Dented fender, any opinions on PDR please?

[The Critic]

No PDR is going to fix that. Metal too distorted and stretched not to mention being on a body line. Does that model have the VIN stickers visible when you open the hood? If so, I would repair instead of replace. Maybe $200-$250 to fix the dent. $200 for paint. $150 to blend the door. If you're able, I would do some prep by removing moldings and trim and headlight to make the job easier and to avoid overspray on the trim from careless taping.

Those prices might be applicable in a 3rd world country. I would multiply those numbers by 3, easily.

Since the OP's car is silver, it would not surprise me if blending into other areas besides the door will be necessary. Silver is a very difficult color to match.

I would probably hire a PDR guy and let him do the best he can and see how it turns out.

 

[atikovi]

Those prices might be applicable in a 3rd world country. I would multiply those numbers by 3, easily.

That's about what I pay at the shop I take my cars to. Of course they don't have a carpeted waiting room or an espresso machine.

 

[DBMaster]

$100/hr or so...(no particular order) unbolt old, prep and paint new, blend into panels nearby, bolt new on, mask off other car parts, paint cost, a few hours in the drying room...$800-1200? That would be my guess. For a $100 fender. How far off am I?

I couldn't find the detailed invoice from the body shop. The other party's insurance footed the bill. You're probably pretty close, though.

 

[Jimmy9190]

I got two estimates at body shops today. One is a Mom and Pop (and son and grandson too) family-owned shop that has been in business nearly 50 years. The other is a national chain that has a location here in my town. The mom and pop shop's estimate was $923.00, the chain store shop was $897.00. Both places said again, this is not a PDR job, they have to straighten and fill the fender then paint and blend.

I am giving the job to the mom and pop shop. I believe I will get a better repair there, they have a great local reputation for doing good work. They are also going to replace the fenderwell trim, not try to re-use it and are also going to blend the hood and the door. The chain shop wanted to re-use the fender trim and only blend in just part of the door.

The shop can not get to the job until next Monday but said it should only take 3 days at most and I should have it back by Thanksgiving. The place is very clean, is locked up and secure and does not have cars sitting out in the open parking lot in various stages of repair like the chain shop did. I feel good about using the mom and pop shop, I think their price is fair, they are good people and were very understanding about my desire to not file a claim on my insurance. My deductible is $500.00 and I don't mind paying the difference on the whole bill to keep from all the insurance hassles and raised rate/claim on my record.

Thanks for all your help on this.

 

[The Critic]

Just a thought:

Aftermarket paint never lasts as long as OE due to the different processes and chemical make-up. The hood sees more UV exposure than vertical panels such as the door and the fender.

 

[dan_erickson]

Bumper, hood, both fenders and drivers door painted 5 years ago. It’s been fine. Pays to have a good painter that will take some pride in his work!

 

[JT20]

I should make a different thread, but I have a dent in would like removed Mom my car. Seems a good candidate for PDR. Though it is a larger-ish dent, yeah.

The paint can be as it is.. Your dent is about 1/2 to 1/3 the size of mine.

Question: How does one determine a "good" PDR guy?! All I can find are the scammers on Craigslist that basically paint your car a different color on the cheap and fast.

 

[JohnnyG]

Just go to the link I posted, and watch the video, you'll be surprised at what they can do.

 

[Jimmy9190]

The mom and pop body shop did a great job, and the bill was not really that much more than my deductible. I believe I did the smart thing keeping this off my insurance and off my Lexis Nexis file too. Shop did exactly what they said they would do and replaced the fender trim and blended into the door and hood and the paint is a perfect match. It looks great, and they even kept the office open a few minutes after closing to allow time for me and Mrs. Jimmy to get there to pick the car up. Now I just have to forget the $923.00 bill and remember to park on the side of the building far away from any carts at Lowe's, HD or anywhere else with any kind of carts.

 

[The Critic]

Looks ok. Bumpers never fully match, but now it is very obvious. Blending into the bumper may have been ideal, but as long as you are satisfied, that is all that matters.

 

[Trav]

I got two estimates at body shops today. One is a Mom and Pop (and son and grandson too) family-owned shop that has been in business nearly 50 years. The other is a national chain that has a location here in my town. The mom and pop shop's estimate was $923.00, the chain store shop was $897.00. Both places said again, this is not a PDR job, they have to straighten and fill the fender then paint and blend.

I am giving the job to the mom and pop shop. I believe I will get a better repair there, they have a great local reputation for doing good work. They are also going to replace the fenderwell trim, not try to re-use it and are also going to blend the hood and the door. The chain shop wanted to re-use the fender trim and only blend in just part of the door.

The shop can not get to the job until next Monday but said it should only take 3 days at most and I should have it back by Thanksgiving. The place is very clean, is locked up and secure and does not have cars sitting out in the open parking lot in various stages of repair like the chain shop did. I feel good about using the mom and pop shop, I think their price is fair, they are good people and were very understanding about my desire to not file a claim on my insurance. My deductible is $500.00 and I don't mind paying the difference on the whole bill to keep from all the insurance hassles and raised rate/claim on my record.

Thanks for all your help on this.

They told you it is not a PDR job because they couldn't do it but that does not mean it cant be done, the guy I use does stuff like that all the time and he comes to me. I would expect to pay about $250 for that.
I do a lot of body work and hammer and dolly dents so no filler is needed but PDR is a skill in itself, most bodymen are not skilled in this.

 

[Jimmy9190]

I did show it to a PDR guy, there are only just a few around between here and Daytona and the one I called is supposed to be the best one there is locally. I sent him pictures and he said the dent and crease were too deep and would require repainting and clear coat and he is not set up to do that. I was not expecting it to look like it just rolled out of the factory but I do think it looks fine.

 

[Imadentguy]

Seasoned PDR tech here. Im a long time lurker and a first time poster. I would like to share my angle. I believe what may scare most “dent guys” away from this job (so long as they know what they are doing) is not so much the unit of damage but the metallic silver Nissan paint. Re establishing that body line is going to be tough. There is alot on tension held in that area. What happens is that the metallic in light silver stipples up VERY easily. Patience is key when working that area, and even then its very hard to guarantee that you wont see push marks In the metallic, under the clear coat. I am not talking about seeing a “texture” in the clear coat, but physical spots under the clear where the silver flake was disturbed and reflects light back in a different manner. Now i will say that i see flaws that literally 99% of people will not see......but theres always that 1% that will wreck your day. Personally i would dive into that job any day of the week if it was any color other than silver. On that job i would be honest with the customer (because i believe that is the best policy) and let them know that there is a possibility that they may see a small spot where the metallic was disturbed, and then let the customer decide what they want to do. Most people choose the PDR route (even with the risk of imperfection) over traditional body repairs simply for the cost savings. I would be around $300 for that dent. This was an advanced repair and would require a seasoned tech for optimum results. Props to the OP for having the damage repaired regardless. I love it when people take pride in what they drive.

 

[doitmyself]

Thank you for the input Imadentguy and a hardy welcome to BITOG. In my post and link above to my PDR repair, several PDR guys said mine was a traditional body shop repair too, but the experienced guy I chose got the job done. It's definitely a judgement call for any particular situation and there often is no one best way. The possibility of not 100% perfection exists with either method. The OP is fortunate to have found a good body shop. Regarding Critics comment about the bumper paint mismatch, many cars come from the factory with that problem and the bodyshop did well to blend the hood and door as first priority (just my opinion).

Glad that you can put this behind you now, Jimmy9190. These kind of things eat into your overall ownership costs of any vehicle, but its a nice feeling to keep one's ride reasonably well maintained without going overboard.

 

[CKN]

Seasoned PDR tech here. Im a long time lurker and a first time poster. I would like to share my angle. I believe what may scare most “dent guys” away from this job (so long as they know what they are doing) is not so much the unit of damage but the metallic silver Nissan paint. Re establishing that body line is going to be tough. There is alot on tension held in that area. What happens is that the metallic in light silver stipples up VERY easily. Patience is key when working that area, and even then its very hard to guarantee that you wont see push marks In the metallic, under the clear coat. I am not talking about seeing a “texture” in the clear coat, but physical spots under the clear where the silver flake was disturbed and reflects light back in a different manner. Now i will say that i see flaws that literally 99% of people will not see......but theres always that 1% that will wreck your day. Personally i would dive into that job any day of the week if it was any color other than silver. On that job i would be honest with the customer (because i believe that is the best policy) and let them know that there is a possibility that they may see a small spot where the metallic was disturbed, and then let the customer decide what they want to do. Most people choose the PDR route (even with the risk of imperfection) over traditional body repairs simply for the cost savings. I would be around $300 for that dent. This was an advanced repair and would require a seasoned tech for optimum results. Props to the OP for having the damage repaired regardless. I love it when people take pride in what they drive.

As I mentioned earlier-I had the same dent on a similar body line (even near the same color as the OP) on a 4Runner and two PDR guys told me that they couldn't fix it. Probably for the same reasons you mentioned. Contrary to popular belief (and probably vehicle specific) it had zero effect at trade in time, when the fender was in my case replaced and painted. Then again 4Runners don't sit on used car lots long-generally.

I didn't have the issue of the bumper matching the new fender.

I reported it to my insurance company-because that's why I have insurance.

 

[Blinker]

The fender looks great. I will say that bumper color match is less than acceptable in my book. If it bothers you I’d ask them to blend the bumper better.

 

[Jimmy9190]

I took the pictures at the body shop yesterday just as the sun was going down. The bumper was more in the shade than the fender. In the light of day here at my house I can see no difference at all in the paint on the bumper and fender. It looks like a perfect match to me.

 

[Trav]

The fender looks great. I will say that bumper color match is less than acceptable in my book. If it bothers you I’d ask them to blend the bumper better.

This is very common and not the fault of the painter. This is what happens when some body parts like the bumpers are painted off the vehicle and bolted on after the main shell has been painted.
The problem is not the color but how the metalic lays in the paint and how it looks under certain lighting.

 

[RhondaHonda]

As Trav said, don’t worry about blending the bumper as it’s a difference in material, when it was painted, as well as the contours and the way light reflects. If you were to have the bumper blended the other side where it meets the passenger fender might be off slightly. Glad you got it fixed and are happy with it. If you lived in the center of the country where it hails a lot more than Florida there are many more capable PDR techs that could’ve got that 98% fixed.

 

[PimTac]

Good to hear it got fixed to your satisfaction and that is what matters the most. They did a good job.