To Make A Bad Day Badder

"Taylor Martin" (tjmartin)
08/03/2020 at 17:24 • Filed to: None

This happened this morning... well... technically last night. The culprit is a big branch that fell on my car and created this monster of a dent right between the windscreen and the drivers side window. I’m gra te ful it didn’t hit any of the glass, no cracks in sight, no leaks (it’s raining now I just checked), but man it stinks. To add injury to insult, it’s certainly not easily fixable.

This is a very crude outline of the entire panel that’d have to come off just to fix that dent. It’s no good to look at, I guess it’s a love mark. Just kinda stinks.

Also now I have a ton of school to do, this month is going to be busy and painful.

Take care folks!

DISCUSSION (43)

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Taylor Martin
08/03/2020 at 17:27

Wow that sucks, it is a tricky spot. For a pro I don’t think it’s a big deal, they have so many tricks that have impressed me.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Taylor Martin
08/03/2020 at 17:30

Ah, damn... wouldn’t hurt nearly as much if it was on the other side.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > Taylor Martin
08/03/2020 at 17:31

oh.... thats the panel they keep a few old hand panel beaters employed for nowadays

pretty much the only panel that is still cheaper to fix than replace

i realized that didnt help anything

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
08/03/2020 at 17:36

Yeah, might be able to pull it?

The labor time is what’s going to sting.

Taylor Martin > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI
08/03/2020 at 17:40

Yeah, that’s the issue: I haven’t the money to fix it so it’s just... there...

Taylor Martin > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
08/03/2020 at 17:40

Yeah no kidding. Let the passenger deal with it.

UserNotFound > Taylor Martin
08/03/2020 at 17:40

I seen this guy on instagram who goes and fills the dent with ramen and gorilla glue and sands it and paint matches it maybe try that?

dogisbadob > Taylor Martin
08/03/2020 at 17:42

that’ll buff out

This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja: > Taylor Martin
08/03/2020 at 17:42

Totaled.

Michael > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
08/03/2020 at 17:42

That’s what I was thinking - PDR guys are literal wizards

Taylor Martin > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
08/03/2020 at 17:43

It also chipped the paint, so there’d still be a big, white mark where red should be. No bueno.

MM54 > Taylor Martin
08/03/2020 at 17:44

Ouch. That said, I bet a good shop could get that pulled out pretty readily, doesn’t seem badly creased, just stretched and bent. Definitely worth looking into for such a unique car to keep it nice.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Taylor Martin
08/03/2020 at 17:47

Trees will turn on you as soon as look at you. Be careful.

That seriously sucks. A good body shop might be able to fix that better and cheap than you might expect, since it be fixing, probably not replacing, that would happen.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > UserNotFound
08/03/2020 at 17:48

OppoCOTD

notsomethingstructural > Taylor Martin
08/03/2020 at 17:48

no comprehensive? that’s a valid claim to be sure.

cheap shop probably uses PDR to pull what they can, bondo, and paint. they can either shoot the whole panel or try to feather it depending on your budget.

real fix there is probably pull the windshield and door, and cut and weld. not many cars in the yard are gonna have a lot of damage to the upper a-pillar.

onlytwowheels > Taylor Martin
08/03/2020 at 17:53

I guy I worked with got a very similar dent on his Z71 Chevy from driving under one of the fruit trees on his property. He lived with it, but if you can’t, they sh ould be able to pull it, add some filler and paint. Would most likely need to pull the glass before working on the dent.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > Taylor Martin
08/03/2020 at 17:53

Fill it with a giant glob of bondo. problem solved.

For real though, that sucks. it’s good neither the window or windshield took a beating though. That would have necessitated a much hastier fix.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
08/03/2020 at 17:58

pulling out the dent wont be an issue...take some time (wich is pricey)

but then you’d still need a partial respray...(wich is also pricey)

not a cheap fix...i’d guestimate it in the 2 grand region

Taylor Martin > farscythe - makin da cawfee!
08/03/2020 at 18:00

It’s a good thing the windscreen didn’t crack. If it had I would’ve had to break out 2 grand and that would’ve really hurt my wallet...

UserNotFound > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
08/03/2020 at 18:01

Agreed.

Taylor Martin > MM54
08/03/2020 at 18:01

I know it wouldn’t be an issue, but it’s the price tag. I’ll take a peak around places in FL and see if I can’t get a quote, but it’s looking like it’ll just be another scar on the car (not the first one, Iris has seen some shit)

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > Taylor Martin
08/03/2020 at 18:02

and this is yet one more reason why i loved my little fiat panda (wich the missus hated)

i paid $60 for the windshield on that little contraption

(used not new)

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Taylor Martin
08/03/2020 at 18:13

They may have a piece to just replace and weld in there since it is such a huge single stamp. I know some old cars have partials they make due to rust or a common place they are dented. But I’m not really a modern car guy so I don’t know for sure. That would seem like a common place to dent and why would they replace the whole piece. Well insurance should cover it, whatever your deductible is. They have to paint whatever they do.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > farscythe - makin da cawfee!
08/03/2020 at 18:15

Well whatever the deductible is!

Taylor Martin > farscythe - makin da cawfee!
08/03/2020 at 18:19

James May? Is that you? I don’t blame you, I wanted a car that’d look good with a dent, a little rusty, and fairly cheap. The TSX does not look good with a dent. Adds no good character.

Taylor Martin > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
08/03/2020 at 18:19

I’d love for insurance to cover this, but I’m going to get a quote and see.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > UserNotFound
08/03/2020 at 18:22

Or Borsuq maybe can help?

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/tag/properly-fixed

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > notsomethingstructural
08/03/2020 at 18:25

And I’m sure the front is the same as the sedan. I happen to have a TSX wagon myself, if it was in the rear it would all be specific and much more rare.

ranwhenparked > Taylor Martin
08/03/2020 at 19:07

You are lucky it didn’t hit the windshield - I had a tree limb fall on my Grand Marquis, needed a whole new roof panel and the structural member above the windshield, along with the glass itself. Was never the same after the repairs, and was still spitting broken glass out the HVAC vents when I traded it in ca. 6 months later.

BrooklynEagle > Taylor Martin
08/03/2020 at 19:19

Ouch. Keep an eye out for water ... Accords of that vintage have a seam there that leaks without getting clonked with a tree. I’m guessing wind noise too?

Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how’s the car? Had eyes on these for a while, but they seem to keep a stubbornly high resale value.

facw > Taylor Martin
08/03/2020 at 19:43

Yeah, that’s worth claiming if you have comprehensive... I especially wouldn’t trust those seals to hold, especially if you are driving highway speeds in the rain.

Taylor Martin > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
08/03/2020 at 19:58

Everyone says that cars kill the environment ... I think the environment is trying to kill my car...

Taylor Martin > ranwhenparked
08/03/2020 at 19:59

Ouch, that bites man. I’m counting my blessings for sure, windshield damage could’ve been fatal to both my car and my bank account.

Taylor Martin > facw
08/03/2020 at 20:00

Well now’ s not exactly the best time to be driving a thousand miles down to FL now is it?

Taylor Martin > dogisbadob
08/03/2020 at 20:00

Tis but a scratch... a very large... obvious scratch...

Taylor Martin > This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja:
08/03/2020 at 20:01

Ruined, forever, might as well take it to the yard now...

Taylor Martin > onlytwowheels
08/03/2020 at 20:02

Sounds like a costly operation, but it may soothe my mind knowing it’s done. We’ll see how things go in the next couple weeks and if I can truly live with it or not.

Taylor Martin > BrooklynEagle
08/03/2020 at 20:14

It’s not even that old, but it’s old enough. And the dent is just barely off the door/windscreen. It’s tight, but I think she’ll hold.

The car itself is amazing, but it has its quirks which I’ve had to get used to . If you’re looking for speed, steer clear, with a 2.4L lugging 3000lbs it’s not fast at all . It’s also not perfectly practical, running on premium and having these weird dividers to hold up the back seat that clobber trunk space. But this car handles like a dream. 25 to 45 miles per hour can feel like a race track, the paddles make driving infinitely more fun, and the suspension itself plants you to the ground (not great suspension for super long road trips, amazing suspension for winding backroads).

The car is also a station wagon, and a stylish one at that. I’ve always liked those more than sedans, and it’s certainly fantastic for long hauls. The roof racks are super strong too, and add to the overall look of the car. I’ve had some issues with the car before, one time the engine flooded out of nowhere and smoke billowed out the tail pipes, but after taking it to Firestone it was determined to be just fine. How it happened I still don’t know. It’s also common for this car to burn oil later on in its life. It’s a piston ring, valve seal, and PCV valve issue. Costly, but if you get it done along with the spark plugs should add years and miles onto the car.

They are stubbornly expensive, and you’re certainly not selling it for as much as you buy it... ever... at the moment the price I’d get for mine is 8k when I spent 14k. That’s just after two years. So if you’re really jonesing for one of these, make sure you drive it into the ground. That’s my plan at least.

Another Oppo user has one of these TSX Sport Wagons , https://kinja.com/415s30 and he loves it. It’s a really unique car (at least here in the states, I don’t know how common the Accord wagon is across the pond). Hope that aides you in your car search, I’ll write up a longer review of it sometime, I just haven’t had the time (and with that dent the car is a bit less appealing to the camera ).

onlytwowheels > Taylor Martin
08/03/2020 at 20:21

It’s a good place to put a decal.

Get a block of closed cell foam. Shape it to fit the dent. Attach with strong adhesive. Maybe use 3M Super Strength Molding Tape #03614, since you also need to secure the windshield trim. Cover the foam block filler with a decal of your choosing.

Kinja'd!!!

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Taylor Martin
08/03/2020 at 21:07

Tit for tat. It had it coming. Now, to dump toxic waste at the foot of the tree in retaliation!

ranwhenparked > Taylor Martin
08/03/2020 at 21:10

Thats one of two cars I've had that insurance inexplicably repaired at great expense, when they should have been totaled. The other was a then 10 year old Cadillac Fleetwood that had its front end obliterated by a deer, the body shop bought a parts car and spent months on it.

facw > Taylor Martin
08/03/2020 at 22:28

I’m not sure there’s ever a good time for that...

Taylor Martin > onlytwowheels
08/03/2020 at 23:28

Now that’s an idea I hadn’t thought about. I could very well use the real estate to my advantage, though it’s kind of an awkward position but it’s a position I’d see it all the time. I already have a few ideas churning in my head.

Nice decal by the way, I’m sure it’ll serve you well in the rally that starts tomorrow.