Hi
A car park where I go to work has a nasty high curb protruding out when you turn to go up ramps. Anyway, did a rather silly thing this morning, and went round a corner in the carpark going up and put a 12" long dent in the sill on the drivers side. It hasn't gone as far as anything structural, and has mostly just concaved the metal in. It is around 3" high and probably at least 2" deep. Any idea how much a repair like this would cost. It's a lot of body filler! As it's on the sill it can't be bashed out.
Car is a 1989 Escort.
Cheers
Mike Farrow
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Does your car have the sill as a seperate panel? Could be easier to just find a replacement one at a scrappy?
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I was just thinking the same :-) The sill can certainly be purchased as a seperate panel - I just don't think it's as easy as a bolt-on job.
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I'm trying to picture the side of that model, but not having much luck.
It might revolve around whether it's a vaguely 'hot' version. Sportier cars might have attached 'skirts', which are usually just screwed onto the sill proper.
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No skirts on mine, it's a male car :-P.
I've looked at a couple of websites and sills themselve are pretty cheap, my only question is whether any welding needs to be done - in which case it's off to the garage anyway.
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Get a slide hammer. Drill a small hole in the sill and screw in the slide hammer, then pull most of the dent out using it. Fill hole afterwards.
Pictures tell a thousand words:-
www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=16504
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As DD said.very often the dent/scrape will pop out.little bit of filler and correct paint spray will look as new.Haynes is a good guide in that respect.bear in mind if the sill is replaced properly.old one will have to be removed breaking the old welds.not many do this now.they tend to use overpanels which look out of place.And de`value what is a good car.
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Was mech1
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Hi
Good idea that slide hammer - might be tempted to give it a go. I think I'll see what a garage will quote me on this for a sill replacement. I don't want to spend money on a slide hammer if get someone to fit a new sill cheap enough (I've never fixed a dent before so I don't know how good [bad?] I am)! I'll make sure that a quote is for a full sill not a skin (is a skin like an overpanel???).
I also have that aching question in the back of my mind "is it worth it?". But then again I want to keep the car for a few years to come, and would want it looking good and not reminding me of the dreaded car park incident! Also I was daft enough to spend £800 on insurance when I haven't been in a crash or been stopped by the police. However, Sod's Law dictates I would have had a blame-worthy fatal (not to me) crash if I hadn't!
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Try this site - sounds reasonable.
www.carpartners.co.uk/repairmagic/
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Slide hammers are expensive if you only use them once. I had a bashed in sill and used a combination of two methods similar to that mentioned. Drill small hole and insert tight fitting woodscrew or selftapper. With length of wood along sill as pivot and to spread the load, use a claw hammer to ease the screw outwards. A series of these small holes along the length of the dent can work wonders if you're willing to give it a try. Don't try to get it all out at once, work your way along and back, pulling it out a bit at a time.
p.s. I thought sills were structural and need seam welding if replaced.
Martin
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Thanks Martin, I'll give your method a try. Was going to go for the slide-hammer, but as you say they're expensive if you only need them once! Going away for a week now so won't be ablet to try it out until I get back. Hopefully the car will be garage-stored in that time to prevent water ingress.
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Beware method described.is hard work.
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Was mech1
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Hard work or not I had a stab at it! The hardest part's all the sanding. Easy enough with EasySand (it'd be a crime if it wasn't!), the only nagging thing is the primer which clogs up the wet-and-dry.
I used Holts spray paints for the final coats, really good matching plus you don't have to sand them down before laquering like others, which I find leave streaks and patches.
homepage.ntlworld.com/michael.farrow1/car.jpg
... for interest, top is the curb and below is the repair, if you look carefully you can make out the metal which couldn't be bashed back up where it had bent down, too thickly skinned I think!
Thanks again for all the replies.
Mike Farrow
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If you get this repaired professionally a budget repairer would weld little metal sticks/rods all the way along, then pull on them to pull the dent out, grind off, filler, spray.
80 - 100 quid is what I would expect to pay. You have to go to back street workshops to get a good price. Ask the taxi drivers where they go.
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was kev_is_here
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oh just read it again - 12 inches long, 50 - 60 pounds
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was kev_is_here
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nasty curb!
Great repair! well done
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was kev_is_here
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