# A total nightmare, need urgent advice/help!



## Snappa (Mar 31, 2013)

So no one on here knows anything about this type of stuff?


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## 30 Ounce (Nov 18, 2012)

Don't know about the repair stuff but I would sue them in small claims court! That was obviously caused by the tow truck. A few picks of their tow trucks and drawings to how you think it happened to the judge and the fact that it should never have been towed in the first place, I think you'd win.


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## Snappa (Mar 31, 2013)

It happened to long ago, a year next month. They will just say well another tow truck did it or this or that. Those people are almost invincible and they are also garbagw. When have you ever seen anyone with tact towing cars for a living? Most of them look like they just walked out of the pen.


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

How bout just running it through insurance or on your dime and have it correctly refinished at a body shop.

Odds of a home repair without proper equipment are rather remote......too much dust flying around, not enouph masking to prevent overspray because you don't know how.

Ideally the cover should be refinished off the car, mounted on a repair stand.

I have the equipment but would never try a, on car outside, refinish attempt.....this should be done in a clean spray booth.

Rob


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## Snappa (Mar 31, 2013)

The reason why I attempted was because of the location of the damage, so low next t body lines and edges. To be honest all was good and well and it looked normal until the clearcoat didn't work. Every video I saw was them doing it as I did it. When they were done, the results looked brand new. They must have lied or something idk.


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## Patman (May 7, 2011)

Robby said:


> How bout just running it through insurance or on your dime and have it correctly refinished at a body shop.
> 
> Odds of a home repair without proper equipment are rather remote......too much dust flying around, not enough masking to prevent over spray because you don't know how.
> 
> ...


I agree with Robby. Sometimes even though it is not your fault, it quickly becomes your problem. My question is why did it take so long for this "blemish" to appear. Did you not notice it. If you noticed it a week afterward and filed a claim I could see some recourse but a year afterward, there were too many opportunities for other things to have happened. Repair yourself can and typically results in this is not going to end well but it may be OK depending on how visible this area is and how much it means to you. 

My best advice is to go out and get some estimates on repairs. If it turns out to be too much >1000 or whatever limit is file a claim. Most insurance companies will not hold it against you if it was not caused via an accident. Get some estimates and go from there.


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## Snappa (Mar 31, 2013)

It didn't take long to appear, it happened at the beginning of last fall and we have nothing but terrible weather here. Temps stayed below freezing making it impossible to do the repair. I didn't want to get insurance involved because I'm petrified of using insurance. I basically only have insurace for legal purposes in that it's illegal to drive uninsured in Ohio. But I have a terrible claims history due to things that weren't my fault and unfortunately once living in a bad area. I've had claims for whole cars stolen, being held at gun point, bullet holes, drunk drivers crashing into me and the list goes on. None my fault but I know insurance barely wants to touch me and
my rate is high because of these things. That's why I intended to fix it once weather got warm. Well it went from cold to too hot and the instructions say between 70-90 degrees with low humidity. Well that just recently happened in the last few weeks. Between work and rainy days that lead to the actuall happening of the work to be now.


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## jsusanka (Jan 31, 2011)

something like this I would try rubbing compound first and work my way up to sandpaper or acetone/paint remover. always start out with the least damaging stuff maybe even scratch remover I have seen that get a lot of stuff off or bug and tar remover. 

but really I would just cut my losses and have a shop do it in a booth detached from the car. stuff is so much easier to work with when it is at arm's height. since your aren't buying a bumper it shouldn't cost more than a couple hundred bucks. you could spend more buying items to fixing it yourself. granted whatever you buy can go on a shelf as supplies but the shelf life of the stuff you are going to buy probably won't be great and you will end up throwing it away. tell the place that does it that you aren't in big hurry and maybe take the bumper off yourself and drop it off they may even charge you less and they could work it in between their bigger jobs.


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## TheRealHip (Sep 1, 2014)

I had a towing company damage my front bumper, it cost $600.00 to repaint it.


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## Snappa (Mar 31, 2013)

I already purchased the supplies. I would have to purchase them almost 10 times over for it to equal $600. I hate to take the cheap route but I'm not paying $600 over some other scum bags mistake. I mean that's $600 dollars. Sad but true, $600 is a lot to me. I'll just keep it positive and realize that if any people only about 20 percent of youtube has professional/cinema camera special effect skills or whatever the heck you wanna call it to make it look like something occured that didn't happen; and I doubt those people are using those camera skills to pretend they are painting cars. I know what I saw, and it was countless dudes painting cars outside with a decent 73 to 77 degrees out using sand paper, primer, surface prep and so on. It's called sticking it to the "man" if you will in an already corrupt industry, whether mechanical, manufacturing, or body work. I know this is digressing, but since we are on the subject of cost I believe what ever powers in control have decided to stiff the people by taking advantage of every aspect of an industry that people are very dependent on. From manufacturing standpoint, they want to charge people some $20,000 and up on average for cars that are killing people do to poor manufacturing. Warranty warranty warranty is the name of the game these days. I have experience as an automotive technichian and unless you are very skilled at computer diagnostics and electrical, the amount of money you make is laughable, yet let something go wrong on a car and you'd be lucky to be paying less than $800. Where is all that money going if the workers aren't making squat? And finally the last part of the deal which is what this whole post is about, bodywork. That same old tried and played out "oooooo you have to repaint the whole car for a tiny scratch" is BS and a scam. Yeah from a scientific point of view and almost an artistic/technical point a view, repainting an entire panel will look better than a spot repair, but by how much? It's just a reason to drive up price. That little that it does look better is so small if even noticeable it doesn't justify having it done from an economic standpoint, infact if someone wants to be that much of a perfectionist they might as well never own a car. Why? Because even a body shop paint job is still inferior because they will never be able to completely disassembled an auto down to its bare frame and repaint it like the factory, they are still leaving a "seam" somewhere. Well I do thank anyone who read this rant, I'm not paying $600 for it. I'll rather it stay looking like junk until I get something newer and better or whatever.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

I literally got an estimate for $200 if i walked in with the rear bumper vs driving the car in and they remove and re install it. Not sure how much more it would be down there in the 330.


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## Snappa (Mar 31, 2013)

What is the place that offered you that estimate?


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

Snappa said:


> What is the place that offered you that estimate?


 It's a spot I can't remember the name. It's literally in the Historical Bedford Auto Mile area near my dealership but on Broadway by Mazda, Mercedes and JD Byrider. A quick search pretty much shows all dealerships have a body shop of their own... Ill try and get a better address in a few.

*Here* Literally got an estimate around 2 PM yesterday when i went to the Subaru dealership for parts. I had a hit and run done on me and wanted to not use deductable if the damage could be fixed for less. 

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.406...!1ss5np60szgLcgLdoznLz-8Q!2e0!5s2011-10?hl=en


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