cep362

iTrader: (2)

So here's the story guys,
I got my Z about a year ago and of course, i was dumb and young, being my first car and all. and the first time i drove it, i hit my garage door frame... ouch...

so anyways...after cooling off about it for about a year or some more, i have decided i wanna fix it. However, i duno if i waanna pay a body shop all that cash, when i knowmost is labor. A real good body shop gave me an estimate of$1200...which i think is ridiculous ... but i dont really know. so anyways...how hard would it be to fix this myself, could it be done, and what tools do i need. im a quick learner and i can follow instructions if anyone has em...look at pics by the way....

The PAT WS6

iTrader: (14)

phew u did a good beaten on her, ya some lady just hit me yesterday and it did a lil less damage than, your bumper is cracked i would say get a new bumer off the net take it and get it painted then slap it on but you will more than likely have to get it blended so its not off, your better off takin it to a shop imo

SLP LS1

Yikes, not too bad though, the estimate they gave you is totally ridiculous!

Scotty-Z

iTrader: (5)

That estimate is completely messed up. Go somewhere else.

transambandit

iTrader: (6)

your going to need a new bumper and fender from what i can see, blending shouldnt be too much of a problem as silver is a very easy color to copy, eithor get a new fender and bumper off ebay or someone on here might have one, but i dont know how to get the fender off, from what i can see on my T/A it has some sort of adhesive on it and looks like a PITA to take off and on. http://www.autobody101.com/forums/index.php This is a great website for all body shop questions and reading up on how to's. If you can find a way to get the fender off i would swap it out and paint it with it on the car. the bumper i would paint off the car as it would be easier to get into the grooves and curves. Just look on your tag on your drivers side door, it will tell you the paint code.

You can get a fender/bumper for a couple hundred, a couple quarts of paint will run you around 60 or 70, 2 quarts of reducer 20 bucks. Clear coat will cost you around 30 or 40. If you have a paint gun and compressor you can do it yourself. If not you could take it a local body shop and they will paint it for you for probably 250.

It will be significantly less than the 1200 but still will cost you some dough. Probably 400-500 total.

Teri9672

[QUOTE=transambandit]your going to need a new bumper and fender from what i can see, blending shouldnt be too much of a problem as silver is a very easy color to copy, QUOTE]

my husband is a professional painter and he will tell you that pewter and silver are VERY HARD to match.

Do you not have insurance?

cep362

iTrader: (2)

I do have insurance, but we got a 500 dollar deductible, and at the time we didnt think it would cost much more than that... im gonna go and get some other estimates and shop around....since i dont have a paint gun and any body experience.
by the way....would ANYONE on here trust MAACO with their car's body work/paint...?
i hear they suck. opinions?

slow96z

iTrader: (12)

OK, here's what I would do, but I'm cheap so take it for what it's worth. The worst you can do is not have it come out right and still be in the same boat. For the white paint streaks on the car (I'm assuming your house is white and that's paint, not scratches) I would pour some regular gasoline on a rag and wipe it off. That should remove the paint and get it looking a lot better. Wash and wax after to remove the gasoline.

Next I would raise the front of the car and remove the tabs holding on the bottom of the bumper exposing the inside of the dent. From here I would place the end of a hammer handle or other stout pushing devise against the seam between the fender and bumper (put it on the seam, not the sheet metal, you will dent it the other way if you do that) and try to push the dent out as best as you can. I doubt it will go perfect, but it will at least be better than it is now.

Finally I would find some bondo plastic/rubber bumper repair putty and fill in the hole/tear in the bumper. Use this stuff and not regular bondo. It's a lot easier to use (comes in a tube, just squirt it on and work it in the hole) and it remains flexible. Once the Bondo dries sand it down smooth stepping from a more aggressive sandpaper (maybe 600) to a finer (800) and then a really fine (1200) wet-sand paper. Try to keep the sanding area to a minimum, but make sure you sand off any paint flakes or chips that are holding on around the hole. Once it's sanded and you can't feel any texture change between the repair and the good parts of the bumper when you run your hand across it (try it with your eyes closed to take your mind out of the equation) wipe it with a good cleaner like mineral and follow up with a tact (sp?) cloth. Now you can tape off everything around the repair and primer the whole sanded area. Once the primer dries put a bright light next to the car and get real close to the repair so you can see if there needs to be anymore work done. If so, do it, but if not, wipe it again with the tact cloth and spray it with VERY LIGHT EVEN COATS of the appropriate DupliColor paint. Follow the directions on the can and you'll do fine. Once you have it all painted pull the tape off and use some 1500 grit wet sandpaper to try to smooth the lines where the tape was. Once you get that smoothed, wipe it with the mineral spirits again and then the tact cloth. After it's all clean you can hit it with a separate can of clear coat. Make sure you follow the drying time requirements on the can.

Finally I would clay bar the repair and surrounding area once the paint has cured and then buff it all out.

It sounds worse than it is and this should get you a lot closer to where you want to be for less than $20 in parts.

Don't be scared to do it and post before and after pics so we can see your work!

cep362

iTrader: (2)

wow...thanks for that slow96...i might actually do it. you are right, it definately will look better than it is now. How hard is it to take off the front fender? I hear its a PITA, but can be easily done if you put ur mind to it i guess...?

slow96z

iTrader: (12)

I wouldn't take it off, I would just try to push the dent out with it on the car.

cep362

iTrader: (2)

would i have to take off the headlight then? not much room to work with, methinks. Ill take a look at the car once i get home from work. but if i remember theres not much room. i dont get when u said to take the tabs off that hold the fender. so i mean like lean it out from the bottom, but while still being attached from the top?

slow96z

iTrader: (12)

The bottom of the bumper, not the fender. You should be able to pull the tabs from the bottom of the bumper and pull it down far enough to access the dent from the backside. Look under the front of the car and I think there are 4 plactic push-tabs in there that hold it on. The same ones you would pull to access the turn signal bulbs.

Ell Ess Won

First of all I believe all of those pieces are plastic. Take them off one at a time and see if you can work them out from the back side without breaking them.

The rest of the damage appears to be damage to the paint which can be cured with a bottle of touch up paint and some rubbing compound. Good Luck.

cep362

iTrader: (2)

thanks guys...ill post some pics if i can get it somehow fixed...

Reject

iTrader: (24)

NOOOOO dont run a rag with gas on iT!! it will damage the paint!! And we all know the answer to the MACCO question, HELL NO! it'll cost you more to fix what they messed up than it would be in the first place