Well, after over two years of ownership without so much as a door ding, I finally have some repair work to do. It was raining, and I was about to pull out of a gas station when a Chevy Cobalt's driver apparently decided at the last minute that he needed gas. He was going way to fast for the turn, and slid right into me. There was nothing I could do except grimace and hope he stopped in time. He didn't. Fortunately, the damage is limited to my front driver's side door, and he was insured, and they'll cover it. What was ironic was that I had just finished working 30 hours straight at work, and was on my way out when my TPMS light went off. I pulled into the gas station at the entrance to my workplace, only to find that the air service was out of order. I truned around and was on my way out - couldn't have been in there for more than 15 seconds. Funny how things happen sometimes...

Repair estimate is about $560.

 

glad to hear your ok, I know the feeling. no air bags went off? should be a easy repair.

 

Glad you're OK. You are taking it rather well for that kind of an accident. We should all learn from your calmness. If it was me I'd go postal.

 

Welcome to the crunch club, and I'm glad to hear you're uninjured, it's a relatively minor repair, and the at-fault driver has insurance. It could've been much worse on all counts.

 

Glad you're ok. Will they replace the door shell or pull out the damage? What about paint and paint matching?

 

Thanks for the kind words everyone. Been away from the forum for a while due to a project deadline.

I think I might have been angry had I not been so tired

The estimate I got was for rework and repaint on the door. I need to take a closer look at at, but it almost looks like the scratching is negligible (must be the Zaino :D), and it's just the denting that is an issue. Actually, it's more like a horizontal crease along with another dent (see photo). Not sure if that could be fixed w/o painting.

 

Doh!
Our Silver 8's can't avoid being a target!

Sorry for your incident...

 

It ain't silver!

 

It'd be cool if there was a central repository of how many incidents each color was involved in, and hence confirm the curse or debunk it.
It'd also be neat to see how well its cousin the TI fares.

Maybe I'll start a poll.

 

Gotta question for some of you folks more experienced in vehicle repair.

I finally got a chance to take a closer look at the damage, and it appears that there is only very minor surface scratching - I think it can be easily buffed out. My question is, can a place like Dentlifters restore the door with that kind of a dent, or are they more of a door ding/hail damage outfit? I really don't want to repaint the door if I don't have to - it will never last as long as the factory paint. Advice would be appreciated.

 

If the other driver was insured, and you say it is covered, why not just let them get and fit a new door? Sure may take the garage a few days to get the part in, but it can be done while you wait?

 

They're not going to fit a new door. The estimate was for a repair and paint job. I guess the damage is considered minor enough that a new door skin is not required. Besides - do the door skins come pre-painted?