Dent Removal

Hey guys,

I got a nasty dent in my double cab Tacoma on the rear driver side door about 3 years ago and I was wonder on how to get it fixed with out any damage to the door and not too pricey. Any suggestions ?

 

PDR Paintless Dent Removal

 

^^^^^^This.
Got any pics of the damage OP? I had PDR done on my hood a while back and it looked as good as new, but no sharp creases or cracked paint.

 

Here's the damage.

And I've heard about that but is it pricey? And any suggestions on any shops near CC or SA, TX ?

 

Body work isn't inexpensive, dents are cheapest left alone.

I'd see if a PDR guy can handle it, if they can't they'll tell you they can't. Price quote up front anyway so you'll know if it's in your budget.

 

Any suggestions aside from getting a whole new door Bluebear?

And do those plunger looking things work ?

 

I don't see any reason that dent can't be pulled out.

Enlighten me?

 

Could probably be straightened from the backside with a board and hammer, but it won't be perfect.

 

Take door panel off, push the dent out. I did my last one with my right foot It's not going to be perfect, but it will be better.

 

that can be fixed nearly perfect since it is a door and not edge creased
then sanded, bondo/filler any small imperfections, paint. no one would know

 

So would a good plan to be to try to push it out from the inside then try PDR?

 

I'd start by removing door internal guts

and then suction cup it from the outside while pushing from the inside

any follow-up hammering needs to be done from inside

 

with a dent like that, its not going to be fixable without body filler and repainting so its best to leave it alone and just wait until you find a good deal on a used door from the salvage yard.

you can check here to see whats available out there: http://www.car-part.com/index.htm

if you are lucky you might even find one in the same matching color that doesn't need to be painted.

 

I concur.

It may take a while, but go to a reputable wrecking yard and ask for a door for an 01-04 Taco with the same color code. They now have an online data base of inventory from wreckers around the country. If they don't have exactly what you want, they can tell you who does. I recently went this route for a cruise control computer, and was able to order it, shipped from the out-of-state wrecker. A door, however, might not be shippable, you might have to pick it up yourself.

Years ago, I was able to get a complete door for my Acura for around $300. It had the exact factory matching color, so I didn't have to paint it. The inside panel had a different color, so I just transferred the inside panel from my original door.

 

its always best to buy something where you can see the condition of it in person but if northing is available near you then you don't have much choice but to have one shipped to you.

I did some pricing for seats a while back and while I didn't ask about doors they ship those too but just as pricey to do it, expect an extra $75-$100 on top of the price of the door to have it shipped to you because it has to go on a pallet and shipped by truck to you. this is what they said happens for all large bulky items (except engines and tranny) and the cost doesn't change much because if it fits on a pallet its a set price based on shipping distance. they charge extra for the weight on engines and tranny.

for me it was a deal killer to pay $100 shipping on a $100 seat so I spent a year visiting junk yards every month until I found some but to be honest after all I went through the $200 would have been well worth skipping all that BS if I could have afforded to spend it.

 

Just don't go nuts. If you go to far it's not going to look great and the more the metal is worked the more it stretches. With that dent being in a big simple area it's a fairly easy fix compared to it being lower where there are lots of body lines.

A PDR place is only going to charge you $100 to do the job for you (educated guess but don't hold me to it )

Or if you want to *try* a $10 fix with a basic DIY PDR in lieu of popping the panel from the inside here's how you do it. Get a hair dryer and a large can of compressed air. Heat the metal up with the dryer, then take the compressed air can, flip it upside down (wear gloves here) and spray the OMG cold all over the dent. It will shrink the metal and pop the dent. It's a basic method of PDR, might not work, probably won't hurt anything. YMMV and do at your own risk etc etc etc.

Personally I think going the door replacement route is just plain silly. The door you have is no where in the realm of needing replaced. Even if you get a perfect door of the same color, it's probably not going to match. Every vehicle has a different life and the paint will fade differently. And besides, even if you end up with a totally pristine door, that matches perfectly, you have damage on the front door, and you have damage on the cab rear, you have damage on the bed. So you'll have 1 pristine panel surround by damage. Fix the dent, go on with life. To do the entire thing right, fix ALL the damage. I'm guessing you're looking at $600-800 to have a body shop fix and do a quick respray of the areas.

 

The right PDR guy can knock that out. I'd get a quote before you start kicking panels.