Automobile hobbyists lack proper tools for repairs
65 posts across 7 communities in the last 30 days; 82% from r/Autobody.
“This isn't going to be an easy "take off bad part, replace with good part" situation. You should expect challenges with part-to-part alignment and there is going to be a ton of smaller broken parts that you discover as you work. But if it gives you any hope, i have had similar…”
“Just get a new one. If all the underside is like this, the car is gone. You need to cut innanokace that the steel is still good to weld new parts.. but it will be a nightmare-> expensive. Get a cleaner one, will probably be cheaper. You can maybe find someone cheap, but cheap…”
“A seasoned body man could do that no problem.”
Several posts express frustration with the difficulty of auto body repair, specifically mentioning the need for specialized tools and experience to fix damage. Users acknowledge that while repairs are possible, they require more than just basic supplies like rattle cans.
SOURCES (60)
“You’re right man, I realize that this is something I can’t do alone. I’ll take it to a shop, I appreciate you taking the time, I don’t have the experience to do this at all haha. [re: How would you fix this?]”
“I’m usually pretty handy, so I bought the PDR tools to try to fix the hail damage on my car. It is hard for a newbie starting out. The YouTube videos make it look too easy. There’s a reason why professionals are good, you can’t teach that feeling of pulling dents through a YouTube video. The glue method is fine if you have a single dent, like from a door ding. But when you have hundreds., you’ll be there forever. I gave up and just live with all my hail dents. [re: Am I toast?]”
“This isn't going to be an easy "take off bad part, replace with good part" situation. You should expect challenges with part-to-part alignment and there is going to be a ton of smaller broken parts that you discover as you work. But if it gives you any hope, i have had similar (worse) collision damage that I DIYed and got a pretty darn good result. (When you're too poor to buy a new car or pay a bodyshop, you figure shit out, amirite?). I'd suggest getting after it and reac”
“That’s way out of whack, I don’t think you have the tools it takes to repair this [re: Fixing Car Need Advice (Pretty Urgent)]”
“Ive had to sawzall some of those knobs off before....just so I can get the stems out and rebuild them lol [re: Should I be worried?]”
“I’ve done a fair bit of wrenching before, my sister went to get an alignment and got this quote, I was thinking I could maybe help her by doing it myself(other than the alignment). Does it seem reasonable? Car is a 2012 dodge journey and the wrenching I’ve done before is on cars and trucks so I haven’t dealt with awd. Also any advice for finding parts is helpful aswell submitted by /u/Big-Al2020 [link] [comments]”
“Hi everyone! I’m a girl who just saved up and bought her very first car from Facebook Marketplace: a 2006 Toyota Camry LE 2.4L 4Cyl (2AZ-FE). Nobody in my house is a mechanic, but I really want to learn how to do basic maintenance myself to save money, tackle a fun challenge, and extend the longevity of this car. I took it to a shop for a general inspection, and the quotes are pretty overwhelming. They want $90 each for the engine and cabin filters, and almost $500 for spark plugs before labor.”
“Like I said if you have never done extensive metal work you are not fixing this. This has not an easy repair. When I say repair I mean not replacing the cab. [re: Help]”
“You really don’t want to fix this unless you are very skilled and equipped. equipped is a key word. I have tens of thousands of dollars of tools and equipment and have friends who own a sheet metal shop and even I have given up on cars like this because man it takes a lot of time to do it properly and its not exactly a fun project especially on a car you arent super passionate about. Hours of cutting grinding welding painting. Not to mention if this side looks like this, the other side is probab”
“Go to a salvage yard. Look for a door and replace it. No one will know except you’ll get questioned as to why the paint isn’t an exact match. Shit happens. Just gotta learn from it and on [re: Will I be able to use an adhesive mesh, short fiberglass Bondo, and grey vinyl wrap to (mostly) cover this up until I can afford to get the door replaced?]”
It’s already been DIY fixed hahahahah [re: DYI Fix? New kiddo on the way.]
“I have seen others repair expensive highend cars before and alot of them say the same thing.... that the dealerships are sometimes reluctant to sell parts to rebuilders. So i wish you luck in you endeavor and would like to see your finished car when you have it completed. [re: On a scale of 1-10 how dumb am I?]”
“Hm I never thought of using MAACO. Besides online reviews, which I’m kind of skeptical of, what’s a good indicator that one is good?”
“There’s just a lot of damage you’re not seeing under that bumper. We know it’s there because of how that quarter is buckled.”
“This looks like damage fhat is repairable and probably technically DIY-able in that it probably doesn't require many/any specialty tools. But it ain't gonna be "friendly", nor is it just a hood and bumper. You're gonna need both headlights, grille, a bunch of plastic parts, hood latch, maybe hood hinges, and who know what else. (Another commenter suggested core support. My guess is core support is salvageable but could be wrong). I'd ballpark a couple thousand in parts”
“if you know what you're doing, have the tools, material and time then go nuts if your lost, don't know where to start, don't have the tools or cash to buy them and never have free time....that explains itself”
“I can advise you how you can it to yourself, but it is going to be a lot of work to do. Does your door have a dent? If so, you could use a dent puller to pull the metal back and do the same for the other area. When the surface is flat, you could apply body filler in some areas where the damaged are, then apply 2k high build primer. Then sand the primer until it is smooth and spray base and clear. Make sure you match the car colour code when you spray base. For the plastic, you will need to repla”
“There’s a hole in the bumper. And if you read my original comment fully you’d see I told him it would be more to have it done right, and that there would be a backyard butcher like you who could do it for the cost mentioned.”
“Just get a new one. If all the underside is like this, the car is gone. You need to cut innanokace that the steel is still good to weld new parts.. but it will be a nightmare-> expensive. Get a cleaner one, will probably be cheaper. You can maybe find someone cheap, but cheap and good.. and you can't weld rust.”
“Since when do Tacomas have aluminum doors? Unless the new gen are, I thought they were steel doors but aluminum hoods and tailgates.”
“Okay, what do you mean by a patch set from the inside? That section of the body kit is hollow. There is nothing (in that specific area of the door/bodykit) that is resting against the door, as in it js hollow. I don't have access to the inside of the body kit without ripping the whole thing out which is riveted all along the door and its perimeter.”
“You can clearly see the metal door and the fiberglass body kit, there is a space between the door and the widebody kit.”
“Absolutely. After a not-my-fault fender bender I repaired my truck myself in a day in my driveway. Only a couple bloody knuckles. https://preview.redd.it/6wt2txwfymth1.jpeg?width=2880&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b082d9ee7520297f57724d3205d6f80b6f915cee”
“Bore a 20-30 mm hole in the bottom, put a lever thru and press. Weld a little piece on the 30mm hole. Thats it for the dent. For the bended edge make a short cut directly on the edge where its bended, open the cut a bit and with any clamp bend it back. With a flathead screwdriver then pull out the vertical part. Weld it.”
If you want you can cut and weld this area. It's not structural.
“The area isn’t clean enough, the studs weren’t welded directed onto the crease you were trting to oull out, and it was the wrong place to start anyways you should’ve pulled from the lower body line first and tried to relieve the stress that big crown is causing. The more studs you weld the better for those lines, you need to buy one of these https://preview.redd.it/m6nn8den9ith1.jpeg?width=860&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9fc42fe888193f64da8def374611297586a7454a”
“Drill holes in the panel behind it and push it out, or tap in the high spots and body filler, the old cave and pave.”
That is just cool, even though I know shit about body shop work
“2007 Honda Civic. It's this ok to reuse? submitted by /u/Stormified [link] [comments]”
“Except people DIY transmissions all the time. My grandpa did engines, transmissions, and bodywork DIY.”
“U can’t do shit about the hood but to replace it from a junkyard and replace the hinges too.”
“Yeah, I guess to be a little more specific it has to pierce all 3 layers of never before pierced aluminum correct? Theres just not a lot of room in some spots along the door opening where you can stick them. I’ll send them an email. Im not familiar with Fords. We work on mostly luxury brands but got stuck with this one…”
Yeah, pretty much. I’ve done it before with 0 experience.
“So at the end of the day you think a Redditor with no experience or tool knowledge can hook this to a tree and pull it straight?”
“Its only a crossmember. It dont needs much power to bend it and not much power to bend it back. The rail is bend because the crossmember is welded to it. So ifthe crossmembe gets bend it gets shorter too. That pulls the rail to the inside. But here its not as much that its permanent, its widely within the elastic formable area. Thats why it can stressed out by straighten out the crossmember. Thats absolutely normal. Believe me, thats daily business. Not a big thing. It only needs some time and c”
“If a Slim Jim doesn’t work on the door you’re left with removing the interior panel with the door closed, usually resulting in its destruction. Tip for the future: Whenever working on a door latch, always test the latch with the door open. You do this by manually closing the latch - a screwdriver pushing on the latch can usually close the latch. You push on the latch in the same place as the striker does when the door closes.”
“Depending on what happened, was the door impacted near/on the hinges (bent the hinges or pushed the hinge mounts on the a-post inwards)?”
“What are you going to attempt to fix? The dent next to door handle? Sure start there see how it goes.”
“Compressor, filtration for clean air, sanding blocks, da sander, filler, hammer and dollies, dent puller, welder if necessary (that quarter should probably be replaced,) tools for r&I that you likely already have if you're a car guy, epoxy, primer, sealer, base, clear, spray guns, wax and grease remover, tack rag, plastic wrap, tapes, buffer, pads, compounds and polish, the knowledge of troubleshooting the many issues that could arise during all of this (priceless,) and I'm sure I”
“How would the equipment and material cots compare to the end cost of a professional job? I only ask because i am coming at this as a car guy so if through trial and error i can become even half decent it would be something that i could use many times in the future hopefully”
“Drive it till you can afford the proper repair The amount of equipment and material you'll have to buy as a beginner to hopefully get an acceptable result.. would make more sense to just get it done right if this is sentimental”