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Phew!!!!

1K views 13 replies 10 participants last post by  tda003 
#1 ·
Last Friday I left my car for 2 hours in a hotel car park while I attended an off-site business meeting. I returned to find a really ugly ding in the door on the passenger side. The offending item (presumably car door) had hit the swage line, with a clear indentation apparent both above and below as well as on the swage line itself. It looked as if a lot of force must have been applied.

I had carefully chosen a space at the end of the bay, and the next space along was empty when I arrived. When I returned, there was a car next to mine, but it wasn't the culprit (wrong colour, and door shape didn't seem to match the position of the dent). The culprit must have been aware of the damage they had caused, and probably moved to another space (it's a large hotel with a big car park).

I found that the traces of foreign paint on my car wiped off leaving the paint finish looking untouched, so I immediately set about finding someone to do a paintless dent repair (PDR). I asked my dealer, who referred me to their related bodywork repair company. To my surprise, when I described the damage, they just gave me the number of the PDR man they use. I thought they would want to take a cut - but was keen to use someone who would be familiar with MB vehicles.

The chap came to my work address today, and worked on the car in the car park. When he saw the dent, he wasn't very hopeful, saying that to reform the swage line it would require a lot of pressure, that could cause the paint to discolour. Apparently "ice blue" as he called it (i.e. tellur silver) is difficult in this regard. Anyway, he suggested that he would go gently, and stop at the first sign of any colour change.

After 35 minutes, he rang me to look at what he had achieved. It was all but perfect again. Phew!!!!
 
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#3 ·
I am glad your PDR expert could restore your car to it's pristine look! [:)][:)][:)] I hope I can find someone as good if ever I should need one, heaven forfend!
 
#4 ·
I had a similar ding when my TT was but a few weeks old, I was absolutely gutted! Found a guy, via the local Chipsaway franchisee who did wonders, not a mark to be seen when he left, best £60 I'd ever spent. I was extremely concerned when this guy turned up though, battered Peugeot 205, tool kit made from old bed spanners and pieces of sharp metal. I was in two minds whether to even let this guy in the same car park as my (then) beloved car let alone take a piece of bent metal to it!. My fears were unfounded, he did a perfect job, no sign of the dent. I'd use him again in an instant.
These guys are good (well, the good ones are!)
BTW there was no way I could watch him work, it was bad enough watching a mate watch him and seeing him wince occasionally as the guy worked on my car.
 
#6 ·
Marty171 - 9/21/2005 7:51 PM

Last Friday I left my car for 2 hours in a hotel car park while I attended an off-site business meeting. I returned to find a really ugly ding in the door on the passenger side. The offending item (presumably car door) had hit the swage line, with a clear indentation apparent both above and below as well as on the swage line itself. It looked as if a lot of force must have been applied.

I had carefully chosen a space at the end of the bay, and the next space along was empty when I arrived. When I returned, there was a car next to mine, but it wasn't the culprit (wrong colour, and door shape didn't seem to match the position of the dent). The culprit must have been aware of the damage they had caused, and probably moved to another space (it's a large hotel with a big car park).

I found that the traces of foreign paint on my car wiped off leaving the paint finish looking untouched, so I immediately set about finding someone to do a paintless dent repair (PDR). I asked my dealer, who referred me to their related bodywork repair company. To my surprise, when I described the damage, they just gave me the number of the PDR man they use. I thought they would want to take a cut - but was keen to use someone who would be familiar with MB vehicles.

The chap came to my work address today, and worked on the car in the car park. When he saw the dent, he wasn't very hopeful, saying that to reform the swage line it would require a lot of pressure, that could cause the paint to discolour. Apparently "ice blue" as he called it (i.e. tellur silver) is difficult in this regard. Anyway, he suggested that he would go gently, and stop at the first sign of any colour change.

After 35 minutes, he rang me to look at what he had achieved. It was all but perfect again. Phew!!!!
Who was the guy Marty? I have a small dent courtesy of MB Hampstead that needs to be fixed....
 
#9 ·
CP1,

My apologies, I didn't take a "before" photo. As an indication, though, a colleague saw my car in the car park and came to my office and said to me, "did you know you've got a dent in your car?" So it was pretty obvious. The indentation was only a few mm deep, but the indentation vertically was over about 3 inches.

I just tried taking an "after" picture with the car in my garage - but it's highly misleading as the reflections in the paintwork of objects in the garage look like imperfections! If I am able to take a more meaningful picture in the daytime, I will post it.
 
#11 ·
Good thing it looks like new. Don't you just wish you could, just for once, catch whoever does such a ding on your car? I know I would... b$ç*@ç%
 
#12 ·
Shinigami - 9/21/2005 2:31 AM

Good thing it looks like new. Don't you just wish you could, just for once, catch whoever does such a ding on your car? I know I would... b$ç*@ç%
I often feel this way as well. During an incident I was talking to a police officer and made that comment that I wish I could find the guy responsible. He replied, "no you don't. Because then I'd be here for assualt and talking to the other guy..."
 
#13 ·
Shoulda punched the cop in the face and told him it's not what you wanted to hear [:(!]

[:D]
 
#14 ·
Agree on the dent remover guys. Had my pick-up and my E420 Sport worked on same time. The dent on the 420 was approx. 1 foot long. He took both out for $150. Even I, knowing where they were, can't find them. (Apologies - never thought to take before/after pictures.0 Money well spent.

P.S. SLK55 due in early November.[:D][:D]
 
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