[SoCalJon]

Just got pretty scraped up by the door of a SUV in a parking garage. I don’t know much about paint, but it looks like it may have chipped through the top coat? Or did it just leave white paint behind? And maybe it’s got a little dent/crease.

Our car is 3 months old. Doubtful the hotel will want to get involved, but I’ve given the front desk the info and will chat with the manager in the AM.

Thoughts? What would you do?

My car is the blue. I’m also posting the SUV door corner. (I think it posted 90° off.)

[Forzanerazzurri]

When you scratch it with your nail what do you feel? This can't be your first experience with a door ding can it?

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by SoCalJon

Just got pretty scraped up by the door of a SUV in a parking garage. I don’t know much about paint, but it looks like it may have chipped through the top coat? Or did it just leave white paint behind? And maybe it’s got a little dent/crease.

Our car is 3 months old. Doubtful the hotel will want to get involved, but I’ve given the front desk the info and will chat with the manager in the AM.

Thoughts? What would you do?

My car is the blue. I’m also posting the SUV door corner. (I think it posted 90° off.)

You have a few options i can thing of:

(1.) Tell your insurance, maybe comprehensive covers it, maybe collision, maybe raises your rate, maybe not, maybe ticks you down one on your incident #, just depends on your policy.

(2.) Bring it to a (good BMW) body shop & get an estimate. Might be worth just paying out of pocket. Sometimes the easiest way to pay for things is with money

(3.) Wash it, clay it, assess ... maybe just put some sealant on & call it a day or maybe put a little touchup on there. Once you do this, though, you "own" it.

(4.) Do nothing. You're getting rid of the car in a few years anyway and chances are this won't be your last door ding on it.

[SoCalJon]

It may not be the first door ding… but probably the first one I care about.

I’m hopeful that it’s not chipped. What colors would I find under the paint if it were?

Supposing it is chipped: Any guesses on cost at a good body shop or paint center? I realize that nobody can diagnose from a distance… I’m just trying to get a ballpark cost?

Alternatively, let’s suppose it’s not chipped, but just paint transfer from his car? Best way to clean it without damaging my finish further?

[SoCalJon]

Definitely chipped. I just came down to the garage again to look at and run my fingernail across it.

Guesses on a ballpark cost? Is this $50 or $500?

[grannyknot]

There is another option but it won't help your present situation, don't try to find the closest parking spot like everyone else does.
Find a spot well away from the rest, an extra 30 sec. walk.
By doing this, my cars are ding free but my wife's car is covered in them, she will drive around until she finds the closest spot.

I'm not saying you do this but it is a proven practice., stay away from the soccer moms.

However, if you park on the painted line taking up 2 spots your car will get keyed for sure.

[07ImolaRot]

Touch it up with a kit from Dr Color Chip

[Opie55]

If we assume it is actually chipped, but not dented, how much it costs depends on what you want it to be and who you know. Perfect will require the entire panel to be painted. More than $500. Touch up will cost very little depending on who does it, including you, but you will always see it if you look. If it were my car, I would buy a half pint of actual car paint like body shops use, and a half pint of two-stage clear like they use. Then use a fine, pointed artist's brush to put paint just in the scratch. Then dab on clear the same way in a couple coats until it is just proud of the surface when dry. Then wet sand it with 1,500 sandpaper until it's flat and level and then polish with Meguires M105. That's how I do it.

[BIGW0RM]

Originally Posted by 07ImolaRot

Touch it up with a kit from Dr Color Chip

THIS! The way it "fills" and applies is 2nd to none. Best paint chip fix on the market hands down. Blob of that over any scratch looks 99.999% better than any other paint chip pen or dab of paint Ive seen applied.

[LuvMyE92]

I'd get it fixed by a PDR person and supply them with the correct touch-up paint. They can do wonders, it will cost you much less than a conventional body shop, and odds are that you'll never notice the repair.

[SoCalJon]

Originally Posted by LuvMyE92

I'd get it fixed by a PDR person and supply them with the correct touch-up paint. They can do wonders, it will cost you much less than a conventional body shop, and odds are that you'll never notice the repair.

Sorry… PDR?

[SoCalJon]

Originally Posted by Opie55

If we assume it is actually chipped, but not dented, how much it costs depends on what you want it to be and who you know. Perfect will require the entire panel to be painted. More than $500. Touch up will cost very little depending on who does it, including you, but you will always see it if you look. If it were my car, I would buy a half pint of actual car paint like body shops use, and a half pint of two-stage clear like they use. Then use a fine, pointed artist's brush to put paint just in the scratch. Then dab on clear the same way in a couple coats until it is just proud of the surface when dry. Then wet sand it with 1,500 sandpaper until it's flat and level and then polish with Meguires M105. That's how I do it.

Thanks! I’m just not sure I’m prepared to try the DIY route. I’m afraid I’ll do more harm than good.

At the $500 level, it’s tempting to file a police report and see if insurance and hotel will track the guy down. My deductible is $1,000 (by choice), but that means it’ll be out of pocket if the guy doesn’t call me (I suspect he won’t) or I can’t track him down.

[diablo2112]

Originally Posted by SoCalJon

Sorry… PDR?

Paint and Dent Repair.

[LuvMyE92]

Originally Posted by diablo2112

Paint and Dent Repair.

Actually, many people (myself included) refer to PDR as standing for Paintless Dent Repair, which is what I meant.

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by SoCalJon

My deductible is $1,000 (by choice), but that means it’ll be out of pocket if the guy doesn’t call me (I suspect he won’t) or I can’t track him down.

Not if it's comprehensive, and sometimes they'll waive the deductible.

I had this happen 2 years ago with state farm: came out from the grocery store and my taillight was broken. SF waived the deductible but said if it happens again within 2? Years my rates would go up.

It was a fair deal for a taillight so I did it

[SoCalJon]

Originally Posted by GrussGott

Not if it's comprehensive, and sometimes they'll waive the deductible.

I had this happen 2 years ago with state farm: came out from the grocery store and my taillight was broken. SF waived the deductible but said if it happens again within 2? Years my rates would go up.

It was a fair deal for a taillight so I did it

Thanks. Guess it’s worth calling to see.

[ShocknAwe]

Wow just touch that up and learn to polish things. Welcome to door dings.

[SoCalJon]

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

Wow just touch that up and learn to polish things. Welcome to door dings.

Thanks for the constructive help.

[SoCalJon]

Thanks all. I appreciate the ideas/opinions/perspectives/suggestions. One thing is for sure in this forum… we all have a different level of obsession over our cars and what’s acceptable or not. The wide range of opinions is interesting.

Insurance would have opened a claim (but unless I filed a police report, probably had no recourse to go after the other guy’s insurance).

I took it down to a local dealer/collision center today. He dabbed a few coats of touchup on and gave me a bottle of touchup and clearcoat. Cost? $0.00.

It’s certainly not perfect, but we’ve decided it meets our needs. It was bound to happen sometime, it’s just unfortunate that it happened at <5000 miles.

[tturedraider]

The fix has already been suggested twice www.drcolorchip.com, but you spend your money however you see fit.

[SoCalJon]

Originally Posted by tturedraider

The fix has already been suggested twice www.drcolorchip.com, but you spend your money however you see fit.

Multiple fixes have been suggested. To imply that there is only one right answer to this question is kind of silly.

But thanks for chiming in with your support for that particular solution.