Someone ran into the side of my car :(
 

I ran in to the post office to buy some stamps, and when I came out there was a beautiful dent in the side of my car. Great. No witnesses or anything. :mad:

How do you spot a good bodyshop that won't completely fleece you? Is it possible to fix this sort of thing yourself?

First of all, sorry to hear that something like that has happend to you. It's it sad, sad world that we live in where someone does this and doesn't have the balls to admit it. I would do a search through the BBB and talk to some friends that may have had some bodywork done in the past. Personally I prefer using dealerships to do ANY work on my car (factory trained, factory parts....etc.) However without seeing the damage first hand, I can't tell you if that is something that can be done at jsut a simple dent-pulling shop or not. Any chance you can post pics?

I only have experiance finding shops when it comes to more restoration type work, but for me, the shops that were willing to show you pictures of past work, car show trophies, etc turned out to be the best. Those types of guys treat it like the art that it is, and usually have a "portfolio / resume" showing off their past work.

Not quite sure when it comes to getting something done quickly so you can get it out of the way.

Bring it 'round. I fix it for you, no charge..... ;)

Echo on DC's sentiment. Only total a--holes hit and run a parked car.

What is your insurance situation? Some policies treat damage on parked cars different than that suffered in a moving accident. Might be worth a call to your agent.

I am covered by insurance, but my car isn't an expensive one. Making a claim would, over the next couple of years, raise my insurance premiums by more than any repairs would cost.

Anyway I'm just looking for a real basic job to knock it out with a hammer. I'll see if I can get pics.

depending on where on the vehicle you may be able to go to a wreckyard and get a replacement panel or door and swap it out yourself or have a car handy friend do it.