Well folks,

Looks like I am the first casualty of rude and people of no class..

As I was exiting a store, I witnessed a lady fly open her Murano door and hit the right back side of my 8. OH THE HUMANITY. Before I could get out to stop her or even take a license plate she was gone like a bat outta hell.

Now I am left with a beautiful ding on the right side of my 8 just after the freestyle door but RIGHT on the car's bodyline. This absolutely bites. I could kill that lady if I saw her again. :mad:

Anyhow, I took it to a dent shop to get a professional opinion. His estimate was $390 or so, which really didnt bother me as much as what he said he would need to do.

Because of where the ding was and how sharp it is (imagine someone took a nail and placed it on the bodyline and tapped it with a hammer) the only solution is to drill it and pull it out. With this, he would have to repaint the entire section (a good portion of the back quarter and the freestyle door) to blend the paint throughout as just painting the drill spot would be very obvious.

Now I dunno what to do. Should I leave it as is and live with it, or should I go ahead with the operation. Man this really sucks. The guy says he promises it'll look like new, and will take 3 days. However, I'm not so certain he can match the Titanium Grey with it's special blue hue and all. I guess I'm lucky it's not Velocity Red, because I know that would be even harder.

Fellow 8 owners and future owners.. give me some guidance..
:(

Don't let him do the job unless he can source genuine Mazda Titanium Grey paint (very likely he can) and then suffer for 3 days whilst he restores your car. I've seen amazing paint jobs on damaged cars and if he's as good as he says (perhaps get some references from owners of cars that he's worked on before - if he's good he'll give you names) then it'll be as good as new. That scratch will be a thorn in your side if you don't sort it out and after all this time your car deserves better.

I REALLY feel for you and I'd be gutted (as we say here)! Best of luck to you with sorting this out.

christ... some people, huh??? i mean, for god's sakes, that's WHY there's such a thing as ACCIDENT INSURANCE...

that's really too bad man.

i'd say go for it.

oh man, sorry about that, Nut...that's aweful, especially on a brand new car...i dunno what i'd do if i were you...i mean it's happened to me too but about a year after i bought my car and they had to repain the whole back quarter panel...they didn't do a very good job matching the paint...

i guess it all depends on just how bad the ding is...your car is silver so scratches and imperfections won't show as much as say, a black car...but i KNOW how you feel now that it's not as perfect as when you first got it...oh do i know that feeling...

:( :( :(

Yup it sucks alright.. everytime I sit in the car that's all that comes to mind. It's frustrating..

I'll probably do as Lensman said and ask if they're able to get the genuine Titanium Grey. I hope they can.. if not, I dont think they can match that blueish hue that the T.Grey has.. even if they say they have computer matching.. no offense to the repair man.

But what do I know.. I'm no auto paint specialist.. :(

Make sure he uses Titanium Grey code 29Y. The RX-8 colour is apparently unique and not the colour used on the Mazda-6 or the Miata with the same name but different codes.

Originally posted by Lensman
Don't let him do the job unless he can source genuine Mazda Titanium Grey paint (very likely he can) and then suffer for 3 days whilst he restores your car. I've seen amazing paint jobs on damaged cars and if he's as good as he says (perhaps get some references from owners of cars that he's worked on before - if he's good he'll give you names) then it'll be as good as new. That scratch will be a thorn in your side if you don't sort it out and after all this time your car deserves better.

I REALLY feel for you and I'd be gutted (as we say here)! Best of luck to you with sorting this out.

I second this

That really sucks. I feel for you and we all dread that first dent or ding.

DeBug

Even in Hawai there's this crap. I would expect it here, where some cars look like they went through a dryer full of ball bearings.

When I lived in a small town in norther Arizona years ago some one hit my car when it was parked, not bad damage. I found there when I got back and apologized and paid for the repair up front. So, not all people are A-holes, just most of them.

I would have it fixed for 2 reasons, you'll get pissed every time you look at it and life is too short and second if moisture gets in under the paint is can do some damage. You do live in a state surrounded by salt water.

Sucks, sucks, sucks.
I started a thread (http://www.rx8forum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6338) a while back anticipating my RX-8 arrival and subsequent damage caused by idiots.

Originally posted by RomanoM
I would have it fixed for 2 reasons, you'll get pissed every time you look at it and life is too short and second if moisture gets in under the paint is can do some damage. You do live in a state surrounded by salt water.

Two very good reasons.. thanks.

Anyone know Mazda people personally? If so, can you find out if Titanium Grey 29Y is hard to get? On the surface it looks like regular ol' gun metal grey type.. but as we all know, in the sun it's different.. I figure if the repair guy says he can't get it, maybe I can try to get and give it to him.. :(

How bout ibfubar and a warranty dude check? hehehe..

I'm trying my dealer, but they dont know at the moment..

Originally posted by RX-Nut
Because of where the ding was and how sharp it is (imagine someone took a nail and placed it on the bodyline and tapped it with a hammer) the only solution is to drill it and pull it out. With this, he would have to repaint the entire section (a good portion of the back quarter and the freestyle door) to blend the paint throughout as just painting the drill spot would be very obvious.
Sounds like you took it to a body shop. Try a Paintless Dent Repair shop. I've seen PDR folks work absolute miracles on dents that you would think were there for all time. Your dealer can probably recommend one if you don't know of any in your area. But get a second opinion for sure.

Actually that's where I went.. a PDR shop. He was saying it wouldnt be a good candidate for PDR as the ding is pretty sharp. He said it might crack or bubble up when pushed back out.. :(

Hey Nut,

That recount made all of our collective RX-8 stomachs ache. So sorry to hear that, I would be soo mad too... :mad: Well, you did the right thing, killing the person would not be worth it. ;) I just wish people treated each other with more respect...

Originally posted by brothervoodoo
Well, you did the right thing, killing the person would not be worth it. ;)

How about a little smackin' around? Hehe.. I know a guy who knows a guy.. :D

Originally posted by RX-Nut


How about a little smackin' around? Hehe.. I know a guy who knows a guy.. :D

I'm glad that you ask! Fat Tony is having a special on smackin' this week.
http://www.duffgardens.net/fattony1.gif

Ahh.. more queasy..

Well the PDR guys said they wont be able to get the Mazda paint, but are DuPont certified. They will take my VIN and do something to computer color match the paint. Hmm..

So I ask even if there is a special blue hue to it? They didnt seem phased by that as they reply, that shouldnt be a problem.

Arrrgh.. anyone know what kind of paint Mazda uses? Is it DuPont?!?

Aaaaaaaaaaaaack!!! Funny how such a tiny little thing can cause so much brain damage. It's almost stupid if you really think about it. But on the flip side.. it's my baby! Heheheh :(

Man, that hurts, I always park across two spaces, if people don't like it, too bad.

This brings up a question I haven't seen addressed or I have missed it. Just how good is he sheet metal on these skillets?

I hate people that do that to you!

My brand new tiburon it was 1 month old at the time. I parked at a mall. When I came out the entire front driver side bumper was pushed in! I'm lucky it didn't crack anything, so I pushed it out but it doesn't really line up properly anymore :( Been like that for 3 years, I just hope when I return at lease end I don't have to buy a new bumper, and pay to have the metal pulled out!

I really don't think they will notice, it's not too bad, although over time it's getting worse.

I have a dent similar to the one you are describing here. Happened at the dealership! I went to pickup my car and it had this huge dent in it! They pulled it out but now the paint is cracked. GRRR

Yea, you can see very faint cracks in the paint at the "apex" of the ding.. I can only imagine it will get worse with time or through the routines of waxing I might aggravate it more..

DAMN.

Aw Nut, I'm so sorry to hear this. Just unbelievable, that someone would NOT be taking care when opening doors, especially when their own car is relatively new. When (or if) she saw what she whacked, she probably freaked out. Or maybe not. Some people, careless and clueless.

Ten years ago, a lady clipped my door while it was open, in a parking lot. The entire door and front fender needed repairs. (The color of my Eclipse was actually very similar to the RX-8's Titanium Gray -- I think Mits called it Modena Silver). The shop guy was very confident he could match the color exactly, not that I had much choice, my door wasn't closing properly. It turned out surprisingly good, the color and metallic was pretty much the same. The thing I thought did look different was the clearcoat. I just thought it didn't look as shiny as the original. He added another clear layer, and feathered it slightly to the rear panel, and it looked much better. The downside was the feathered section felt slightly rough to the touch.

Best of luck with the repair, hope it comes out good as new.

Have you thought about taking it to a Mazda dealership to get the ding repaired? It might be more expensive, but they will probably be able to match the paint exactly.

Also, some dealerships don't do in-house body work. See if you can find out which shop in town supports your Mazda dealership and go straight to them to save some cash.

I'm getting conflicting information about the paint code since I posted to this thread. There are other (older) threads on the forum discussing the colour and its relationship to that of the Mazda6 and the Shinsen Miata/MX-5 Phoenix and the final conclusion was (based in info from Mazda USA) that the colours were all different. However people who claim to know are telling me different so does ANYONE have a definitive answer?

True.. well I would assume since Mazda uses a different color code 29Y than the other greys it would be different. But that's just an uneducated guess.

As for my fate, I am still uncertain they can match up the paint seeing as they say they wont get Mazda Genuine.

Has anyone here dealt with a "DuPont Certified" shop? All they said was they would use my VIN and bam! The color will be computer matched..

Originally posted by RX-Nut
True.. well I would assume since Mazda uses a different color code 29Y than the other greys it would be different. But that's just an uneducated guess.

As for my fate, I am still uncertain they can match up the paint seeing as they say they wont get Mazda Genuine.

Has anyone here dealt with a "DuPont Certified" shop? All they said was they would use my VIN and bam! The color will be computer matched..


It depends on the paint supplier. Mazda may actualy get their paint from Dupont or maybe PPG. Those are the 2 biggest suppliers in the world.

I guess you need to do more homework.

My body shop is a PPG shop and they always do a great job, but that is no guarantee that your shop will or that Dupont matches Mazda paint as well as PPG meets BMW paint.

I'd contact Mazda and see if they are willing to tell you who supplies the paint. Can't hurt.

My thoughts exactly.. I emailed the rx8orders group yesterday.. no response as of yet..

Do you think I should be emailing someone other than rx8orders?

Originally posted by RX-Nut
My thoughts exactly.. I emailed the rx8orders group yesterday.. no response as of yet..

Do you think I should be emailing someone other than rx8orders?

I was able to find out the 2002-2003 Mazda cars that use PPG paint, 323, 626, 929, Bongo, Lantis, pickup, C200, MB, S280, S320, 3836. No Miata or Mazda6 or RX-7, unlikely the RX-8 has PPG paint.

contact PPG or Dupont to through the their websites.

http://automotive.dupont.com/en/index.html

www.ppg.com

I would also suggest contacting the Mazda dealership you bought it from. If they don't have an in-house repair shop, then then they must have a "Mazda Authorized Repair Shop" or something like that in town. Or if all else fails, maybe you could find out from the repair shop how much paint he needs, then somehow get that paint from the Mazda dealership for him...

Thanks for the tip Morbo.. I'll try to see what my dealer might have.. or can do..

Originally posted by commentator
I always park across two spaces, if people don't like it, too bad.
Assholes like you suck. I'm surprised your car hasn't been keyed because of selfish behavior like this.
________
Lovely Wendie (http://www.lovelywendie99.com/)

Originally posted by PUR NRG

Assholes like you suck. I'm surprised your car hasn't been keyed because of selfish behavior like this.

Asshole? Or it could be a reaction to assholes who don't bother to look when opening a door, or use your bumper as a parking aide, or decide that they must scrape the corner of your bumper when entering a parking space.


Sometimes poor behavior is a reaction to even poorer behavior.

Originally posted by PUR NRG
Assholes like you suck. I'm surprised your car hasn't been keyed because of selfish behavior like this. I'd never key a car, or permanently damage one in any way, but I have been known to fold in the mirrors on cars that double-park like that, or on trucks that insist on hanging their ass out the end of a "compact car only" spot, just to make a point. Have to do both sides, of course, so it's obvious it wasn't just knocked by someone walking past. ;)

True that Romano.. it's sad really.. As the Merovingian says.. cause and effect..

Even before I owned a driver's license I always made sure I never touched the other car as I exit a vehicle. Even if I have to twist and contort just to get out.... I mean it's just common sense, courtesy, and class. :o Oh wells.

Agreed with comments above, cause and effect, snaging two spots causes a certain element to react. No way to win, just act civil... "Can't we all just get along."

**geeezz**

That really sucks Nut, I really do feel sorry for ya. Hope you can get that fixed up soon. Well, you got to, its your first dent in your new 1 month old car !

On another note, you see, a lot of people really do not have any care for cars. For them, really, a car is a car, if it gets them from point A to point B, they are happy. So when these kind of people hit your car, I bet some of them are not really A-holes but just that it doesn't occur to them that this is actually a damage on someone elses' property. So they say "ooopps" and then walks away.

Next time if you see someone hit your car, HIT YOUR PANIC button right away! Sound the alarm, let them know IT IS a big deal and approach them. Tell them nicely that they have cause damaged to your car and you'll need to repair it.

Otherwise, a lot of these people will hit your car go "oooopps" and walk. If you sound your alarm, at least they will know that they did something they are not suppose to.

Anyhow, good luck for everyone, I hope everyone will get their first dent in some other less painful ways.


;) ;)

Ouch. I feel for ya man. It's like watching a guy get hit in the nuts(no pun intended), you get sympathy pains. I hope you get it fixed and it looks like new again. Ouch

To those that care, I found out who makes our paint. From rx8orders to PPG to DuPont, they all said the paint for the RX-8 is from Nippon Paint in Japan.

The paint is special in the way they apply it. It is baked onto the car body, before anything else is on it. Meaning I couldnt do it again as the heat they use would melt everything else on the car. :(

Most are not sure if Nippon Paint offers Refinish paint. Even if they did, I don't know if I could get some of it. Each Mfr (DuPont, PPG) seems to say that their technology can match any color in existence.

Well, back at square one.. Either live with it or, take a leap of faith into this day and age's paint matching technology and fix it.

At any rate, I'll probably take some time to mull over it. I'll post back whether or not I do it. IF I do, I'll try to post before and after pics. That way you all can either laugh at the tiny thing I fret over, or feel the pain of the nut squash... heheheh

Thanks!

Originally posted by RX-Nut
Well, back at square one.. Either live with it or, take a leap of faith into this day and age's paint matching technology and fix it.If it were me, I'd be asking the PDR folks to give it their best shot with their paintless techniques. OK, the paint will still be cracked, but it'll look a zillion percent better and will tide you over until you decide whether you want to get it repainted or you can live with the crack.

Can they paint a sample panel using their matching technique, allowing you to examine the finished result before doing it on your car? They may charge you for it, but it might be worth it.

you may still want to fix it. someone made a comment about salt water getting under the paint. he had a couple good points. maybe you should do it t would be better to take care of it now instead of having more mady damage or body rust/cancer in the future. still sucks though!

Ahh.. good idea.. I'll try the paint sample deal..

Thanks for all your kind words and ideas.

Well folks, I took the plunge. My baby is in the O.R. getting the body fixed.

I am currently praying to all the rotary gods and gurus that my car comes out OK, perfect, just like new.. This is day 2 of surgery.. and I'm in a rental Chevy Cavalier waaah. :( I'm scared s#!tless, that I will faint when I see the finished car.. and god forbid a horrendous sight http://www.rx7club.com/forum/images/smilies/Eyecrazy.gif

I wish I could have taken some pics for you all but my P.O.S. digi cam just crapped out me. Never let anyone borrow your $h!t...

http://www.rx7club.com/forum/images/smilies/tear.gif

I'm sure your 8 will look fine when its done

yeah RX-Nut, just take a breather man. cooler heads always prevail.

rental Cavalier you say?? heh heh, this is only one of those experiences which can enrich your enjoyment of the car. revel in the glory of your wankel's return :D

Originally posted by RX-Nut
[B]I'm in a rental Chevy Cavalier waaah.

Hey, I used to travel a lot and usually got stuck with a base GM or Dodge car, if I was lucky I'd get a Nissan Altima, and after getting home back into the BMW it was like falling in love all over again!

Distance truly makes the heart grow fonder!:D

hehe ya, thanks doods..

That Cavalier is a joy.. it's fun making the tires squeal hahahah

I am in the same boat. I had my car a couple days when a friend of mine pointed out a "Door Ding" when we stopped at the shop to get my eclipse shade installed... It still pisses me off everytime I see the little crease.

Originally posted by PUR NRG

Assholes like you suck. I'm surprised your car hasn't been keyed because of selfish behavior like this.

I guess you have never had someone hit your pretty new car when it was three days old. It is people like you who cause people who enjoy having a nice car park in strange ways.

Daaamn.. you're honorary member number 3. Chuck Clifford is number 2. Join me in a double finger Stone Cold Stunner salute to all those pr!cks out there.

I hope it's fixable. What's an eclipse shade?

Anyhow, I just got mine back and it's somewhat good as new. If you have a very sharp eye, you can make out the slight change in hue of the grey. The right rear quarter of the car's grey is skews slightly to a bit darker grey. At a quick glance, you really can't tell. But if you sit there and compare real close it'll jump out at ya.

It still hurts for me to see it like that but at least the dent is gone. I can say the dent used to REALLY jump out at you versus this new off tint grey.

Oh wells.. this is one club you dont want to be in..

Originally posted by RX-Nut


I hope it's fixable. What's an eclipse shade?



Oh wells.. this is one club you dont want to be in..

Below is a link to their site. One of the guys in Dallas that bought an 8 told me about them. I really like it!


http://www.sos-inc.org/eclipse_sun_shades.htm