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New Car ........minor paint damage in first week !

M

mark6565

pfm Member
Just bought new Nissan motor, finished in lovely in metallic blade silver but its suffered damage already.

Someone parked in a bay next to me has banged the edge of their door on mine before leaving the car park. The paint damage is about the size of a penny, very slight dent. Had the car been 2 or 3 years old, then I suppose it would have just touched it up myself and forgotten about it.

Given its age, however, I keen to make it like new again. Took it to a paint shop and was horrified by the suggestion of painting several surrounding panels to achieve a perfect and matching finish.

Just wondering if anyone has used a minor repair specialist in Leeds, who comes highly recommended, or any tips for DIY options.

Mark
 
JD Autobodies on Meanwood Road are good.
If it can be done cheaply, he will probably try without wanting to spray half the car.
 
chips away and other such companies just spray the damaged area and obtain a very good match ,I had similar damage repaired by them for £175 , however each case is different . A body repair company wanted £1,000 and to respray the whole door ! I think they bump up the price so you claim on insurance and it becomes a nice little earner for them
 
Gutted it’s dented , as most paint ‘scuffs’ are only in the clear coat and can be buffed out with a rotary polisher quite easily.

Feel for you.
 
We have used Chips Away several times and I'm amazed at how good the repairs have been.

As for new cars getting damaged. A few years back I bought my wife a brand new car and on the second week we pulled into a motorway services for a break on the way to St Ives Cornwall. After a light bite we found that this new car had been badly damaged along one side and as we were eyeing up the damage a lady approached us and apologised for the damage. Apparently she had waited around half an hour for us to turn up. It came to pass that she was a German visitor who had just picked up a hire car and wasn't used to it.

We were upset at the damage but we couldn't be angry with the lady who was also upset. I guess that if it was done by some Brit they would have stuck two fingers up and walked away.

After my youngest passed her test I bought her a newish second hand car. It was parked on my drive that we share with a neighbour. The car came with a weeks fully comp insurance thrown in so I had a few days to sort out an insurance policy. On the third day I pushed the button and paid for a year fully comp in cash. Five maybe 10 mins later the door bell rang. Apparently our neighbour had dragged his front wheel all along one side of our 3 day old parked car. He apologised and offered to pay for the damage to be repaired. We reported what had happened to the insurance company who immediately asked for another £300 and told us that if we didn't pay up our insurance would be cancelled and a note put on the universal database indicating that we had been refused insurance. The bar stewards eh.

Cheers,

DV
 
Silver is the most difficult colour to match. As another poster has said, it is unlikely the base coat has suffered any damage. The top coat will have enough thickness for the scratch to be polished out. I'd get a paintless dent repair done. A good tech will make it look like new and no need for respray.
 
A picture might help.
It would not be unusual to paint two or perhaps three panels to seamlessly blend a repair if it requires repainting. It really depends on the location of the damage. However if it is just a small dent any of the paintless dent removal companies should be able to rectify it for £75/£100.
If you are mechanically inclined at all and have access to a hot melt gun there are small bridge pullers available for pennies.
For example: http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-5...0001&campid=5338728743&icep_item=183770236461.
Or
http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-5...0001&campid=5338728743&icep_item=392335855676.
Or
http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-5...0001&campid=5338728743&icep_item=173929946823.

Glue the tab to the dent/paint, bridge the dent with the puller and then screw the tab outwards pulling the dent with it. Just don't pull it out too far. It is worth practising on an old dented panel to get the feel of it first. Methylated spirit is best for releasing/cleaning the hot melt residue.
There are many more cheap tools available for this sort of thing but you need to have a feel for this sort of thing. If you don't you will probably mess it up.
Metal has memory and Induction Heaters can magic dents away in seconds, when in skilled hands.
Some dents, especially on edges or where the rear of a panel is obstructed are more difficult and can present problems but with the right tools, in the hands of a specialist, it is sometimes astounding what can be overcome.
 
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Another recommendation for a paintless dent repair. I had a small but deep dent in what I thought was an awkward panel just above the headlight, on a silver car. Around 1cm wide and half a cm deep. I cannot imagine how it was caused, but a local (Oxfordshire) company fixed it in about 30 minutes for £50.00
 
I've used Graham Cunningham. 0795 032 5725. His office is on Harrogate Road, but he is a mobile body repair specialist, so comes to you.
 
doctorf said:
JD Autobodies on Meanwood Road are good.
If it can be done cheaply, he will probably try without wanting to spray half the car.
Click to expand...
I called in here this morning - the owner seems okay and can sort out for £150 . He says no need to paint several panels, they often repair new vehicles like mine.
The place didn't inspire me though, have you had good work done by this team and would you be confident in them working on a virtually brand- new car?

Mark
 
mark6565 said:
I called in here this morning - the owner seems okay and can sort out for £150 . He says no need to paint several panels, they often repair new vehicles like mine.
The place didn't inspire me though, have you had good work done by this team and would you be confident in them working on a virtually brand- new car?

Mark
Click to expand...

If the place did not inspire you why are you considering it?
If it is only a small dent there is every possibility that there is no requirement to repaint. Any repair will not be to factory standards and what will you do if it does not match?
PDR is the way to go first. It should be cheaper and will avoid any repainting.
 
mark6565 said:
I called in here this morning - the owner seems okay and can sort out for £150 . He says no need to paint several panels, they often repair new vehicles like mine.
The place didn't inspire me though, have you had good work done by this team and would you be confident in them working on a virtually brand- new car?

Mark
Click to expand...
It’s a shithole, but it’s been like that for the last 30 years.
They are very good.
In saying that, I’m sure the paintless dent removal people should be able to do it for less.
That groupon offer looked good with very good reviews, but it was near Doncaster.
 
I had a classic motorbike tank done at Spray Bay in Grimsby. A burglar damaged it. I did not want the whole tank spraying as the stickers are no longer available. So he sprayed the damaged parts and relacquered. I can't see the blend anywhere.

I'm sure it is a common skill and most places can do it.
 
The paint has been removed, only small area but it's off and primer showing. He said he could repair dent, paint small area over it, then full clear coat over full door.

As mentioned, the main concern is perfect matching with metallic silver?
 
It is pretty easy to match paint these days , chips away can mix any colour to match no problem . I am sure if the company thinks they can match it they probably will , also as the car is new it will be easier as there has been no fade over a period of years .
 
mark6565 said:
The paint has been removed, only small area but it's off and primer showing. He said he could repair dent, paint small area over it, then full clear coat over full door.

As mentioned, the main concern is perfect matching with metallic silver?
Click to expand...
They can do it. It's one of the common colours, was the most common a while back. Why would they tell you that they can sort it if they can't?
 
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