So, I don't know how the dent happened (my guess is someone kicked it ), but I took my car to a body shop to see what the cost would be to remove this big dent. They quoted me $800-$1000 and I just don't have that. My question is, has anyone had any luck trying to do a DIY dent repair? I really don't want to try to pull it in fear I might mess up the paint some how. Is there a way to push the dent out from behind the hatch? Like, can I remove all the plastic from the inside to get to the bare metal? I'm just brainstorming here, so any help would be appreciated. This dent is kind of an eye sore and if I can pop it out some to where it's not so bad, I would be happy with that.

 

Do you have a person in your area that does paint less dent repair?
If so, see what they my get to push/pull the dent out.
The paint is quite flexible believe it or not.
Go on YouTube and search paint less dent repair.
I had two small dents that didn't have a crease line for $250 on L/S rear door that looked to be from a tree branch during a heavy wind.
I too have a black car and it looks like it wasn't there after the repair.

 

Most of that estimate is painting. The complication is that it is on a crease line. That is one of those things that knowing what you are doing comes into play, there are tools made for the job.

You might be lucky at a salvage yard. I'm pretty sure year/model doesn't matter, just color for ease.

 

A how to-

 

That's going to be a nasty dent to fix... paintless or not, and I really don't think a paintless dent repair is gonna work.

At the top you've got the body (belt line) crease, to the right it's bent over the door edge/inside panel pretty sharply, at the left you have the license plate depression, and at the bottom is the lower crease line... That dent is locked into place on all four sides.

For a DIY repair, even with access from the inside, you would either be a really good autobody guy, or it's not gonna look so great. I would shop around for a used hatch in the same color and see where that prices out at compared to available funds.

 

The body shop told me the reason the repair was so expensive was because of the creases. They said if they didn't have to work around that, then it would have been quite a bit cheaper. I was also thinking about trying to find a replacement at a junk yard. I thought that might be a cheap alternative too.

 

You might waste a lot of time trying to repair this damage. Even if you get to your effort limit you could find it is unacceptable.
I see a lot of metal stretch to deal with.
If you had the money it would be a no brainer. Go to an expert body shop.

In your case I think you should not be in a big hurry unless the hatch is leaking water.
The Junk yard would be best, or maybe online, but there the shipping could be a big problem in cost and possible damage.

What about your Insurance ??

SF

 

I took out a claim for hail damage, but they wouldn't cover the big dent because it would fall under a different category. They said I would have to take out a 2nd claim and I'm not trying to hike up my insurance cost.

I did a little search at a local junk yard and the show they have a rear hatch from a 2010 model for $150 which is a lot cheaper than I was expecting. Only problem is it's red and my car is black. But, on their website they show they have a black 2007 model that looks like it doesn't have much damage at all. So, I think I will call them tomorrow to ask how much they would charge for the hatch from the black on.

 

That's a lucky shot...

Go look at both hatches inside and out and weigh out the repaint costs on the red one V/S the possible damage etc. on the black one.

Good Luck....

SF

 

A comp claim should not affect your premium, a liability claim would. What about homeowner/renter insurance?