Wife Side-Swiped a Pole With My New Truck Today

[TripleDigitRide]

Bondo on a new truck? I believe I'd have to come up with a better option than that, even if I have to save some money to do it.

[Seabeejason]

First off, i bet your wife feels MUCH worse about the incident than you. Keep that in mind. It's just a chunk of metal.

However, this is a new truck and i assume you will be driving it for a while. Pay the money to get it fixed RIGHT. When's the last time you bought the cheapest item you could find and it proved to be equal to the higher priced alternative? Think about a high-point pistol--its cheap and it works. If it was the best option everyone here would own 10. But, has you know, you can buy a better gun that achieves the same goals for 10x's the money. Most, if not all, of us have made this decision. Quality and workmanship is worth a lot. Keep this in mind, we are talking about a 30k dollar truck. Whats another $400 to get it fixed right?

I agree. The dealership said he would likely come in at under $800.00 so I will likely just give them the work. Not to mention the fact that they can do it a week from now. The Dent Station will not get to it until May. I am really hoping this dent guy I am meeting with on Monday can get the dent out. I know that there are a few folks out there that are extremely good at PDR. Maybe he is one of them. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.....

[strickj]

Well, I took the truck to another couple shops today. The Dent Station told me that she hit the pole in such a spot that they will not be able to get their tools behind it to fix the dent. So, now the only viable option is to get the dent popped out as much as possible and us bondo to smooth it out. That means the paint will need sanded off and a new coat of paint applied to the entire left side of the truck bed. The Dent Station gave me an estimate at $620.00 with taxes.

I'm not too happy right now.

For a dent?! Sounds like you're being upsold.

A dent in a somewhat flat area should be able to be popped out with a suction puller.

If that fails, a slide hammer with glued on pullers can knock it out.

Should take no more then 10 minutes and $25 if you do it yourself.

There is absolutely no reason to bondo a dent and paint an entire side. At worst, they would have to sand the area and use a dent puller/welder. And even then a competent body man can fade in the paint.

Edited March 17, 2012 by strickj

[Mike.357]

http://www.malibucollision.com/ They have worked on my truck a couple of times ,they do good body work.

New truck, I"d pay extra to have it fixed back to like new condition. Any quality body shop wil be quoting a very similar price. They all work off the same software for doing estimates. Definitely pay extra for paint blending. IIRC your truck is white, should not be too difficult. Though subtle tones in any color vary from different batches of paint.

or you could just do it yourself https://www.asseenon...il.php?p=296307

Edited March 17, 2012 by Mike.357

[Seabeejason]

For a dent?! Sounds like you're being upsold.

A dent in a somewhat flat area should be able to be popped out with a suction puller.

If that fails, a slide hammer with glued on pullers can knock it out.

Should take no more then 10 minutes and $25 if you do it yourself.

There is absolutely no reason to bondo a dent and paint an entire side. At worst, they would have to sand the area and use a dent puller/welder. And even then a competent body man can fade in the paint.

It's not "A" dent. It is actually two large dents and a couple small ones. She struck the pole just forward of the rear fender well. It did not crease, but it is going to be a difficult job for a PDR person. I have taken it to 4 body shops and they have all said that it can't be fixed without new paint. I am still going to take it to anothet dent person on Monday to see if he can fix it. If he can't then I think the GM dealer is the way to go.

We'll see how it goes.

[LngRngShtr]

Could possibly call around to places that use the GMC as a fleet vehicle and see if they have any bed take offs,.

as in they use flatbeds,stake body,or utility bodies

might be able to get you one undamaged ready to bolt down and go for a bit more

might even luck out and get one with a bedliner sprayed in, happened to a friend in Fla.

also heres a chance to change to stepside if you wanted to.

Just a thought.

John

[East_TN_Patriot]

At my first police department, I earned the nickname "Magnet Ass" because I kept getting hit in traffic, most of the time while stopped. The best example was when I was driving a BRAND NEW police cruiser on it's first 24 hours on the road (it had 283 miles on it). I stopped on the side of the road to get out with a couple of drunks who were fighting. I was the only car on the straightest, widest, flattest, most well-lit stretch of road in the city. A drunk driver creamed the rear end of the car and caused several thousand dollars in damage. I'm driving a new car now and was almost hit in the McDonalds drive-thru. I'll give this new car a few more days before either someone hits me in traffic or leaves a nice big dent in the side from their car door or shopping cart.

[QuietDan]

With a new vehicle, we always tap the back bumper ourselves before anyone else gets a chance.

It's been a family ritual for new vehicles for at least the last fifteen years. We take the new vehicle into a grocery store parking lot with light-poles on the concrete bases, squaring up the back bumper and backing into the concrete base of the light pole to tap the vehicle.There's just something about a new vehicle that draws in a fender bender. Well, we kill that stink by tapping it first ourselves, and it wards off other dents.

[Trekbike]

Similar to that most motorcross racers will purposely put a scratch on their new custom paint jobs for their helmets. The theory is that it's good luck and keeps them from having a crash and scratching up their helmet.

[10-Ring]

Anytime I get a new motorcycle I go out and gently lay it on its side and say "Okay, you have been down, I never want to see you in this position again." They never listen though.

[Guest TankerHC]

1987, my first new car. I bought it at the PX in Fuerth, Germany and had it delivered to my house. Flew home, me and the wife get picked up in the car by my cousin. Drive home. Next day, pack it up for a trip to Disney World and head out. Go one mile to the I-95 entrance ramp and yielded for passing traffic, look in my rear veiw and see this pickup truck barreling down on me with nothing visible in his windshield but a newspaper. He hit me doing about 50, pushed the trunk up into the back seat and destroyed all my luggage. Car had 61 miles on it. Guy driving was an Insurance Salesman. After the ambulance left for Aberdeen Proving Ground Hospital with my wife, guy called in and admitted he was reading the paper while driving.

2 years ago, bought a new 2010 Tundra, did the same thing as your wife the day after I bought it. Pulled sharply into a Shell station and hit the yellow barrier pole next to the pump. pushed nearly my whole passenger side fron door in.