Door Dents

Last spring, I was putting the doors back onto the jeep and apparently the door didn't go all of the way down on the hinge pins and then I shut the door and bent over two corners on the actual door. I have a couple pictures but I don't know how much they will help. Anyways, I took it to a dealership and they gave me an estimate for the work and it came out to be around $980 because of labor and because they would have to sand the door, bend both dents back, and then paint it and they say it will take 3 days for it to dry. So I guess my question is, is that a good deal? Or should I just use some touch-up paint on the bare metal parts? Or check a regular auto collision shop and see if I could get a lower estimate?

I'd use touch up paint and see how it looks.

bruggymonster said:

Last spring, I was putting the doors back onto the jeep and apparently the door didn't go all of the way down on the hinge pins and then I shut the door and bent over two corners on the actual door. I have a couple pictures but I don't know how much they will help. Anyways, I took it to a dealership and they gave me an estimate for the work and it came out to be around $980 because of labor and because they would have to sand the door, bend both dents back, and then paint it and they say it will take 3 days for it to dry. So I guess my question is, is that a good deal? Or should I just use some touch-up paint on the bare metal parts? Or check a regular auto collision shop and see if I could get a lower estimate?

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I'd get a body shop estimate, you may even find a cheaper door from a junk yard

bruggymonster said:

Last spring, I was putting the doors back onto the jeep and apparently the door didn't go all of the way down on the hinge pins and then I shut the door and bent over two corners on the actual door. I have a couple pictures but I don't know how much they will help. Anyways, I took it to a dealership and they gave me an estimate for the work and it came out to be around $980 because of labor and because they would have to sand the door, bend both dents back, and then paint it and they say it will take 3 days for it to dry. So I guess my question is, is that a good deal? Or should I just use some touch-up paint on the bare metal parts? Or check a regular auto collision shop and see if I could get a lower estimate?

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Go to another shop. What does it matter how long it'll take to dry? There is no labor involved in drying a door. Also it won't take three days to dry. It dries quick, it takes longer for the paint to cure.

OverlanderJK said:

Go to another shop. What does it matter how long it'll take to dry? There is no labor involved in drying a door. Also it won't take three days to dry. It dries quick, it takes longer for the paint to cure.

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:cheesy: Says you there's no labor in watching paint dry. It's boring as hell :crazyeyes:

Thanks everyone! I will get a quote from a different shop and will also probably look into a junkyard! If I were to use just touch-up paint, does anyone know where to get it so it is body color matching as best as possible? I am assuming to order it from mopar?

bruggymonster said:

Thanks everyone! I will get a quote from a different shop and will also probably look into a junkyard! If I were to use just touch-up paint, does anyone know where to get it so it is body color matching as best as possible? I am assuming to order it from mopar?

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You can get Chrysler touch up paint that comes in a nail polish like bottle from your dealership and even most auto part stores. Being that you just have a black Jeep, it should be real easy to get an exact match.

bruggymonster said:

Last spring, I was putting the doors back onto the jeep and apparently the door didn't go all of the way down on the hinge pins and then I shut the door and bent over two corners on the actual door. I have a couple pictures but I don't know how much they will help. Anyways, I took it to a dealership and they gave me an estimate for the work and it came out to be around $980 because of labor and because they would have to sand the door, bend both dents back, and then paint it and they say it will take 3 days for it to dry. So I guess my question is, is that a good deal? Or should I just use some touch-up paint on the bare metal parts? Or check a regular auto collision shop and see if I could get a lower estimate?

Click to expand...

OverlanderJK said:

Go to another shop. What does it matter how long it'll take to dry? There is no labor involved in drying a door. Also it won't take three days to dry. It dries quick, it takes longer for the paint to cure.

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Depending on the labor costs in your area (I am not familiar with Iowa) $980 for that repair is about right and reasonable. The paint does not take 3 days to dry, it takes 3 days of prep work and multiple coats (e-coat, primer coat, base coat and clear coat). 3 days of repairs is also very reasonable for that type of repair. Also, drying paint needs to be conducted in a down draft booth under some form of heat to accelerate the drying process. The other problem is that all shops were required to move to water based paints recently, so that takes longer as well.

The things to do is look at the number of actual hours of repair they are asking (I would suspect 2-3 hours for just the metal work plus refinish time/materials) and then likely all of the associated removal and installing of parts (R&I). I would warn against a shop that is willing to do it for less, because then the paint will not be applied correctly and in a few years it will start to peal, a total waste of money. If no R&I was performed, then for sure the repairs will look like crap.

PM if you want any help in reading the estimate and I can tell you for sure whether it is a good deal or if you are being taken to the cleaners. We can go over it line by line if you like.

wayoflife said:

You can get Chrysler touch up paint that comes in a nail polish like bottle from your dealership and even most auto part stores. Being that you just have a black Jeep, it should be real easy to get an exact match.

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What Eddie said. I use my touch up a lot. From rock chips to cases like yours. I've nicked up the hinges and doors and the touch up does just fine with hiding them.