my first dent

first, i'd like to say that people who drive with snow/ice on top of their cars/SUVs and whatnot, are focking idiots who deserve a 2x3 ft sheet of ice hurtled at 60mph toward them in their vehicle.

 

[end rant]

 

so i was driving to school this morning and as i was on the exit lane to gsp, an approximately 2x3 ft sheet of ice flew off the top of a car ahead of me in the middle lane, got caught in the wind and drifted over to my lane. i was blocked to my left so i decided to speed up, but it hit me anyway. once i parked at school, i went out to check the damage. turns out there's a dent about the size of a D battery on the passenger's side, just above the corner of the window, where that "groove" is. no major scratches.

 

i asked a friend of mine and he said if the damage is what he thinks it is, they'd have to weld a rod onto the dent, and pull on it to pop the dent back out, cut the rod, sand the area and repaint.

 

anybody else had this happen to them? would that suction cup thing work? should i take it to the dealer? how much would it cost to do the rod method?

 

 

 

**UPDATE**

Ok, it's been months since this happened. It's spring and every time I think of giving my car a thorough wash/cleaning, I think of the dent and become discouraged.

 

There's a small pimple-like crack, and it looks like the clear coat is bubbling up(?). I asked my dad if I can take it to a body shop and he tells me to take it to Subaru and see if they can fix it.

 

First question that comes to mind is "they do body work?" and my dad says if it's under $500 it should be under warranty.

 

DOES Subaru deal with body work? My dealership is Lynne's in Bloomfield. And does anybody here know any good PDR or body shops around Clifton or Bergenfield/Paramus?

That happened to my best buddy when he lived in Toronto last year.

 

The ice block fell off the back of a semi and hit him right in the front grille and headlight. It seriously looked like he had hit a deer or something!

That dent sucks! Glad you are ok, though.

 

Probably wasn't the fault of the car or truck ahead of you. That stuff freezes on hard, and loosens up a bit after you put the heater on and drive for awhile. You saw what can happen next. A flat sheet in a 60 mph slip stream flutters like a leaf in the breeze - no way to predict it. You did the right thing, braced for the hit rather than swerve out of control trying to avoid it.

 

Good luck getting it pulled out!

Try PDR first if possible.

 

A good body shop will be able to evaluate if PDR will work or if you have to go with a body man.

 

PDR is about $100. If they have to do it the traditional method you are looking at $300+

 

Good luck.

Welcome to NJ

 

Last time when I was in Atlanta airport. I show my ID to the security, he said " New Jersey driver huh ." I just and keep walking.

Welcome to NJ

 

More like welcome to the North East People just clean the windows, get into their SUV's and off they go. Its like a snow/ice storm behind them, but hey its not their problem

 

Definitely try a PDR guy. I don't know why PDR people are so hard to find on the east coast considering all the inconsiderate door openers we have here, but find a good one and they should be able to fix it even if it is on the crease.

Glad you are okay..

 

Nothing pisses me off more than people who drive around with huge pieces of ice/snow on their car. I mean, if you are not physically able to clean it off, then I can understand..but to see perfectly healthy young and middle aged people driving around with just a small "window" of removed snow on their front windshield is ridiclous and extremely dangerous.

perfectly healthy

 

They have a bad case of lazyitis.

They actually passed a law last year in PA making it illegal to drive with snow covering your car. You only get fined if flying snow/ice from your vehicle results in a serious injury or a fatality -- property damage doesn't count, unfortunately. I guess it's a start though.

I was just ranting about this to one of my passengers when this exact thing happened not two cars in front of me this weekend. It almost happened to me on the way home last night, too.

 

People are stupid, lazy, and oblivious around here.

bump + update

Your dealer might have a body shop, but it's not typically associated with Subaru. For instance, one of the mega-dealership families in western PA (#1 Cochran) has a collision center, along with their numerous dealerships (GM, Saturn, Subaru, Saab, etc).

 

Try to find an experienced PDR guy first. It's cheaper and you don't have to crack into the factory paint (as crappy as it is, it's still better than repainting). Although if the paint is already damaged that might not be an option. Your next best bet will be to ask around and find a reputable paint & body shop. It might be located at a dealership, it might not be. Just don't assume a dealership based body shop will automatically be any better than an independent.