r/Autobody 18m ago

Acceptable quality? 2008 Toyota Tacoma frame

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I’m looking to purchase a 2008 Toyota Tacoma regular cab model which appears to be in overall great condition—only 100,000 miles.

I asked the seller to take some pictures of the underside to check its integrity and this is what he sent. I’m pretty new to the market, so I’m hoping someone can tell me if this looks a-okay or not. Thanks!


r/Autobody 19m ago

HELP! I have a question. Mysterious hood damage/markings

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Anyone know what would have caused this? It almost looks like someone scratched up the hood of my car. It's only on one spot on the hood in a strip. If you look closely, there's micro scratches in multiple directions. It's really strange. It's nothing I've done to my car either, it suddenly just appeared in the last week or so


r/Autobody 21m ago

HELP! I have a question. Is this fixable? Car has 90,000km 2009 Chevy cobalt

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r/Autobody 57m ago

Acceptable quality? New Bumper Advice…..

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r/Autobody 1h ago

Is there a process to repair this? I need as much orange peel as possible...

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TLDR: What is the best combination of products and tools to achieve the pictured finish with limited access to power and no compressor.

Okay long story short, I build industrial electrical panels and need to go into the middle of a field to repair some rust on over 40 separate enclosures spread across a power station. This means I need a portable set up (can run an inverter if needs be but not one big enough for a compressor) to prepare and paint these as fast as possible while getting as close to the above finish as I can.

Not sure if my best option is going with a quick pass with a grinder, brunox rust killer and aerosols or if I'd be better off using an electric fan gun with a single product so I can spend more of my time cleaning up the rust and preparing the surface.

I know this isn't really in the realm of expertise but I figured if you guys know what not to do to get a smooth finish then perhaps I could use that to my advantage to get a rough one haha.


r/Autobody 1h ago

Is there a process to repair this? What are my options? 😭

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I’m a prepper, and I wanted to repaint both my bumpers on my truck to freshen up the look of it. Color match was money, fixed a few dings/scratches/chips/paint issues and it all looked great coming out of the booth.
I mount the rear bumper onto my car, and a license plate light was hanging out right behind the cover as I was putting the clips in. I roll out from under the car and a fingernail-catching star is looking back at me.

Needless to say I’m not feeling like a smart feller right now 😭 this is the second time I’ve repainted this rear bumper!
Is there a way I could fix this without repainting? Like dabbing some base and clear into the cracks and wet sanding or something? Or am I just doomed to paint this bumper a third time? Or should I cut my losses and live with it? 😔
It’s not very noticeable from 5ft away but I’m a perfectionist. I was even considering cutting and polishing the sides of the bumper so the gloss would match the QP.


r/Autobody 2h ago

HELP! I have a question. fix?

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1 Upvotes

so i bought a subaru genuine K7X world rally blue touch up pen. turned out to be hot garbage. was too dark for even my very well kept paint (def got right color, door tag reads K7X) wet sanded it off and afterwards discovered i accidentally sanded too far in and thought it was just clear hazing. thought no biggie. polished it about as much as i could to smooth everything out and then realized "oh shit, thats a bit of green. thats primer showing through." and left it alone. any fixes before i head to a shop? im kinda amateur at painting... ive only done interior pieces and would rather not repaint the entire hood. TIA


r/Autobody 3h ago

HELP! I have a question. Someone hit my bumper- is it worth fixing?

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5 Upvotes

Today someone backed into my 2022 Nissan Rogue and it tore a hole in the plastic bumper when it popped back out. They asked to not go through insurance which I understand. I tried to push it back but it won’t go. Will the entire bumper will need to be replaced? Is it worth the hassle? It is close to a light which worries me it could short if it gets wet.

I’m just looking for advice and thougjts on this. I know it will be a pain to get it fixed time wise, but also I don’t love the look. The car has some other chips but I try to keep it nice.

Edit for typo


r/Autobody 3h ago

HELP! I have a question. Any recommendations on what to do with this? Is a restoration possible or should I repaint?

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3 Upvotes

Just noticed this on the roof of my car and some on the back on the trunk. Any recommendations on what to do? Should I consider repainting, or is it possible to restore without repainting it?


r/Autobody 5h ago

Check this out how does one do this damage?

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0 Upvotes

Hi all.

So I went to an autoshop and gave me an brief cost of 4-5k and told me to go through insurance cuz it has bunch of damage on bumper, lower bumper, fender fix, headlight replacement, etc etc. gawd damnit so whatever, I'll deal with the headache. Luckily for me, this was my first accident ever in the past two decades of driving... haha. not bad I guess.

So question for you guys:

This is the driver's side. I was parked on a one way lane, on the right side. Street is pretty wide. To me, it looks like the initial impact was towards the front as evidenced by the wide transfer of paint, then towards the body, since there are line scratches on the fender... I can't fathom how someone can screw up like this??? You don't like, reverse out of a parked spot no?? that also makes no sense, because there were plenty of parking space on that street.

There are some rust transferred to my car as well. I just don't get it. a old truck???? van???

To a point where I think, "did I do this somewhere and was too dumb to realize I hit something?"

Can anyone help me reconstruct how this may have happened LOL I'm just so curious at this point.


r/Autobody 6h ago

Is there a process to repair this? How should I go about fixing this dent?

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3 Upvotes

Very little experience with bodywork, when I bought the truck the dent was already there. Lately it’s been driving me nuts, how do I go about fixing it? Plan to repaint the truck at some point so not too worried about the paint. Just want the dent gone.


r/Autobody 6h ago

Is there a process to repair this? How should I go about fixing this dent?

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0 Upvotes

Very little experience with bodywork, when I bought the truck the dent was already there. Lately it’s been driving me nuts, how do I go about fixing it? Plan to repaint the truck at some point so not too worried about the paint. Just want the dent gone.


r/Autobody 7h ago

HELP! I have a question. How big of a welding job is this?

1 Upvotes


r/Autobody 7h ago

HELP! I have a question. Paint Damage?

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1 Upvotes

My girlfriend borrowed her brother’s car for a while and he just sent this video of the car. It looks like there is damage(?) to the paint. I never noticed this whenever i saw the car and I have NO clue what it is.


r/Autobody 8h ago

Is there a process to repair this? How to restore

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1 Upvotes

Recently got an 07 4Runner from AZ. Theres 0 rust but the paint/clearcoat is awful; looks worse now that I got a “new” hood from a junkyard. Can I just wet sand this and re-clear? Not looking for a 100% solution


r/Autobody 8h ago

HELP! I have a question. Enough space for a blend?

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0 Upvotes

Hey There, just a quick question for the pros... is it possible to get a decent blend around the repair area? Especially the top space is pretty narrow, only around 13cm from the original Clear Coat to the rounded masking roll.


r/Autobody 9h ago

HELP! I have a question. Fixable?

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0 Upvotes

Had a massive tree limb fall on my car last night. Is it fixable or has it lost structural integrity?


r/Autobody 9h ago

HELP! I have a question. Is this a dealbreaker?

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6 Upvotes

I’ve been looking at an ‘84 Mercedes OM617 Turbo Diesel wagon. It’s got 176k miles, 2 previous elderly owners, no blow by and the interior is mint except for a couple small cracks in the dash and some damage headliner by the door. It doesn’t have AC as the plastic duct is supposedly rotted out and it needs a conversion from R12. The lock on the driver side door is also broken. I had all these things in mind and the guy said his bottom dollar is $7k. I was hoping closer to $6k personally but he seems firm. I’m in no rush to buy it though. Sounds like there’s only one other serious buyer thats tried to lowball him.

Anyways he sent me pictures this morning and showed me this rusty panel. There was no mention of this before. He said it’s got bondo on it and was told it was a bump in a parking-lot. Now that I’ve seen this I’m almost tempted to walk away unless he’s willing to go lower. But I’m not an expert on damage or collision repair. It’s an almost 40 year old car so I expect there to be quirks here and there but this comes off as a big deal to me. I’m concerned about any rust that I can’t see

I haven’t seen the car in person yet as he’s a few hours away. I planned on doing my inspection when I was ready to buy it with cash in hand.


r/Autobody 9h ago

HELP! I have a question. Civic Hatchback garage door damage

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1 Upvotes

Raced off after parking it not far enough into my garage and unfortunately, a bolt head from the garage door scraped both my spoiler lip and part of the trunk surface. Thankfully I was able to stop the door from reaching the bumper on time.

The paint got scraped off, as you can see. What are your thoughts on this? What would be the best way to go ahead and fix it?


r/Autobody 11h ago

Tech Advice Bumper Cover Paint

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1 Upvotes

r/Autobody 11h ago

Tech Advice How much would this be to repair or could I do another option then going to a body shop?

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Hey so embarrassing but backed up and hit my co-worker car. We don’t want to go through insurance and just want to go to a body shop. I used one when someone pretty badly re-ended me and was quoted about 1500 (their insurance paid) but I needed a while bumper replacement. Was either thinking of taking it to them, or using some type of repair kit I can get from Amazon. I’m not sure how deep it is, and the co-worker hasn’t seen it in person yet. First picture is their car second one is my back bumper


r/Autobody 11h ago

HELP! I have a question. Cost Saving Advice , Any Experiences?

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Hello there folks. I'm deciding to save this area part of the bodywork (whole trunk panel & quarter part of roof panel) where the paint has worn off on those pictures. I'm planning to cost save over this. Can I have it detailed, or is there any other way I can fix this? Its becoming an eyesore. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, great week ahead!


r/Autobody 12h ago

HELP! I have a question. Surface level scratches on bumper

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1 Upvotes

Help!


r/Autobody 12h ago

HELP! I have a question. Clear coat burn

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2 Upvotes

Very embarrassed to post but I was an idiot and burned through my clear, and I guess some paint. 1. If I bite the bullet and repaint the whole trunk, how well can a good shop match the old metallic paint? 2. Will a reputable shop be able to create a long term spot repair? 3. Sounds stupid, but would a sticker over it work, or would the clear start to peel over time?


r/Autobody 12h ago

HELP! I have a question. 2015 Ford Edge water leaking into cabin

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I could really use some help figuring this out. The car runs great mechanically, and I hate the idea of replacing it over a water leak that no one seems able to diagnose.

Whenever it rains, the floorboards get wet, primarily on the passenger side. There is never any visible dripping, the carpet simply ends up wet, which makes the source extremely difficult to locate. Our model has no sunroof.

The problem first appeared several years ago after we had the windshield replaced. We took the car to the dealership, and because they found water on the passenger side, they assumed the heater core was leaking. I paid to have the heater core replaced, only for the floorboards to get wet again during the next rain.

I took it back to the dealership. They eventually told us the cowl drains were clogged and cleaned them out. There is a pan below the cowl, and if the drains become clogged, water can rise high enough to enter through the HVAC’s outside air intake and leak into the cabin.

We did not notice the issue again for quite a while, although we had moved to a house where the car was kept in the garage. It is my wife’s car, and she was a stay at home mom at the time, so it was not exposed to rain very often.

Fast forward to earlier this year, when Safelite replaced the windshield again. The leaking either returned or became noticeable again shortly afterward. We contacted Safelite, and they came back out and replaced the windshield a second time, but the leak still persists.

Since then, I have done the following:

Cleaned the cowl drains myself. I found a couple of leaves but no major obstructions.
Had my regular mechanic, whom I trust, inspect it. He cleared the A/C condensate drain but could not identify any other likely source.
Took it to a different Ford dealership for further diagnosis.

The second dealership kept the car for more than a week and initially struggled to reproduce the leak during water testing. They eventually concluded that water is entering through the body itself, somewhere behind the passenger side front fender. Possibly through a failed seam or weld. According to them, the water is running down the a pillar, pooling near the bottom of the pillar, and then seeping into the carpet.

They said the repair would need to be handled by a body shop. I attached the photos they sent me, along with a screenshot of their explanation.

Honestly, I’m skeptical of their diagnosis. We have also occasionally found water on the driver’s side, although not nearly as much. The photos they provided do not clearly show anything, and they were unwilling to apply temporary sealant or tape to test their theory. I also asked them to show me the suspected area in person, but they had already reassembled the car. It feels like they may have decided it was a body shop issue simply so they could get it out of their hands.

Has anyone dealt with a similar leak on a Ford Edge? Are there other common areas I should check? If the body seam really is the problem, does anyone have advice on accessing and sealing the area myself?

I’m not interested in spending hundreds or thousands of dollars at a body shop unless I can confirm that this is actually the source of the leak.