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      04-07-2013, 12:09 PM   #1
JohnVidale
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Question dented the fender, shop advice?

A minor ($1000) ding to a rear fender.

Seattle BMW suggested Pacific Auto Body and Metro Auto Rebuild, and I see Holman's over by the University district is closer and also highly rated.

Comments?
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      05-10-2013, 01:00 AM   #2
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Stick with a dealer suggestion.

These BMW certified shops paint the same colors (for tinting / matching) all the time. Not to say a non BMW certified shop cannot do the same.

From what I can tell, Pacific's shop is about 90% full of BMW's. That tells you something.
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      05-10-2013, 10:40 AM   #3
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Go with the BMW body shop as only they use original BMW paint
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      05-10-2013, 06:51 PM   #4
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Anyone can purchase BMW paint. BMW refinish paint is NOT the exact same product sprayed on your car at the factory. Car is factory sprayed with a product more similar to an electrostatic type process. During production car is positive charged and paint is negative charged thus being attracted to the car body.

Body shop refinish process is quite different. That's not to say it cannot be made to look like new, its just that the process is more about the skill of the prep, paint and finish people.

I would recommend you look at their work before committing. Check for dirt/debris in paint, blend, consistency in finish compared to rest of factory finish, etc.

I've seen some dealer work from "Certified BMW shops" and was unimpressed.
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      05-10-2013, 06:54 PM   #5
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OP, have you checked to see if paintless dent removal is an option?
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      05-11-2013, 11:29 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by claykin View Post
OP, have you checked to see if paintless dent removal is an option?
I went to one recommended shop, Pacific, and got a $1500 quote, and a shop closer to my house with good Yelp reviews, Holman's up near Ravenna, $1000. Both recommended a lot of disassembly and painting. Dent removal doesn't seem an effective option. Both wanted to hang on to the car for 4-5 days.

Both wanted to taper paint over a much larger area than is dented. A shop did that for a dent on my last car, and after 10 years, the repainted area was distinctly different in color and degrading faster than the original paint on the rest of the car (ack!).

I may just leave the dent, it's fairly small, as a reminder that shopping carts and the like are inevitable, and I shouldn't stress about small cosmetic details.
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      05-14-2013, 07:41 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnVidale View Post
I went to one recommended shop, Pacific, and got a $1500 quote, and a shop closer to my house with good Yelp reviews, Holman's up near Ravenna, $1000. Both recommended a lot of disassembly and painting. Dent removal doesn't seem an effective option. Both wanted to hang on to the car for 4-5 days.

Both wanted to taper paint over a much larger area than is dented. A shop did that for a dent on my last car, and after 10 years, the repainted area was distinctly different in color and degrading faster than the original paint on the rest of the car (ack!).

I may just leave the dent, it's fairly small, as a reminder that shopping carts and the like are inevitable, and I shouldn't stress about small cosmetic details.
See my previous post in this thread. There is NO reason why a repainted surface should degrade faster than the original. If shop uses BMW approved paint, has skillful people prepping, spraying and doing after paint texture match, then you'll be fine with a repaint.

Its lousy shops, who use lousy materials and don't take time to match properly that gives the whole refinish business a bad name.

And, its normal for a body shop to apply base coat over the damaged/repaired area and clear over a larger area.

I would seek out a shop who does high end cars and check their work. Ask around. Dealer recommendations are not always best. many BMW approved dealer body shops do very average work.

The only BMW approved body shop I would implicitly trust is the VPC. Unfortunately, no way to send your car back to one for repair.
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