Really need some advice.. (Bodywork/Repair - Pic Heavy)

[LeeLappage]

Hello all,
My poor clio is in a bit of a state really and has been for the entire time I've owned it!
Theres various scratches and dents/dings i would like to get sorted, i'm just after some advice on the best way to go about doing it.

Let me start by showing you the damage..


The Passenger side rear quarter panel - Don't ask me why, but when i first got the car there was a large scrape on this panel which i tried to repair myself (you can see where this is going..) it was down to the metal so i sanded, primed and sprayed the panel with rattle cans from halfrauds.. i then applied a decent amount of lacquer.. This was all outside in an open area on my drive because i was an idiot.

Below you can see the outcome, the entire rear quarter is a matte colour and it is very noticeable, It seems to be the same colour blue as my car it is just matte rather than gloss.. before you laugh at me i did actually apply lacquer and I've tried polishing afterwards with various products. To be honest i would rather take this into a body shop and get it resprayed properly to avoid anymore hassle.. I was just wondering how much you think this would cost roughly.. my friend works in a bodyshop and he said about £300 as its a full days work.. I was wondering if SprayShack or anybody would be able to help?

The Roof above the Passenger Door - I have NO idea how this happened or how it got here but its very annoying, this is the one i wanted advice on really, i can see bare metal and the paint is flaking as you can see, the area seems to be raised so its as if something has gone from inside the car up through the roof if that makes sense, its like a small outwards dent.. i was wondering if it would be better for me to sand down the area so its flat, fill the hole and apply primer to the area so when you run your hand across it you cant tell the difference, its completely smooth, then take it into a bodyshop? will it be worth doing? will it be a lot cheaper if i do the prep work? (You've seen above how good i am at this type of thing so it might not be the best thing to do i'm not sure?) If i did this then took it into a bodyshop for various parts to be sprayed all at once would it be cheaper? instead of taking it into the body shop a number of different times?

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The drivers side door - When the previous owner had the car he was reversed into by another car.. The wing mirror was replaced but nothing was done about the dent in the door.. it isn't massively noticeable but it is still there none the less.. there are also a few dents about the size of a penny but quite deep and noticable, and i have no idea how they got there? (Any ideas?) i was wondering if it would be better to try and source a new door or repair the all of damaged areas? you can't really see the damage very well in the pictures... Again, would the body shop repair this for me? any rough idea of cost for all of the damage I've mentioned?

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I would really appreciate it if you could give me some advice, I would just like to know if its worth me attempting prep work on the roof before sending it to a bodyshop, if i should get all the affected areas done at one time to save on costs? If its worth trying to re-do myself with my friends spray gun?
I really am quite stuck here and the above damage has been bugging me massively since i first got the car.. I am a little tight money wise as i am at college and working weekends.. I currently earn £600 a month but about half of that goes on fuel, savings account for insurance, phone bill etc..

- Lee

 

[Simon@SprayShack]

Hi Lee, im happy to give you some advise on the above body work issues, personally id get the roof sorted (as it will rust) and the 1/4 sorted out as obviously this is very obvious. The rest id have a mobile dent specialist look at sucking them out as im pretty sure the one on the mid of the drivers door will pop out.

*Any prices mentioned are guide prices and obviously without seeing the car its guess work really.


Roof....it will need the dent beating back assuming there is access from the inside (probably is), then sanding right back to bare metal in that area (a good sized area to make sure its good paint), re sealing off (epoxy with anti corrision protection), possibly skimming with filler depending on how the dent comes out (you can put filler direct to epoxy so its fine to seal first), priming, blendng then the whole roof lacquering. Obviously this will not be cheap, you could probably have a spot repair and a lacquer blend but really this isnt a great option (we wouldnt do this), esp if you dont want to see the repair but it depends what finish your after really. ~£300 +VAT for the roof assuming its a proper job...

1/4 Panel..bodyshop wise DIY repairs are a pain really ,as the whole lot thats been DIY painted will have to come off. As its rattle can paint, it may not be adhered properly (bad prep), it might react with professional products and generally might cause problems so its best to strip/ re-prep the panel. The whole 1/4 panel would be flatted / stripped back accordingly, any bare metal areas sealed with epoxy and then primed, sanded, blended and resprayed. Its likely with this colour if the paint match is good you will get away with not having to go into the door with the blend, its a solid colour from the pictures right? ~£200-300 for the 1/4 +VAT

Hope this helps.

 

[LeeLappage]

Thanks for your prompt reply, I am a bit shocked about the roof, i didn't realise it was that much of a big job. The quarter panel however I am please to hear it shouldn't be more than about £300-£360 (Inc VAT)

Just a shame you're 3 and a half hours away otherwise I'd come to you for the work!