Dented BMW z3 convertible - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

blizzak · 08-11-2003, 12:34 AM

my friend has a BMW Z3 convertible, and when he was at the movies the other day, he comes out from the theatre, and there's a huge dent on his hood. We figured it was from a fight or something because it basically looks like someone sat on his hood, or was thrown there rather. The dent is about 3-4 inches down into the hood as well.

Does anyone have any innovative ways of fixing this or do we have to take it to a body shop? (probably cost at least a couple thousand though)

drawerfixer · 08-11-2003, 01:22 AM

I've heard various methods of getting dents out, but have never tried any so I can't give you personal info. However...

suction cups
drill a hole, get a hook, pull it out, fill with Bondo
dry ice
-I'm not sure how you could do this with an entire hood.

Those are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head.

Hopefully someone else can elaborate or post other methods they have heard or tried. Best of luck.

Ashton · 08-11-2003, 11:31 AM

Hmmmm, 3 or 4 inches deep? A suction cup will pull the dent out but a 3 or 4 inch deep dent isn't going to look pretty once you pop it out, but I guess it's worth a try..... A plunger will work, although not the best sort of tool to use on a beemer

You could buy a suction cup for pulling dents..... Know anybody with a glass shop? They have these pump up suction cups for moving big pieces of glass that would work great, you just pump it up, pull the dent out then release the pressure to take the cup off.......

drawerfixer · 08-11-2003, 12:20 PM

I've heard that causes the paint around the 'rim' of the dent to flake off. Any experience with that, Ash?

shakran · 08-11-2003, 02:51 PM

the longer you wait the more likely you are to crack the paint.

What your friend should really do though is to take it to a good body shop. They can do paintless dent removal now which means they should not have to repaint the car. Don't wait, though, as the longer you leave metal damaged the harder it'll be to get it back the way it was.

merkerguitars · 08-11-2003, 08:29 PM

If I want any body work to be done the right away I always take it to a body shop......

Ashton · 08-12-2003, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by drawerfixer
I've heard that causes the paint around the 'rim' of the dent to flake off. Any experience with that, Ash?

It all depends....... if the dent dosen't have a sharp crease where it curves in the paint usually won't chip, It also depends on the paint itself...... The problem with deep dents is most of the time the metal gets stretched, so when you pop out the dent it's curved out.... Body shops fix this by "Quenching" First they pop out the dent.... then they sand the area in and around the dent to bare metal..... then heat up the dent with a torch, and 'Quench' the metal with a water soaked rag, the quickly cooling metal shrinks...... although nowdays shops usually just replace a badly dented part..... especially a hood, because you really can't get to the other side very well......

This poor Beemer's hood will never be the same.....

I don't get why he just dosen't turn it in to his insurance? That's what insurance is for

ergdork · 08-12-2003, 05:32 PM

Heh.. I have the same problem with mine (a Z3), but its a pretty minor "deformation."

For a previous door ding, the guys I talked to said the best bet is to rub the dents out from the inside. Since its in the hood, this might be easier. The door had to be disassembled for mine. This has the benefit that you don't have to make any contact with the actual paint and I think its less likely to cause problems.

Foopius2 · 08-13-2003, 06:32 PM

yea the "ding king" is made for that and is half decent... works well on wide dents but one that deep, i donno.

irseg · 08-13-2003, 10:34 PM

Just give the doors a few good kicks and then it'll look like a Z4!

blizzak · 08-13-2003, 10:37 PM

heh he's deciding he'll just buy a new hood....guess he had some cash somewhere after all

telekinetic2 · 08-21-2003, 02:11 PM

Yeah...I'd hope so. Anyone driving a Z3 better have a little money.

toxic515 · 08-23-2003, 02:18 PM

NO question about it, time is of the essence for a good solution. Metal has a "memory" and much of it is thermal.. Dry ice will help pop out a dent that's shallow. It contracts the metal, and makes it "pop" back into shape. Pushing / rubbing from the inside can help as well. There are inexpensive dent pulling tools available at pep boys / autozone type of shops, or you can go to paintless dent repair.... for me, on a beemer, I'd have a pro do it, then you've got some legal recourse if it's not done properly, and I assure you it'll be cheaper than replacing a hood.

sambocom · 08-28-2003, 10:52 AM

suck up the deductible and go through the insurance. get a carbon fiber hood--you save a lot of weight and it is less likely to dent. with the weight saved your friend will be able to zip around miatas.

trwasmer · 09-01-2003, 09:14 PM

Wow my first post..........

I had a M Roadster that had that happen to as well. I tried everything and although the suction cup thing worked the best it did not smooth it out. I ended up getting it fixed at a body shop...good as new.

Hope that helps.

Lyaec123 · 09-06-2003, 09:45 PM

if its a BMW why are you even messing around with thinking about trying a infomercial style dent removal trick? Not to be rude, but you need to have a professional bodyman look at it. I wouldn't imagine it would cost you more than a thousand, but the best option would be to buy a new hood from a salvage yard or find one on ebay or something and just get it painted to match. That will give you the best result, nobody will ever be able to tell that there was body work, whereas any type of repair involving pulling the dent out and using filler will be able to be seen by an experienced person, and devalue the car. may be best to make an insurance claim on this one...

EeOh1 · 09-06-2003, 11:49 PM

If he were to decide to get a whole new hood, or if that's what the shop suggests, why not try one of those suction deals before you spit out tons of cash for a whole new hood?

I love the Z4.

Lyaec123 · 09-07-2003, 01:42 PM

You could try a suction deal, but I can almost guarantee you that it will not work. Even if it does, it won't pull the dent completely, you'll crack the paint around the edges (auto paint is very unflexible) and you'll probably have to use Bondo or plastic body filler putty to even out the hole and then feather the edges with sandpaper to achieve an even surface, prime and seal the mud (body filler) and then spray the basecoat, feather that out and then reclear the entire panel. Once you've got to all this work it'll have taken you probably 5 hours at minimum, or if you don't have the expertise or tools yourself it'll be around 50/hour for a bodyman to do it for you... 50x5 = 250, you could probably find a good condition hood for close to that and have one that has never been dented. Any car enthusiast buying the car down the road will most likely be able to pick out a bondo repair and it will significantly devalue the car. Just trust me, a Z3 is a nice car, don't mess around with halfassing it. If this was your '95 Honda Civic daily driver I'd say to hell with it, give it a shot repairing it yourself, but being as it's a nice car, at least give it the respect of a proper body job.

turkeyshoot9 · 09-07-2003, 11:22 PM

Don't you need to repaint the whole car, if you replace the hood?

Lyaec123 · 09-08-2003, 07:32 AM

No, not unless it's been sitting outside forever and the paint would be too hard to colormatch. Blending the clear on that whole panel (in this case the hood) and possibly onto the fenders and bumper will be all that is needed. Probably just a new hood though because it sounds like a new car and shouldn't have faded too much. Good luck.

meff · 09-14-2003, 10:46 AM

Wouldn't using suction on it make the sides of the dent stick out anyways? I'd just recommend a body shop (like others) or buy a new hood..

sailor · 09-15-2003, 04:26 PM

Toilet plunger! Seriously, the same thing happened to me... Spray the car with water to get a better grip, and then break 'er out. The normal, flat ones (nothing fancy) tend to work well.

Also, if you can find one of the suction cup things that are used in data centers to lift the raised floor, those work really well... I about pulled the quarter panel straight off with one of those.

08-11-2003, 12:34 AM	#1 (permalink)
blizzak Crazy	Dented BMW z3 convertible my friend has a BMW Z3 convertible, and when he was at the movies the other day, he comes out from the theatre, and there's a huge dent on his hood. We figured it was from a fight or something because it basically looks like someone sat on his hood, or was thrown there rather. The dent is about 3-4 inches down into the hood as well. Does anyone have any innovative ways of fixing this or do we have to take it to a body shop? (probably cost at least a couple thousand though) __________________ Fueled by oxytocin!

08-11-2003, 01:22 AM	#2 (permalink)
drawerfixer Stonerific Location: Colorado	I've heard various methods of getting dents out, but have never tried any so I can't give you personal info. However... suction cups drill a hole, get a hook, pull it out, fill with Bondo dry ice -I'm not sure how you could do this with an entire hood. Those are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head. Hopefully someone else can elaborate or post other methods they have heard or tried. Best of luck. __________________ They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin

08-11-2003, 12:20 PM	#4 (permalink)
drawerfixer Stonerific Location: Colorado	I've heard that causes the paint around the 'rim' of the dent to flake off. Any experience with that, Ash? __________________ They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin

08-11-2003, 08:29 PM	#6 (permalink)
merkerguitars Buffering......... Location: Wisconsin...	If I want any body work to be done the right away I always take it to a body shop...... __________________ Donate now! Ask me How! Please use the search function it is your friend. Look at my mustang please feel free to comment! http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthread.php?t=26985

08-12-2003, 05:32 PM	#8 (permalink)
ergdork Tilted	Heh.. I have the same problem with mine (a Z3), but its a pretty minor "deformation." For a previous door ding, the guys I talked to said the best bet is to rub the dents out from the inside. Since its in the hood, this might be easier. The door had to be disassembled for mine. This has the benefit that you don't have to make any contact with the actual paint and I think its less likely to cause problems. __________________ "You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it." - Robin Williams

08-11-2003, 11:31 AM	#3 (permalink)
Ashton PORNHOUND Location: California	Hmmmm, 3 or 4 inches deep? A suction cup will pull the dent out but a 3 or 4 inch deep dent isn't going to look pretty once you pop it out, but I guess it's worth a try..... A plunger will work, although not the best sort of tool to use on a beemer You could buy a suction cup for pulling dents..... Know anybody with a glass shop? They have these pump up suction cups for moving big pieces of glass that would work great, you just pump it up, pull the dent out then release the pressure to take the cup off.......

08-11-2003, 02:51 PM	#5 (permalink)
shakran Tone.	the longer you wait the more likely you are to crack the paint. What your friend should really do though is to take it to a good body shop. They can do paintless dent removal now which means they should not have to repaint the car. Don't wait, though, as the longer you leave metal damaged the harder it'll be to get it back the way it was.

08-13-2003, 06:32 PM	#9 (permalink)
Foopius2 Banned	yea the "ding king" is made for that and is half decent... works well on wide dents but one that deep, i donno.

08-13-2003, 10:34 PM	#10 (permalink)
irseg Junkie Location: Florida	Just give the doors a few good kicks and then it'll look like a Z4!

08-13-2003, 10:37 PM	#11 (permalink)
blizzak Crazy	heh he's deciding he'll just buy a new hood....guess he had some cash somewhere after all __________________ Fueled by oxytocin!

08-21-2003, 02:11 PM	#12 (permalink)
telekinetic2 Loser	Yeah...I'd hope so. Anyone driving a Z3 better have a little money.

08-23-2003, 02:18 PM	#13 (permalink)
toxic515 Addict Location: Texas	NO question about it, time is of the essence for a good solution. Metal has a "memory" and much of it is thermal.. Dry ice will help pop out a dent that's shallow. It contracts the metal, and makes it "pop" back into shape. Pushing / rubbing from the inside can help as well. There are inexpensive dent pulling tools available at pep boys / autozone type of shops, or you can go to paintless dent repair.... for me, on a beemer, I'd have a pro do it, then you've got some legal recourse if it's not done properly, and I assure you it'll be cheaper than replacing a hood. __________________ Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana.

08-28-2003, 10:52 AM	#14 (permalink)
sambocom Tilted Location: Sunny California	suck up the deductible and go through the insurance. get a carbon fiber hood--you save a lot of weight and it is less likely to dent. with the weight saved your friend will be able to zip around miatas.

09-01-2003, 09:14 PM	#15 (permalink)
trwasmer Upright	Wow my first post.......... I had a M Roadster that had that happen to as well. I tried everything and although the suction cup thing worked the best it did not smooth it out. I ended up getting it fixed at a body shop...good as new. Hope that helps. __________________ Tim

09-06-2003, 09:45 PM	#16 (permalink)
Lyaec123 Crazy	if its a BMW why are you even messing around with thinking about trying a infomercial style dent removal trick? Not to be rude, but you need to have a professional bodyman look at it. I wouldn't imagine it would cost you more than a thousand, but the best option would be to buy a new hood from a salvage yard or find one on ebay or something and just get it painted to match. That will give you the best result, nobody will ever be able to tell that there was body work, whereas any type of repair involving pulling the dent out and using filler will be able to be seen by an experienced person, and devalue the car. may be best to make an insurance claim on this one...

09-06-2003, 11:49 PM	#17 (permalink)
EeOh1 Crazy	If he were to decide to get a whole new hood, or if that's what the shop suggests, why not try one of those suction deals before you spit out tons of cash for a whole new hood? I love the Z4. __________________ If life gives you lemons...throw them at someone.

09-07-2003, 01:42 PM	#18 (permalink)
Lyaec123 Crazy	You could try a suction deal, but I can almost guarantee you that it will not work. Even if it does, it won't pull the dent completely, you'll crack the paint around the edges (auto paint is very unflexible) and you'll probably have to use Bondo or plastic body filler putty to even out the hole and then feather the edges with sandpaper to achieve an even surface, prime and seal the mud (body filler) and then spray the basecoat, feather that out and then reclear the entire panel. Once you've got to all this work it'll have taken you probably 5 hours at minimum, or if you don't have the expertise or tools yourself it'll be around 50/hour for a bodyman to do it for you... 50x5 = 250, you could probably find a good condition hood for close to that and have one that has never been dented. Any car enthusiast buying the car down the road will most likely be able to pick out a bondo repair and it will significantly devalue the car. Just trust me, a Z3 is a nice car, don't mess around with halfassing it. If this was your '95 Honda Civic daily driver I'd say to hell with it, give it a shot repairing it yourself, but being as it's a nice car, at least give it the respect of a proper body job.

09-07-2003, 11:22 PM	#19 (permalink)
turkeyshoot9 Upright	Don't you need to repaint the whole car, if you replace the hood?

09-08-2003, 07:32 AM	#20 (permalink)
Lyaec123 Crazy	No, not unless it's been sitting outside forever and the paint would be too hard to colormatch. Blending the clear on that whole panel (in this case the hood) and possibly onto the fenders and bumper will be all that is needed. Probably just a new hood though because it sounds like a new car and shouldn't have faded too much. Good luck.

09-14-2003, 10:46 AM	#21 (permalink)
meff Vanishing, like I do.. Location: Austin, TX	Wouldn't using suction on it make the sides of the dent stick out anyways? I'd just recommend a body shop (like others) or buy a new hood.. __________________ Toy-like people make me boy-like.

09-15-2003, 04:26 PM	#22 (permalink)
sailor beauty in the breakdown Location: Chapel Hill, NC	Toilet plunger! Seriously, the same thing happened to me... Spray the car with water to get a better grip, and then break 'er out. The normal, flat ones (nothing fancy) tend to work well. Also, if you can find one of the suction cup things that are used in data centers to lift the raised floor, those work really well... I about pulled the quarter panel straight off with one of those. __________________ "Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws." --Plato