First experience dent and paint repair. Need help

[kazaroza90]

Hello everyone. And that's what I got from previous owner of car, not very big dent that start to destroy paint and rust came on it, so I'm pretty upset and understand that should do something with it.
So here is picture of the dent (it's clickable to see in zoom)

IMG_1739.JPG
Zoom version of photo #1 CLICK HERE

IMG_1740.JPG
Zoom version of photo #2CLICK HERE

And here is that I wished to know:

1.How to remove dent ? DIY only, I saw a lot of kits on amazon but don't trust without any reference of specialist.
2. Remove rust ? What kind of sanding I need ?
3.What kind of paintcorrection is better for price/quality.( duplicolor or something else) I know that it's better to repaint whole part but It would cost me a lot. So any suggestion would be appreciated from my side.

[Bob K]

This auto body repair stuff is a hobby for some of us, me included, a job for some of us and a profession for still others of us. For you on the other hand it looks like you want to do it to save money. I like saving money so I can’t fault you there but if this is the only repair you intend to do then I would advise you that you will not like the outcome unless you buy a lot of expensive tools.

To start with I would recommend that you take the car to two or three body shops and get a firm price to repair your car. You may be surprised at how little it could cost. If you can’t get an estimate you can live with and you want to do the work without expensive tools it is possible to do almost everything by hand. Let us know what you have for tools. An air compressor would be on top of my list of tools. A paint gun next. Then there is an endless list of nice to have tools. Compare the price of getting it done with the price of tools and filler, primer, surfacer, sandpaper and paint.

Bob K

[kazaroza90]

This auto body repair stuff is a hobby for some of us, me included, a job for some of us and a profession for still others of us. For you on the other hand it looks like you want to do it to save money. I like saving money so I can’t fault you there but if this is the only repair you intend to do then I would advise you that you will not like the outcome unless you buy a lot of expensive tools.

To start with I would recommend that you take the car to two or three body shops and get a firm price to repair your car. You may be surprised at how little it could cost. If you can’t get an estimate you can live with and you want to do the work without expensive tools it is possible to do almost everything by hand. Let us know what you have for tools. An air compressor would be on top of my list of tools. A paint gun next. Then there is an endless list of nice to have tools. Compare the price of getting it done with the price of tools and filler, primer, surfacer, sandpaper and paint.

Bob K

thank you very much for so warm reply!
I got your point and understand that here is the game of price/quality. And how much I should spent for tools to achieve desired result. But I saw some much advertising where people say that it so really easy to repair some scratches, dent and you not needed all this professional stuff like special build camera without dust etc.
I visited couple sites where people offer their paint that should match the body color.
Like this one site : CLICK HERE
So that's why I thought that I can do it by myself.
Anyway if I'm going fix the dent in body shop how much probably such kind of dent would cost ? Can I paint it with 99% of satisfaction or no then ?
Also I have air compressor, sanding materials and paint spray gun should not cost much as I understand.

[Len]

thank you very much for so warm reply!
I got your point and understand that here is the game of price/quality. And how much I should spent for tools to achieve desired result. But I saw some much advertising where people say that it so really easy to repair some scratches, dent and you not needed all this professional stuff like special build camera without dust etc.
I visited couple sites where people offer their paint that should match the body color.
Like this one site : CLICK HERE
So that's why I thought that I can do it by myself.
Anyway if I'm going fix the dent in body shop how much probably such kind of dent would cost ? Can I paint it with 99% of satisfaction or no then ?
Also I have air compressor, sanding materials and paint spray gun should not cost much as I understand.

In most production shops that dent would probably cost around $400 to $600 but if you can find someone working out of their garage it might only cost half as much.

[kazaroza90]

OMG 400-600$. I definitely wish to do it by myself. Why so much ? Is this really so nutcase or what

[Bob K]

Last week I filled a dent on the hood of my daughter’s car. I used $2 worth of filler but I already had paid $32 for about a 30 ounce container of Metal Glaze. Then I put about $1.00 worth of surfacer on it from a $35 container of surfacer I had on hand. Of course I had to buy a pint of paint for that car for $57.00 and I topped it off with $5.00 worth of clear coat that I took out of a $95.00 can of clear I have in the shop and I mixed that with about $3.00 worth of hardener I got out of a $25.00 can that also resided in my shop. So it cost me about $68 in materials but I still have some base coat left. I didn’t mention the etch primer I used and the other miscellanies supplies like the bag I covered the car with and the masking paper and tape I used. If I had to start with nothing I could easily need to buy $250 worth of supplies to get this done.

Like Len said in the second line you may be able to find a body man that would do it at his house for half price. Even using half of the $400 estimate that would give me $132 for my labor and I would be happy with that. The dent you have is similar to the one I did and you would be $50 ahead on the purchase of materials alone let alone buying tools.

That said, I still advocate doing it yourself if you like this as a hobby and have more than one dent to fix, but for a one time repair of a small dent you will never save money doing it yourself, and don’t get me started on the learning curve for filler and paint application. Just my opinion.

Bob K

[Henry]

OMG 400-600$. I definitely wish to do it by myself. Why so much ? Is this really so nutcase or what

What you don't know is how far into the car that ROT has traveled. The dent is the least of your trouble. That rot needs to be dealt with. If you plan to keep the car you shoule have some welding done to the area. I'm sure there is rot in other areas of that body just hiding and waiting to bust to the outside.

Henry