    7
    0
    0
    Location:
    Portland, OR
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    So it happened... in spite of parking WAY out in the parking lot, at the end of a row up against a concrete barrier... some inconsiderate schmuck opened his/her door into my brand new 2009 Prius. The dent is about 2 inches long and, sadly, the paint is chipped in places.

    Any advice about how to fix this? Has anyone used the mini paint applicators for sale at the dealerships?

    Thanks in advance!
     
  2. firepa63

    firepa63 Former Prius Owner

    Joined:
    Jul 23, 2005
    1,761
    208
    0
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    I suggest a body shop. If you use the touch-up paint, you will see the repair forever.
     
  3. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2006
    7,028
    1,116
    0
    Location:
    South Jersey
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    V
    Sorry to say it happens sooner or later. I left the ding alone. Some of the larger scratches I've tried to cover with the touch up paint but you'll still seem them (at some angles).
     
  4. Neohybrid

    Neohybrid Not-so-junior member

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2008
    165
    34
    0
    Location:
    Central Virginia
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    I'd seek professional help on this one -- no mini applicator for this one. Try the Toyota body shop or look for a dent specialty shop. We have one local that fixes door dings and dents for $49. Most of the dealers around here use them to "fix the dings" in their used cars. I've used their service twice and have been very happy. Check the phone book under body shop.
     
  5. Rotorhead

    Rotorhead New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 14, 2007
    79
    0
    0
    Location:
    Kalamazoo, MI
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    I've used Dent Doctor and been very satisfied. Someone punched or kicked a big dent in my hood. I was sure that I'd be ordering a new hood. The Dent Doctor guy spent about an hour on it and did an incredible job. Not a trace of the damage remains. Good luck.

    Mike
     
  6. Qlara

    Qlara New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 18, 2007
    488
    5
    0
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Darn it, I feel for you!

    Where's the location of the dent?

    Maybe you can use the Prius Door Moldings (should have bought it sooner) to mask out the current ding and protect against the potential next one.
     
  7. NeoPrius

    NeoPrius Member

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2008
    182
    32
    0
    Location:
    Maryland USA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Sorry to hear about that - it would just kill me if someone did that to my new car. Sometimes a good auto body guy can "spoon" it out from the back of your door without any paint or fill in work. I'd check with a few different places just to make sure the price is right.

    If you still have your temporary tags, you may want to leave it alone for a while until you get your real ones. Low life scum sucking pigs seem to target new cars. I had all kinds of problems with people tailgating me, not letting me change lanes, etc. until I got my real plates, then no problem after that. I was living in fear every time I left my car in parking lots.

    Moldings are really more for looks than anything - but they really do look nice. They cannot possibly cover every permutation of car door that's going to swing at your car.
     
  8. justlurkin

    justlurkin Señor Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2007
    499
    63
    0
    Location:
    Long Island, NY
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Same here, some inconsiderate posterior orifice dinged the rear rightside door on my '07 Seaside Pearl. Paint chipped all the way down to where grey is visible (not sure if it was primer or metal). The blemish is about half an inch long.

    It's not bad enough to justify repairing the ding and repainting the door. I bought one of those touchup pens from Toyota and covered it up so it doesn't get worse. If it gets dinged up any worse, I'll pay for the repair-and-repaint. The touch-up is definitely visible on my car, unfortunately. :mad:
     
  9. thepolarcrew

    thepolarcrew Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2008
    4,426
    271
    0
    Location:
    North Dakota
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Passenger door, up along the line along the window, less than a 1000 miles. Talk about PO. Put the moldings on and hope for the better.

    So the touch up paint doesn't look right? What gives there?
     
  10. markderail

    markderail I do 45 mins @ 3200 PSI

    Joined:
    Sep 13, 2006
    2,260
    163
    18
    Location:
    Pierrefonds (Montreal) Quebec Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Dry Ice

    Works Wonders

    The hardest part is the proper gloves to hold the a dry ice chuck as you rub over the dinged area. Makes dings & such pop out and the metal contracts.
     
  11. TXSNAKESTER

    TXSNAKESTER New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 2, 2008
    6
    0
    0
    Location:
    Sunnyvale,Texas
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Touch up results seem to vary depending on the color. Metal flake colors are hardest. Best way is to touch up and colorsand . Call a touch up and dent specialist in your area. The dealer should be able to give you the name of a reputable person..
     
  12. thepolarcrew

    thepolarcrew Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2008
    4,426
    271
    0
    Location:
    North Dakota
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    I have heard of people doing it to hail spots.

    Where would you get dry ice?
     
  13. NYMama

    NYMama Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2008
    17
    0
    0
    Location:
    Westchester, NY
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    I have survived one month without a ding and I went as far as changing grocery stores because my regular one has too many loose shopping carts in the parking lot!! There's no way I'm parking the Prius there. I will only return to my regular store when I take my old car.

    I work at a college and leave earlier than 5:00 so I am still figuring out which cars in the lot are good to park next to that stay later than me. I want to avoid parking next to student cars at all costs! So far, so good, but I know the day will come when that ding shows up. :eek:hwell:

    In a few weeks, we drive to DC to visit my daughter at college & I just booked at a hotel where I can self-park my car!

    This madness has to stop!!
     
  14. markderail

    markderail I do 45 mins @ 3200 PSI

    Joined:
    Sep 13, 2006
    2,260
    163
    18
    Location:
    Pierrefonds (Montreal) Quebec Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Yellow pages. Industrial section. GoOgLe + your city name.

    Dry ice is used in packaging of perishable goods in shipping, so every city has a dry ice maker. In my area, there's one that's right beside a few trucking companies and has a big sign saying DRY ICE on the building.
     
  15. mechanic

    mechanic New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 25, 2008
    23
    3
    0
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    i'd skip the $49 Toyota paint... it costs too much for touchup paint. save your money and shop online.
     
  16. sktn77a

    sktn77a Member

    Joined:
    Apr 28, 2007
    294
    13
    0
    Location:
    NC
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Call a dent specialist (eg Dent Wizard), NOT a body shop! They will get the dent out making the touch-up barely noticeable. Drilling and banging it out and patching it up with bondo and then respraying is not always the solution (depending on the color, the paint may not match perfectly - especially on metallics).

    And this will cost 1/4 of what a body shop would charge.
     
  17. B. Roberts

    B. Roberts Hypah Milah! Ayuh.

    Joined:
    Mar 11, 2005
    691
    212
    0
    Location:
    used to be "Glacial" Maine and now FL
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    What everyone said, just about. Dent removal guy will do a good job and won't cost you as much as a body shop.

    A little kid on a tricycle got our Prius. Metal handle bar, no rubber grip... touched the metal just behind the rear passenger wheel well, slightly above the bumper line. The result was a wavy one inch scratch and slight dent. ARRRG! We know how you feel!