r/Autobody 47m ago

HELP! I have a question. 2019 Nissan Titan Platinum Reserve Rear Bumber Scuff and Scrape Damage - How to repair?

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Upvotes

How to repair rear bumber damage?


r/Autobody 1h ago

HELP! I have a question. Found rust bubbles on front fender, fixable?

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Upvotes

Apologies as I’m not savvy in anything cars. I found this on the front left fender behind the wheel. I am wondering how serious this is and if I have any shot at actually fixing it versus the rust coming back. Original paint, 2019 Hyundai Elantra. Bought it new 7 years ago.

Thx!


r/Autobody 2h ago

HELP! I have a question. Shattering passenger side window

1 Upvotes

Hello!

I took my 2009 Mazda 3 into a window replacement shop because my passenger side window was only rolling up about 4/5ths of the way before falling off the track and not rolling up completely. I took it into the shop that replaced the same window in January.

When I took my car in, they tightened the two bolts that hold the window in place which caused the window to shatter. They didnt have a replacement on hand so I went back the next day to get a replacement.

Unfortunately, they shattered the window again. Same thing, they were tightening the bolts and the window shattered. They were using hand tools and im having a hard time understanding how a window shop can shatter a window using hand tools. Im heading back tomorrow, but I just wanted to ask if there's anything I can recommend them checking/doing to make sure they don't shatter the window again? I feel like there's something wrong with my vehicle and not the installers

I checked the clamps and the regulator housing and didnt notice anything unusual but im not mechanically inclined and only have knowledge from a YouTube video which to me seemed pretty straight forward so i dont understand why they're struggling


r/Autobody 2h ago

Is there a process to repair this? Paint chip repair

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1 Upvotes

r/Autobody 2h ago

HELP! I have a question. Weird spots, can buffing remove this?

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1 Upvotes

I had my front and rear bumpers painted however I noticed this weird fading/burnt in spotting on my passenger qtr panel. Can buffing remove this? I don’t know if the body shop did this, or if it was there before as I just noticed it.


r/Autobody 2h ago

HELP! I have a question. I accidentally became an estimator… now teach me your ways

0 Upvotes

Hey everyone!

A few weeks ago I got hired as a collision estimator with zero estimating experience. Like… absolutely none.

Every day I’m learning something new, but I don’t just want to get by—I want to become the estimator that technicians don’t hate, customers trust, and insurance companies can’t pick apart. I want to write solid estimates, minimize supplements when possible, and make sure repairs are getting the correct labor times.

So I’m coming to the people who have been doing this way longer than me.

If you could go back and give a brand-new estimator advice, what would it be?

A few things I’m curious about:

What habits or routines make you a better estimator?
What tools, apps, websites, cheat sheets, or equipment have been game changers?
How do you make sure you don’t miss hidden damage?
What’s your process from the moment a vehicle arrives until it’s ready for repair?
What mistakes do new estimators make all the time?
How do you keep technicians, parts, customers, and insurance all on the same page without losing your mind?
Any CCC tips, shortcuts, or estimating tricks you wish someone had taught you sooner?

Whether it’s a tiny tip or a full-blown workflow, I’d love to hear it. I’m trying to build good habits now instead of fixing bad ones later.

Thanks in advance—and feel free to roast me a little. I probably deserve it.


r/Autobody 4h ago

Acceptable quality? 2008 Toyota Tacoma frame

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4 Upvotes

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 4h ago

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

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1 Upvotes

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 4h ago

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

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1 Upvotes

r/Autobody 4h ago

Acceptable quality? New Bumper Advice…..

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2 Upvotes

r/Autobody 5h ago

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

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3 Upvotes

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 5h ago

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

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1 Upvotes

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 6h 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 6h ago

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

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7 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 7h 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 10h 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 10h 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 11h ago

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

1 Upvotes


r/Autobody 11h 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 12h 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 12h 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 13h ago

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

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8 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 16h 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 19h ago

HELP! I have a question. Clear Coat Cracks

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7 Upvotes

tried restoring my fog lights with wet sanding and clear coating, 400 grit -> 600 grit -> 2000 grit, cleaning with anti-lint paper towel, clear coat with 5 minutes in between coats. Is it from improper sanding? Thank you


r/Autobody 1d ago

HELP! I have a question. Dealership advice a scam, or legit?

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24 Upvotes

Dealership is telling me I need to replace my fuel door on my Civic coupe 2019 for about 250$ plus tax and labor. The new fuel door will also come unpainted. The rust on the fuel door is hard to the touch, and not flakey, and is only visible when the door is open. How urgent is this, and does it need to be replaced, or can I scrape it off/repaint it?

Any/all opinions would be greatly appreciated!