Estimating needs to be done at an autobody shop or with an insurance agent using the latest software. Any advice given in the subreddit pertaining to costs for repair will not be accurate and could be misleading.
If your car is undriveable do not ask for advice on how to quick fix it.
If your repair is going to be shoddy, half assed or of very low standard it will be deleted.
A quality autobody shop is where your modern car should be fixed, it can be dangerous for yourself and others if improperly repaired by not following procedures.
Advice on what happens during your repair is encouraged. Ex, "How is my quarter panel welded on" or "How much filler should be put on a dent".
Techs. Talk more about yourselves, your processes, shops and things that keep you going in the trade. Share your day and what you have learned. We all work at different levels and learn so much from working together.
Guess who: bracket edition. 2015 Honda odyssey. Looked in fender inner structure and rad support. How could a simple bolt on bracket not be replaceable? No part # on it. Maybe I’m blind or dumb but I can’t find this to save my life. I would’ve had an easier time just grabbing one from a junk yard. Surely someone else has run into this issue and found the right one?
Current paint looks dull. Original Toyota color repaint by dealer prior to purchase. My dog dropped out the window and it practically stained it. Would a clear coat help?
I’m fixing up my accord for as cheap as possible, not looking for it to be perfect. I got a new drivers side full headlight assembly ready to install for about 50 bucks, i lucked out at the junkyard and got a front bumper and fender, for under 100, same color and great condition! Threw in a picture of the car from the junkyard. Just trying to figure out how to go about the hood. It’s pushed back a bit and out of alignment if you can tell. It still latches great though surprisingly. Theres also a dent near the collision spot. How do I got about getting it back in place, and possibly popping that dent out. And would it be cheap for someone to do it for me somewhere? I also haven’t installed anything yet but will start beginning tomorrow. What else might I need? Anything is helpful. Thank you:)
So I just picked up my car from being painted , and took inspection at my house and noticed lots of white spots all over the black parts of my front bumper which is what they painted. Some of those marks are dust and some is actual marks that look like dust but are engraved into the paint work . And there is also a long scratch along the middle of my bumper and a weird red stain on it . Anyone working in autobody , is this an acceptable job? And should I take it in again and have them redo it/fix it ? And maybe explain what happened.
Took it down to bare metal. Epoxy primer, body filler work, epoxy primer again. And now the filler is showing through! I did about 2 heavy coats. I plan to paint tomorrow because after tomorrow it’ll get too cold to paint. So I’m kind of in a time crunch. How do I seal this so it doesn’t show up when I spray base/clear? Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks.
Recently had to have the fender of my 4Runner fixed as someone hit it. The first picture is the size that was repaired and repainted. The 2nd pic is the non damaged side. The bumper was not painted or repaired either way. Just the fender.
I have included the “final” pictures of how my car was given back to me by the body shop. The first one is the side where there was no damage. The 2nd pic of you scroll left is the damaged side.
The bumper was not painted or repaired either way. Just the drivers side fender. Why is the bumper yellowed on one and not the other ? It was not like this before - just on return.
The body shop says it’s due to the one part being plastic and the fender being metal. But that does not make sense to me because it’s the same on the other side and the colors match.
I have a 6-month-old Toyota Corolla in black metallic paint with a small chip, roughly the size of a fingernail, in the middle of the driver's-side door panel. I've attached close-up and wider photos.
My girlfriend brought the car to the Toyota dealership for scheduled maintenance. When she got it back, we noticed this chip on the door.
They reviewed their camera footage of the car arriving but said it was too dark to determine whether the damage was present. They are pointing to workshop footage timestamped about an hour after they had received the car, which shows the chip. Unfortunately, we don't have a clear before-and-after photo proving when it happened.
Regardless of the disagreement over responsibility, I'm trying to determine the most appropriate repair.
The chip has been exposed for approximately five months, and I haven't noticed any rust. I'm not sure whether it has gone all the way through to bare metal.
My questions:
Would professional touch-up paint be an acceptable repair, or is that more of a temporary fix?
Would a localized repair, with some sanding and blending around the chip, be a reasonable middle ground?
Would repainting the entire door panel be excessive for damage this small, or is that the best option for a satisfactory result?
Given that this is metallic black paint, how difficult would it be to make a localized repair blend in properly?
If the dealership agrees to repair it, what specific repair would you consider reasonable to request on a car this new?
I'm not necessarily expecting an absolutely invisible repair if that would require disproportionate work, but I mainly want to ensure it is properly repaired so it does not rust in the future and is not an eye sore.
Any advice on what the best repair here would be would be much appreciated!
Just purchased a 65 nova and this is the worst spot on the car, is there anything I can do to prevent from getting worse other then removing paint and sanding down to metal and priming, look to far gone? New fender? Any input appreciated.
Hi everyone! Last week, my wife was rear-ended while stopped at a complete stop. She was driving our 2025 Subaru Forester with only 22,000 miles when a 2007 Toyota Tacoma hit her at approximately 30–40 mph. Thankfully, she’s okay overall, though she has some shoulder and wrist pain.
I’ve attached a few photos of the damage. The area around the spare tire was pushed inward and upward significantly, so we’re concerned there may be substantial structural damage underneath. Because of that, we’re wondering whether the Forester will be totaled.
The insurance company’s initial repair is $10,440, but it was based only on photos and doesn’t include any hidden damage. The repair shop plans to begin disassembling the rear later today or tomorrow.
At this point, I’m hoping the vehicle is totaled. Given the severity of the impact and the possibility of structural damage, I wouldn’t feel comfortable driving it again, even after repairs.
Looking at a project vehicle soon (in the rust belt). Is this quarter panel something that can actually be repaired? Rust was cut out of the spare tire well per listing (see second photo). Thank y'all.
Started some light removal tonight to see what I’m working with. Absolute trash from the A to the C pillar. Outside and In. Got all new parts. Final rust repairs to this truck before a finished restoration all done in my garage. Been years of working on this in my free time and saving up the money to make things happen.
I fkd up :( Was backing out of a spot that had three parking poles, thought I cleared them all, turned my head to see the if I any traffic behind me and boom- cracked my drivers side headlight & the bumper is scratched and had paint scuffs. On a scale of 1-10 on the body damage, I give it 1 4.5.
I already got rid of the white paint that was scuffed on the car, now all that is left is just the scuffs and one pretty bad area where the paint rubbed down to the metal (No more than 1-2 inches long, and barely a .25 of an inch wide). I already bought a paint kit from TouchUpDirect (not the areosol, but the combo pen kit), but I want to make sure I do it correctly so it looks its best. Because I have yet to mention how I only have had this SUV for two weeks (it's a used 2023 but in amazing condition) :((((. And please spare me, I have beat myself up enough about it. I had the same car for 6 years and never did something like this but anyway...
I want to be sure I am doing the correct steps. In what order should I use the brush/pen paint kit (which includes primer, the paint, and the sealer), buff the superficial scratches out, and add a protective coat? Am I missing any steps, like sanding or prepping. I want it to look like it did two weeks ago.
Thanks to anyone who can help or help me learn something new! I appreciate any advice.
P.S. I am going to replace the entire headlight, hopefully soon, just a really big expense right after buying a new car/
Scraped my 2026 rav4 hybrid against a parking garage pillar. Got the rear passenger door, quarter panel and black wheel arch trim. Paint is wind chill pearl, code 089.
Some of the gray areas look pretty deep but i can't tell if thats primer or bare metal?
Mainly want to keep it from rusting and make it less obvious. I know touching up pearl white isn't going to make this disappear.
Was looking at the Toyota 089BC and 089 touch up pens. Anyone used these on something this size? If those gray spots are bare metal, what primer would work under them?
What would you do first here? Remove whatever transfer is left, polish the lighter scratches, then touch up the deeper ones? Would rather leave some visible damage than make it worse trying to get it perfect.
Also is there anything worth doing for the scratched black trim or would that need replacing?
Never done paint repair before so trying to figure out what's reasonable to tackle myself. Appreciate any advice.
My sun roof started leaking and I want to seal it shut permanently. I'm planning to use Flex Caulk Hybrid Polymer Waterproof Sealant and fill up as much of the gap around the exterior perimeter of the sun roof as possible.
Any other products you'd recommend? Any other approaches?
P.S. the sun roof broke a while back and the cost to repair is stupid, so I'm fine with a permanent moon roof haha.