Tailgate Damage - Suggestions?

[N/A]

Now don't get all butt hurt over it my friend.

PDR is meant for things like door dings and hail damage. Not collision work. That is collision repair.

I could take a hammer to it and slap 15 lbs of Bondo on it and spray it with a can of shake and shoot and make it look "better". Better does not equate to right. ;-)

Not Butt Hurt at all, takes a lot more then that to piss me off.

Again, my comment was in reply to what the OP was asking for given the fact he was talking about just covering it up.

I am well aware of how to do body work, I have worked on show cars and done body work on them for a good chunk of my life. I have seen PDR guys work magic on panels that I originally thought were unfix-able without body work. I have seen 2" deep creased dents on a body lines removed to the point you could not tell they were ever there. Maybe my PDR guy is the best guy on the planet, I don't know. I just know what he can do, and he could get a good portion of that tailgate out. As I said in my original comment there is stuff there that wont come out with PDR, but given the OP was talking about covering it up, I thought it was a valid suggestion (still do)

 

[EasyAndy]

Sorry to hear about the damage to your 4Runner, I had to have the lift gate replaced a couple years ago due to someone backing into me. Below are the prices and labor amounts for install and paint I was quoted.

1. Lift Gate $888.17
2. Labor to repair 9.4 hrs @ $48 an hour
3. Labor to Paint 4 hrs @ $78 an hour (Includes $48 and hour for paint labor and $30 and hour for paint supplies)
4. Total is $1651.37

Couple things to consider... My 4Runner is blizzard pearl so paint labor is probably a tad higher that yours would be because of that, as well as "Paint Supplies" which they charge by the hour. Didn't look where you live but everything seems to be pretty expensive in Denver so it may be cheaper in other parts of the country. Hope this helps.

 

[rjmckay99]

Not saying this will work for sure, since you have multiple dents and creases at different angles. But I took out a door dent with a can of compressed air and a hair dryer. There are some youtube videos on it, but basically you super cool the metal with the compressed air (keyboard cleaner stuff) then hit it right away with the hair dryer on high. Small dent popped right out for me, your results may vary. Best case it improves things slightly, worst case you're out $5 for a can of air.

 

[Peyto]

PDR is meant for things like door dings and hail damage. Not collision work. That is collision repair.

I am well aware of how to do body work, I have worked on show cars and done body work on them for a good chunk of my life. I have seen PDR guys work magic on panels that I originally thought were unfix-able without body work. I have seen 2" deep creased dents on a body lines removed to the point you could not tell they were ever there. Maybe my PDR guy is the best guy on the planet, I don't know. I just know what he can do, and he could get a good portion of that tailgate out. As I said in my original comment there is stuff there that wont come out with PDR, but given the OP was talking about covering it up, I thought it was a valid suggestion (still do)

Based on my experience you both could be right.

Most PDR shops in my part of the world won't agree to even try a job like that because as [MENTION=29011]Blitzkrieg[/MENTION] points out, it's well beyond the general scope of what PDR does. That being said, a good PDR guy can work magic and get it looking pretty damn good, albeit not back to new condition.

So you could probably find a shop that would do it, and they might be able to get it looking a whole lot better, but it will still be pricey for that much work at which point you'll have to decide if it makes more sense to get get the tailgate replaced at a body shop or go through insurance.

 

[flyrv9]

FWIW I wouldn't rule out a junkyard tailgate without checking. As most accidents involve the front end of a vehicle; there might be one out there for you. It would be a good cost check too. Most large yards are all inventory linked; so by checking one, you can check several. I guess the way I would do it, would be to research all the options and pick the one I like best.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

...As I said in my original comment there is stuff there that wont come out with PDR, but given the OP was talking about covering it up, I thought it was a valid suggestion (still do)

Fair enough.

I guess my point is if a person has a beat up vehicle they may not really care, but OP appears to have a nice T4R and if insured I would want perfection out of it after repair.

Admittedly I am a perfectionist and if that happened to my T4R it would probably be getting a new tailgate, even if on my dime.

 

[emmantik]

I've seen videos floating around the internet where people poor a pot of boiling water on the damaged area making it malleable enough to pop back in place with just your hands. I'm pretty sure you could find a few vids on youtube. Hope it helps! Good luck!

 

[Mistaken]

Get it fixed from a reputable body shop and move forward. It sucks it happened but covering it up or trying to get it fixed the best you can sucks worse. You'll always see it and always know its there. Fix it right, the first time.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

I've seen videos floating around the internet where people poor a pot of boiling water on the damaged area making it malleable enough to pop back in place with just your hands. I'm pretty sure you could find a few vids on youtube. Hope it helps! Good luck!

Not with creases like it has my friend. Not going to happen.

You'll be in the hospital with 3rd degree burns and a melted bumper before that damage comes out with boiling water. ;-)

 

[CoMtn4Runner]

Be careful filing a claim, as your insurance company may end up jacking up your rate and you will end up paying more in the end than you would have had you paid out of pocket. It may be better to have a local repair shop do it out of your own pocket to avoid the claim on your record...

 

[daddyscar]

Be careful filing a claim, as your insurance company may end up jacking up your rate and you will end up paying more in the end than you would have had you paid out of pocket. It may be better to have a local repair shop do it out of your own pocket to avoid the claim on your record...

Plus there's a chance the carfax report on your car will show an accident history.

 

[jdtaylor42]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and replies. I checked into multiple options today.

1) Body shop says they would need to replace lift-gate as it is too much damage to smooth out. Cost is well above my deductible so it would go on insurance

2) Paintless Dent Repair I talked to said they could pull the main dents but the ripples caused by the bicycle pedal would not smooth out and would still be noticeable

3) Wife says no to getting a bumper to cover it up lol :yield:

4) I called and checked online inventories of AZ salvage yards and no one has a lift-gate I could get. I checked with Toyota and the bare lift-gate is just over $900 and then I would still have to pay to have it painted and transfer everything myself

So I will be going with insurance and replacing the lift-gate with a new one. Progressive is supposed to come do their damage assessment this week so I can get the process started. I am not too worried about rates being affected since my rates are DIRT cheap. I only pay $60/month for me and my wife and I am a "Diamond Member" of Progressive :naughty:

I will post once it's all complete. Again thanks for everyone's input

 

[991-GT3MJK]

Time for a gobi ladder and a roof rack! :boink:

Only if he has 12weeks to wait !!