First Ding :'-(

For an hour and a half driving in 1/4 mile visibility on an ice/snow highway, damage seems rather likely. However, my damage didn't occur until I was backing up into my driveway - naturally my backup camera was blurry at the time - and I backed into a darn handrail. Now I've got a ding at the bottom right side of my tailgate.

How do I go about fixing it and making it look shiny and new again?

Note: Simple explanations please - I am not very savvy with vehicles, though have been learning. This thread concerns me but would a touchup pen be a good match for the fix?

 

hmm too dependant on the backup cam? Lol jk

The first ding is always the worst man....I didn't have the privilege of doing mine, my younger bro did it for me lol.

How bad is it? If its not a huge ass dent then I wouldn't worry about it but if it looks like chuck norris kicked it then I see why you want to fix it.

 

If Chuck Norris kicked it, he would probably need a new truck

 

To extinguish the rumor before this thread is derailed entirely, Chuck Norris did not kick my truck... If he did, I wouldn't be writing this, now would I?

In an unrelated note, my law professor represented the real Chuck Norris in court. He said Chuck Norris really was awesome.

I have attached an image to the first post to show the actual damage. It's about a penny-sized ding at the bottom of the tailgate, just barely above the bumper.

 

back up cams ... are people these days too lazy to turn their head around and check mirrors?

sucks for you dude. hope you get it fixed

 

Well it looks like it can be fixed easily but I wouldn't worry about that lil thing.

Just sand it down and try your best to match the paint so the metal won't rust being bare

 

Idk about that, these trucks are really tough....ok nevermind he'd need a new one

 

Hahah

 

All Chuck Norris would have to do is look at that tailgate and it was cause that dent. I hate when Chuck does that stuff.

 

Ok sorry about starting the chuck norris stuff lol, now can anyone help the op?

 

Apologies, OP, from what I see you can try to PDR ( Paintless Dent removal) and then go ahead and touch up the scratch via touch up paint. It wont be perfect, but I bet you would really have to look to see it. Cost about 75.00

Option 2.. Try to remove handle, pull dent out as best you can, then repaint with touch paint. I would chip off the cracked paint and sand with 1000 grit. Tape off surrounding area and spray paint yourself with color matched paint. It will look a lot better. If your good with bondo, you can put some filler in there to make it look perfect. then sand/paint. Cost about $7 for paint and $8.00 for filler. (most cost effective option)

Option 3 get professionally fixed. They will want to spray the whole gate though. kind of costly.

 

I'd call up Chuck Norris and see if he'll foot the repair bill. Even though he didn't cause it directly, it'd be a chance for some good PR. Perhaps it'll be the break he needs to move off of infomercials.

RZ Rob

 

I don't think I'd use a paint pen on that. I'd sand it, prime it and paint it with at least a spray paint that is color matched then spray it with clear coat after doing the body work. The body work wouldn't be that big of deal really.

 

I would peel the loose paint and brush touch it because after you sand,prime, paint,clear you are going to have a way biger area that will be more noticeable, and the rattle can clear after being out in the sun, will get a halo effect and you will really see that ding.

 

I noticed a minor ding on the bumper just below the tailgate damage so I touch up painted it. It looks ok, but put this way - I do not have a steady hand and art was never my forte. It is hardly noticeable which means that I did it right mostly...

Anyway, what is the best way to remove the damage? It would be easier if it were just a dent, but it pushed the edge of the metal in, not the center of mass of the tailgate. I will deal with the painting portion later as I feel that is an easier topic. I will likely take it to local body shops to see if their prices are better than I was getting in CA.

Thanks!

 

best way is to take it in and have it done or buy a new tail gate thats if you want it fixed and not noticeable but if you use touch up paint its only going to cover the paint not the dent.to cover the dent you would have to sand the whole tailgate and the area around the dent is going to have to be bare metal, then you take some body filler and fill the dent making sure that it is covering the dent completely and sand it till its level with the rest of the tail gate the edges have to be smooth.then you can clean it and primer it and then paint and clear coat it. seeing that your not vehicle savy as you put it, just take it in. good luck

 

Unfortunately, that needs to be professionally done due to the extent of the dent and the paint damage. Looks also to be at the crease which is harder for PDR guys to fix. If you can live with it, sand down the chipped layer and touch it up to prevent rust. Pulling it out yourself may cause the surrounding areas to cave in. Go have a few body shops give you estimates along with having a PDR guy look at it.

 

So lately I have received quite a few body shop quotes. The range is from ~$560-$730. Interestingly, in CA is where I got my best deal - probably because they do good work and quickly. It may help that they know my family as we go there frequently (and my sister was there twice within 2 weeks).

Anyway, I spoke with the latest owner of a body shop and he offered to 'rough it out' if I wanted a cheaper fix. He, unlike the rest realized how bad a $600 bill to fix small damage on a tailgate would be. So he offered to charge me for 1 hour of labor to use a hammer+dolly to smooth out the metal and spot paint it (presumably with my touchup paint).

Should I take this offer?

 

You do realize it's probably nothing more than him trying to tap out the dent and touch-up. Something you can try yourself. The dent will still be noticeable. Don't know if a PDR guy can fix but I would give them a call next. I would just do a touch-up and keep an eye out on CL or salvage yards for a used tailgate that would be half the cost of the repair estimates.

 

Dangit! I hate when that happens!