Scratched my door _ Help on way forward please

[Vij]

Hello and Happy New Year to everyone.

 

Yesterday! Trying to turn inside a tight corner, I have managed to damage the passenger door through the concrete. The paint has chipped off and I can see the primer. 

I contacted CHIPSAWAY and they are quoting £225+VAT (if no dent) to £300+VAT (if dent).

 

Based on the photos,  I will really appreciate if you could suggest

 

1) Do it myself? Would the kit available online fix this?

 

2) Go with CHIPSAWAY or someone else?

 

I am kicking myself since it occurred.

 

Regards

V

 

[Magnet]

Hello Vij,

Thanks for being in touch with the forum, and sorry to hear of your issue. 

To respond to your questions:- 

(1) DIY? If you are asking this question and seeking advice on ‘kits’, then please steer well clear of any attempt to do this yourself. Sorry but you are more likely to make a mess of it than you are to do it to an acceptable standard. Apologies if sounds offensive, but it’s meant to ensure that you don’t make things worse than they are. 

(2) Chips Away quote of £270 to £360 seems high to me, and if you couple this with the work being done ‘on site’ in cold damp weather conditions, then if this were mine, then this would not be the direction I would be going with. 

Alternatives:-

Depending on what your general standard of care is with the car -e.g. get it washed once in a while, or very fussy about it’s appearance ( do the photos give some guide?) then you could decide to simply cover over any visible metal surface and forget about it for a while.

Or, seek alternative quotations from recommended specialist body shops in your area who would deal with this repair in a correctly heated environment. I would normally suggest that you seek recommendations on who to approach from smaller car sales sites. These chaps usually know where to get good work done at reasonable cost. However, I guess these sites will also be closed in your area due to Covid restrictions. 

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

[Vij]

Thank you Gareth! That is very valuable input. At the moment, the primer is visible, what would be the best way to cover it? I am taking it to the garage I got it from to get their opinion on Monday.

 

[audia4b5kev]

BLACK MAGIC  MARKER PEN      AND DONT BUY  ONE THEM MAGIC SCRATCH  CLOTHS    THEY  ARE  SHITEEE  OR GO ON EBAY  BUY DOOR SAME COLOR    JOBS GOODINGGG

[Magnet]

Thanks Vij, 

If it’s only primer that is visible, but not bare metal, then touching in with a brush could be a way of simply making it less visible, but if you intend getting it professionally attended to soon then best not to do anything at all, apart from giving the car a good wash! - before taking it in on Monday. This gives the impression that you are fussy about the car , so better chance of getting a good job done - wherever it gets done. 

‘Taking it to the garage you bought it off...’ - sounds OK, but just beware that they may, just may, suggest they do it for you, which could be they take it somewhere, and they add their commission to the cost. If it were mine, I think I would be asking around for recommendations before committing to anything. You then get the correct impression of whoever is going to do it. 

Back to estimated costings:- I would be surprised if you were quoted more than £300, but I’m not sure of the general rates in your area. 

Kind regards,

Gareth.