/r/AutoBodyRepair
We're here for when your neighbor backs into your car
Feel free to post questions and suggestions for auto body repair!
/r/AutoBodyRepair
8,050 Subscribers
How can fix those dents in my car?
19:15 UTC
Repairable Rust? Or does it need replacing?
Hi everyone! I’ve got a car that has 45,000 miles on it and is in great mechanical condition. However, there’s some rust, as shown in the attached images. I’m wondering if this rust looks repairable and, if so, how extensive the repairs might be.
22:53 UTC
Frontal collision
Frontal collision
I accidentally ran into the back of a car in a traffic jam. We were on a downwards slope. His car is fine but my car is well not very well. The bumper has been a bit damaged and it's displaced half an inch. Then the hood has bent a little bit. There was a funny sound coming back home, but the car drove okey as always, like a ringing rattling very low sound. It's a hatchback Hyundai getz. It's a 20 year old car. I get the feeling it will be expensive. What is the probability of there being internal damage and how much could the bumper and hood repair cost?
20:53 UTC
Headlight cracked
Hi there, I hit a seagull on the highway (see feather on casing) and cracked my headlight. Car shop is saying I need full new light assembly. Is there any other way to just fix the casing? The light works fine still.
2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited
17:39 UTC
First Time Painting My Car
Couple months back I wrecked my motor on the track. Decided to pull it out and do a 1-1 swop then fix up the original motor on my own time. I'm not a mechanic, just a hobbyist. Anyways the car stood in the garage and my fingers got itchy.
Let's try painting. This led to a journey of learning and lots of fuck ups, but if you fix the fuck ups did you really fuck up? I thought I'd play it safe and keep my painting limited to one fender. It had some rust on it and I took it off with a flapper disc followed by wire wheels and here's my first fuck up.
I put rust converter on the outside of the panel. So it left that plastic stuff. Took it down again then hit it with rust dissolver. Sanded the panel smooth to prep for primer.
Primer went on a little textured, but otherwise uniform, just had to tweak my gun settings.
The second layer of primer went on better but for my second fuck up I reused the mixing cup and didn't use a paint filter. So I got paint splotches on the panel. Skipped a 10 second process so now I gotta spend an hour meticulously taking the splotches off with a razor.
At this point I was starting to notice oil on my paint and decided to check out my compressor. Turns out an abhorrent amount of oil was in the tank and the system likely needs a flush and rebuild. At this point I was starting to get cold feet and regretted taking on the project. It stood for about a week I knew repairing the compressor would take time and money and then still wasn't guaranteed to be perfect.
So to compromise I did the final layer using spray cans.
And then for my final fuck up I only let it cure for about 24 hrs then I covered it in garbage bags to keep the dust off. Unfortunately the paint reacted with the bags and now there's a slight texture in some spots but otherwise a good finish, minimal orange peel. I could wet sand but it's a very thin layer so I'll rather leave it instead of risk burning through
Overall I'm happy with the results and lessons I learned. I plan to redo the fender properly as well as address some of the other visible rust on the car but I need to get more experience with the equipment and process first. My girlfriend and best friend said the car looks exactly the same so I guess that's a win. I'm sure painters and other car guys will see the flaws though
07:55 UTC
Not sure what had happened but multiple damages to my rear driver side
So I was driving down the HOV late at night on the LIE and I heard a large clank. Out of nowhere my tire loses pressure in the matter of minutes. I had to replace my tire with a spare and when I got back to my garage I noticed this is what happened to my tire.
Damaged Tire - Hole > 0.25\" therefore unplug gable
I reviewed my dash cam and did not find any road debris for it to have caused this. This evening when went to start my car, I get a warning to check my fuel cap. Upon checking it I saw the black plastic cap split from the other piece that locks into the opening. That was an easy fix to click it back together.
But the error was still there so I checked underneath my wheel to what's going on. I found my wheel well liner ripped on the rear driver side.
I saw the fuel cap area damaged as seen in the photo below:
I assume this is the damage fuel cap
I don't see any fuel leakage while driving here. Can someone shed some light on what might have happened or how much this is going to run me at a Lexus dealership. I also need to drive for work so how long would this take you think? This is a 2023 RX 350.
01:15 UTC
Best way to repair this dent? Reversed into bollard : (
20:13 UTC
Quoted 4k
Quoted 4k to fix these 4 paint spots. For context - my trunk latch broke and the dealership couldn’t see me for two weeks. It flew open on the highway and a kind gentlemen taped it shut for me with duct tape. Kia collision is quoting me 4k to fix
14:14 UTC
Parts Platform use case preference
In your experience, which approach is more efficient or preferred for someone responsible for the day to day activities around ordering and purchasing used OEM auto parts?
- submitting a parts request and receive product offers? (including photos and detailed part information)
- searching and purchasing directly through an e-commerce? (most products will include part number)
13:12 UTC
Does $1600 seem reasonable to get this fixed?
03:14 UTC
What could’ve caused this?
Noticed this on my car tonight that I just got after driving earlier, pretty big chip just below one of the back tail lights, wondering what the black spot is on it also.
Any ideas what might have hit my car to cause this? It’s a really weird spot also since I don’t know how something from the road would’ve reached way up there.
What would be the best way to go about fixing this pretty bad chip? Cars an Audi Q3.
03:05 UTC
How do I fix basecoat runs?
What’s the best way to fix this without more basecoat
00:15 UTC
Replacing Driver Side Seatbelt, Ford Thunderbird 1994
Replacing Driver Side Seatbelt, Ford Thunderbird 1994
I just inherited my grandma's pilot car, a 1994 Ford Thunderbird LX V8. The driver side seatbelt does not lock according to my uncle who gave the car to me. They no longer make these seatbelts.
Do I buy an old seatbelt retractor system on ebay? Or is there a universal seatbelt retractor system you would recommend?
Thank you in advance!
00:06 UTC
Any idea on what to do for this? Kinda at a weird angle to try and pop out.
23:23 UTC
genesis coupe 3.8
scratched body and broken bit under friend sons drove too next to a pole and wanted to know how much would be the estimate
13:31 UTC
Bumper Reflector cover?
Car info: 2012 Lexus ES350
Anyone know where I could purchase or change these rear bumper reflector covers? Would the entire bumper need to be removed in order to change it out?
I was able to find a video on how to change the bulb inside but the cover itself has a little crack in it from a minor accident a few years ago. Nothing too noticeable but at night when the light is on you can kind of see it.
05:04 UTC
Metal/paint chip above windshield is rusting on a 2023 car. As well as specks of rust near it. How can fix this DIY if possible? Or is it a simple fix for a body shop (will it be expensive)? I don't want this to cause a rust rotting problem in the future.
01:05 UTC
2004 GMC Envoy xl rear air suspension failed
I’m just not exactly sure which conversion kit I should get to have it replaced with springs. I’ve seen the parts range from $130-$315
19:18 UTC
How to repair?
How much would this be to repair? Would bumper need to be replaced and is this considered a minor scratch?
17:11 UTC
Possible repair costs
Anyone have any idea how much it would cost to repair this without paint? Not sure if a paint less dent repair is possible here but if so that would be preferable. Located in Dallas tx for reference.
02:54 UTC