My baby got hurt...

[fermat1313]

I was driving on the Freeway south in Dallas yesterday when I heard a loud THUNK against the side of the car. I never saw what hit me, but I immediately knew it wasn't going to be good.

When I got out, I found this on my passenger side door.


The gouge is pretty deep, well into the primer. It also dented the door a bit. I have no idea what hit me, but I don't think it was a rock. Perhaps some metal pipe?

Anyway, I assume this means the door has to be repainted. Anyone have experience with this and can tell me if that's what it will take? Do they normally strip the original paint off the door?

This is so aggravating! I work so hard to take care of my 1M, and I might have to have a repainted door on my baby.

[ESC OFF]

That sucks!!

It's very hard to tell how long the damage is? Normally the repair shop will prep the area at the damage and ten re-paint, a good shop will paint the door and may also recommend painting part of the front and rear fenders to properly blend the paint in, if just the door is repainted it's likely that variations will be noticeable when compared to the front/rear fenders.

Go to a good shop and you'll never notice the repaired area.

[Artemis]

Don't worry. Have it repaired and it will be perfectly fine again.

Better to have a piece scratching your car, than hurting your body. Judging by the 1M scratch picture, just imagine you were driving a motorcycle. Remember Felipe Massa who got hit on the helmet by a spring that had fallen off Rubens Barrichello's F1 car during Hungarian Grand Prix F1 qualifying in 2009.



And the Russian 1M (Moscow) pictured below seems to have been involved in a more intense sort of 'rubbing' than your 1M.
(source: http://www.autogespot.nl/bmw-1-serie...e-2/2012/05/20)

[M3 Adjuster]

Merely a flesh wound!

Should be easily repairable, and with that small an area the shop can blend within the same panel. No need to paint more than is necessary!

[fermat1313]

Originally Posted by M3 Adjuster

Merely a flesh wound!

Should be easily repairable, and with that small an area the shop can blend within the same panel. No need to paint more than is necessary!

Any suggestions for a good shop in the area that can fix this?

Steve

[v1k0d3n]

Originally Posted by M3 Adjuster

Merely a flesh wound!

Should be easily repairable, and with that small an area the shop can blend within the same panel. No need to paint more than is necessary!

Agreed! I'll be honest, VO is going to be harder than the other colors (because of the metallic flop), but the blend area should all depend on the original match. No two batches of metallic paint are ever exactly 100% the same. It's the blend and the final touch that hide the work (orange peel/clear coat final process is another way to tell if a car has ever been worked on). Go to a good, reputable shop. Good luck, and keep us updated with the results please! Personally I would like to see before and after shots!

[CarJunkie]

I needed to have my drivers door replaced (there's an old thread here somewhere) and was most worried about the paint. The shop I used did an amazing job. I can not tell that the car had anything done to it.

The best thing to do is to get recommendations, and not from people referred by the shop itself. I have a friend who is well connected to the local used car business and he got recommendations for me from two dealerships that specialize in high end used cars. Both recommended the same shop. When I went for the estimate, I told the owner I wanted it perfect and he confidently said "It will be." And it was.

[fermat1313]

Originally Posted by CarJunkie

I needed to have my drivers door replaced (there's an old thread here somewhere) and was most worried about the paint. The shop I used did an amazing job. I can not tell that the car had anything done to it.

The best thing to do is to get recommendations, and not from people referred by the shop itself. I have a friend who is well connected to the local used car business and he got recommendations for me from two dealerships that specialize in high end used cars. Both recommended the same shop. When I went for the estimate, I told the owner I wanted it perfect and he confidently said "It will be." And it was.

I agree. M3Adjuster is from this area and works in insurance. He gave me some recommendations and I felt really good talking to one of the shops he recommended. I'll update this thread when I get my baby back!

Steve

[LOVEM]

Originally Posted by fermat1313

I agree. M3Adjuster is from this area and works in insurance. He gave me some recommendations and I felt really good talking to one of the shops he recommended. I'll update this thread when I get my baby back!

Steve

CAN U SHOW THE END RESULT. PLEASE.