Repairing a dent in an aluminium door panel - advice please

[MarkMas]

Someone put a 400mm crease and a small dent into my door panel which needs fixing.



I have had a quote from a (recommended) guy who gets in behind and massages out the dent for about £500 - he says it won't be perfect but will be 'very good'.
And I've had a quote from my local (recommended) bodyshop for sanding, pulling and respraying for about £400 - he says it will look great as its black and just one whole panel.

Which do people think would be a better approach (on a 2009 daily-driver 'industrial' non-concours QP)? Or is there another option? Or does anyone have a 'wizard' they recommend in the Bristol/Swindon/Worcester area?

 

[Ebenezer]

Are the doors aluminium? - Thought only the bonnet was?
Eb

 

[MarkMas]

Are the doors aluminium? - Thought only the bonnet was? Eb

It seems that the front doors are aluminium, like the bonnet and boot. The rear doors are steel.

 

[Scaf]

Personally I would go for the traditional repair on a dent like that.

I had a smaller version removed from my wife’s car - looked perfect at first but I can see it clearly now.

 

[safrane]

What Maserati will do to get close to 50/50 weight distribution is interesting.

 

[conaero]

My dent massager Justin would do that for £150 and it would be near perfect. Shame your not down on the Coast.

I would agree that the dent man is the way to go first but as the rule always goes, some are better than others.

 

[outrun]

Just had 6 tiny dents removed from my Mini for £70 (trade price from a friend). I'd say that £500 is highway robbery, does the guy wear a mask and ride a horse?

 

[lifes2short]

nothing short of perfect would really pee me off regardless at that sort of money, I would go down the traditional method with those and it's cheaper, no brainer

 

[CatmanV2]

Dent guy seems over priced as others have mentioned. I paid nothing like that for what looked like gravel dents on my 4200

Given those options, though, traditional method would be my choice

C

 

[MarkMas]

UPDATE:
Finally got this sorted. My local bodyshop did the dent and crease for £300 - seems like a perfect job.
They also removed and repainted my rear bumper as I had ruined the finish on that by backing into a wall because the parking sensors were flucked (again). Another £300.
But the good news was that they could fit a replacement sensor while the bumper was off (got a used one from Eurospares).
But the bad news was that on the day that I picked up the car from the bodyshop, I was parked on the street that evening and someone (wierdly) scratched a small 'Z' on the boot lip. So that will be another forking £300! WTF?

 

[lifes2short]

I was parked on the street that evening and someone (wierdly) scratched a small 'Z' on the boot lip.

that sort of thing really fooks me off, people that key cars should be strung up by the balls

 

[Scaf]

Accidental damage I can live with, damage caused by carelessness like door dings are a fact of life and so I have to live with it, but deliberate damage / vandalism gets right up my goat !!

 

[MarkMas]

that sort of thing really fooks me off, people that key cars should be strung up by the balls

It's a strange deep little scratch about here:



(real pics tomorrow).

Frankly, it looks like someone was trying to fork the car with their belt buckle still on....

Certainly not a vicious extensive keying, but much more subtle. But damaging nonetheless. Weird.

I really should get a dash cam.

 

[Lozzer]

Accidental damage I can live with, damage caused by carelessness like door dings are a fact of life and so I have to live with it, but deliberate damage / vandalism gets right up my goat !!

Damaged caused by carelessness like door dings are something I can definitely not live with. These people should be shot.