1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Scratch/dent across two doors. Difficult repair?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Badass, Jan 4, 2016.

  1. Badass

    Badass Junior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 15, 2009
    12
    1
    0
    Location:
    England
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    My wonderful wife, under some seasonal duress, managed to pull out of our driveway without sufficient attention paid to her surroundings and scraped the left hand side of the Prius (2010) against the front right corner of the bumper on the Volvo.

    As a result there's now a long scratch (and some denting) down both left hand doors of the Prius, with a token amount of paint transfer on the left rear wheel arch.

    My local body shop had a look and said that due to the thin nature of the metal of the Prius doors, they couldn't do an effective repair, necessitating the purchase of two new doors to do the job properly. They were honest and open about how I might not be happy with the repair if they don't do this.

    My question is has anyone had similar issues repairing light body damage on Prius doors?
     

    Attached Files:

    #1 Badass, Jan 4, 2016
    Last edited: Jan 4, 2016
  2. catgic

    catgic Mastr & Commandr Hybrid Guru

    Joined:
    Jul 7, 2007
    586
    140
    1
    Location:
    HTTP 404 Not Found
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    Badass - Based upon what I see in your photos, that damage to the doors is very minor and can easily be repaired using body filler. The "...due to the thin nature of the metal of the Prius doors, they couldn't do an effective repair, necessitating the purchase of two new doors to do the job properly" assessment-estimate given by the body shop is suspect. Get other repair quotes from other shops.
     
    #2 catgic, Jan 4, 2016
    Last edited: Jan 4, 2016
  3. Caniac

    Caniac Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 29, 2007
    232
    164
    3
    Location:
    Happy Valley
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Not being a smart@ss but, have you seen the damage with the car washed? It's really hard to tell the extent of the damage done.
     
    solrunner likes this.
  4. IMkenNY

    IMkenNY Im just being nosy

    Joined:
    Mar 10, 2012
    477
    303
    6
    Location:
    Tropical Buffalo NY
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Four Touring
    I would try another repair shop, that damage looks repairable without door replacement.
     
  5. roamerr

    roamerr Member

    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2012
    135
    43
    0
    Location:
    Winston-Salem, NC
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I can't tell the damage but am certain it can be repaired with a light coat of filler. My wife backed into a friends Ford Focus in the exact same doors several years ago. Quote without replacing doors was $1100. Quote replacing doors was $2500. (2 different body shops).


    iPhone ?
     
  6. BZzap!

    BZzap! Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
    1,607
    877
    0
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Any reputable body shop can source used panels. There are plenty of them out there. It would cut costs by about 1/2. Your chance of finding the right color is also a good probability. Have a look on eBay. A complete door ranges about $600 or so. The only labor you would be for installation.
     
  7. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2013
    16,470
    8,383
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    This car is 6 years old and a repair would be the best option.....even if it doesn't turn out to be absolutely perfect. I don't see a problem using filler, the replacement door thing is crazy for this damage
     
  8. BZzap!

    BZzap! Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
    1,607
    877
    0
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    ^^^ Agree. Best option. Better yet, just drive it.
     
  9. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,714
    38,247
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    ^ Plus 2, for conventional repair, without door replacement. One reason, you can get into new problems with door replacement, at least that's been my experience: the bodyshop could NOT get the doors aligned, closing easily.

    Shop around, check reviews. A good bodyshop will repaint the entire side, and feather out the paint in such a way that you can't see a transition.
     
  10. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2013
    16,470
    8,383
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Mendel is correct. I recently replaced 2 passenger side doors on my 2008. I bought used doors from a salvage yard and put them on. Although it's fixed, it's not aligned perfectly and doesn't look perfect. But since my car is from 2008, I really didn't care.
     
  11. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2006
    7,028
    1,116
    0
    Location:
    South Jersey
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    V
    Reskinning the doors is another option. Wash the car so the damage can be inspected and get some more estimates, including the dealer.
     
  12. qdllc

    qdllc Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 25, 2013
    1,358
    396
    0
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    This. I've had it done on another vehicle where it was cheaper than a replacement door. Thickness of metal should not matter unless it would hinder cutting off the old and welding on the new.