QuestionOur 2009 Silver Toyota Camry has a very visible small damaged area through the paint on the rear driver’s side door. It’s about 7-1/2” from the front edge of the door, about 3-1/2” below the belt molding, about 5/16” wide, & about 1/16” high. The dent has been fixed by the paintless dent process but the paint damage remains. The car has body side molding & door edge guards that were added.
The Toyota dealer’s estimate includes refinishing both the damaged door & front door (blending), removing & replacing body side moldings & door edge guards, as well as removing & reinstalling the hardware. Other estimates vary. Most include refinishing only the rear driver’s side damaged door, or a portion of that door. Some shops will not remove the belt molding & body side molding & would refinish down to the body side molding. Others would remove the belt molding, body side molding, & door handle & refinish the whole door. One shop tried to touch up the damage but wasn’t able to. Estimates are from about $200 to over $750, Toyota being the most expensive. Typical body & paint labor rates here in St. Petersburg, FL are about $42 per hr.
I don’t want to spend more than necessary but am fussy about my car’s appearance & want a superior job. The car is just over 6 months’ old, so it seems the paint should be matched such that I won’t be able to tell that it’s been repaired. My questions are: What’s the best way to fix this damage? Does the front door also need to be refinished (blended)? Won’t refinishing just to the top of the body side molding leave paint build up at the top of the molding? Is it best to remove & reinstall the belt molding, body side molding, door edge guards, & door handle? Can the body side moldings & door edge guards be reinstalled? How do I choose a repair shop? Is the $200 estimate too low? Can the damage be touched up to avoid these costly repairs &, if so, how?
I’ll appreciate any help that you can provide.
Thanks,
Harold
AnswerHi Harold,
I can see that you are very particular about your car since you have taken the time to write out a very descriptive and well thought out question. Now to the answer, For the best repair I do recommend removing the door handle, moldings, and all other accessories from the door before refinishing is done. I also recommend always blending the paint into the adjacent panel for the best color match.
To be honest, a quality body shop should never offer to refinish a panel while leaving the moldings and/or door handle installed on the vehicle, and all major paint manufacturers recommend blending adjacent panels. So, I would avoid using the shops that offered to cut the corners. If they offer to cut corners that you know about how many corners will they cut that you don't know about?
The only real benefit in touch-up paint is to avoid any bare metal from rusting. Color match is limited at best due to the way it is applied.
Do yourself a favor and use a quality body shop that didn't offer to cut the corners.
