| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
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| rocker panel replacement for a 92 chevy lumina 4dr | 1/31/2009 | William Forster |
Q: i have a 92 chevy lumina 4dr that im planning to rebuild over the summer. the question i have is ...
A: The irony of your question is, a company in cleveland called Tabco makes rust repair panels for cars ...
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| repairing imperfections after sealer has been applied | 1/30/2009 | Gary |
Q: i am repairing a hood on a 1978 datsun 280z, i have repaired the dings and dents that were present, ...
A: You should be able to sand and re-apply the MP182 primer over the MP213. However, for the most ...
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| Partial powder coating of wheels | 1/30/2009 | Gary |
Q: I am getting some Ford fanblade wheels off a GT and want to powdercoat just the fanblades black and ...
A: Look at using a product made by POR-15 called Blackcote. It's extremely flexible, chip resistant, ...
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| vw body rust | 1/30/2009 | William Forster |
Q: I have an old 72' super beetle that is "chopped" to look like a baja bug. It probobly is not worth ...
A: You need to graft in a roof- a big job, at best. The only way to get rid of and stop rust is to cut ...
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| collison advice on 99 Silverado | 1/29/2009 | Mark Haben |
Q: I have a 99 Silverado pickup. Someone hit the rear end of the bed while it was parked at my son's ...
A: Kelly- It is hard for me to make a judgement on this when I can't actually see the damage. I do ...
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| Paint match | 1/29/2009 | Gary |
Q: I have a 08 Honda truck, color blue metalic, that was hit right front. Right fender, bumper, grill, ...
A: They are telling you the truth when they say "plastics paint different than metals and rarely do ...
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| Faulty Workmanship | 1/29/2009 | William Forster |
Q: My car was in a minor front end collision which damaged the bumper, grille and the radiator. The ...
A: Bobie, take it to a certified mechanic- not a transmission shop- and have them check for bent cooler ...
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| Body Repairs | 1/29/2009 | Gary |
Q: Is filler viable way to repair a minor dent in a rear quarter panel and door? Two shops I brought ...
A: 350 bucks sounds way too cheap to fix this type of damage. Usually it's not a good idea to use a ...
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| HONDA CIVIC FRAME RAIL SECTIONING | 1/28/2009 | William Forster |
Q: ON MY 2008 HONDA CIVIC EX 4 DR. SEDAN CAN THE RT. LOWER FRONT FRAME RAIL BE SECTIONED AND HOW IS IT ...
A: Yes, it can. The dealership can access Honda sectioning procedures to properly section the rail. One ...
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| being over charged | 1/27/2009 | Gary |
Q: ok this car cost $536 to fix but the guy is charging over $1000 in labor is this right
A: You should try to get a second estimate for the repair. I have often seen body shops be several ...
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| windshield | 1/26/2009 | William Forster |
Q: i have a scratch on my windshield that is not very deep and I think I could buff it out, could you ...
A: You need to call a glass company and have them buff it out. They have special buffers and diamond ...
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| yellow repaint | 1/25/2009 | Gary |
Q: I'm thinking of buying a car with new 2-stage black paint. Can I repaint with yellow without too ...
A: It can be done without too much trouble but it will be a big expense. Basically, you will need to ...
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| Faulty Workmanship | 1/24/2009 | William Forster |
Q: My car was in a minor front end collision which damaged the bumper, grille and the radiator. The ...
A: Bobbie, it's the job of transmission shops to sell transmissions and transmission rebuilds- not do ...
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| Collision repair | 1/20/2009 | William Forster |
Q: OK I was in an accident and insurance said it was a total loss but haven't came to look at it yet. ...
A: David, your prelude is totaled. It's next to impossible to get parts for this ancient honda through ...
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| Car Paint | 1/19/2009 | William Forster |
Q: Had a minor accident in my own driveway ... need your help. Seems to me that growing up, my dad had ...
A: It was probably just good old 3M super duty rubbing compound, and some good old elbow grease. If the ...
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| auto body repair | 1/18/2009 | Mark Haben |
Q: I Bought a certified used car , a few weeks later I noticed an "X" shaped crack in the rear lower ...
A: Sue- There are many reasons this may happen. My advice to you is to have it looked at by an ...
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| auto body repair | 1/18/2009 | William Forster |
Q: I Bought a certified used car , a few weeks later I noticed an "X" shaped crack in the rear lower ...
A: They didn't properly repair the filler cracks. The old filler needs removed entirely, and new filler ...
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| door and fender | 1/17/2009 | William Forster |
Q: It started yesterday, first off the driver side door would always pop after a certain point and now ...
A: Either the wind has caught the door and bent the hinges, or the hinges are weak from the factory and ...
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| F150 Ford Cab | 1/13/2009 | William Forster |
Q: Trying to re-mount the cab on a 1979 Ford F150. How do you align the cab to the fenders?I am told ...
A: You can also jostle around the radiator support. There is no guide book on how to align panels- You ...
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| auto body repair | 1/10/2009 | Gary |
Q: I have a 2008 Blk. Chevy Impala. My door was hit on the drivers side with another door and caused ...
A: 3M makes a product called 3M Ultrafine Swirl Eliminator that takes care of all swirl marks. Listed ...
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| milk spilled in cargo area of van | 1/9/2009 | Bob |
Q: Several weeks ago a gallon of milk opened in the cargo area of my 2008 Sienna. I took it to a ...
A: The detailer you took it to did not do you a favor. The pad should be replaced because it acts as a ...
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| Training | 1/9/2009 | William Forster |
Q: I wanted to get into the auto damage appraiser field and was told I need to be trained and licensed ...
A: You need to contact insurance companies and express your interest in becoming an adjuster. They can ...
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| Feather edging | 1/8/2009 | Gary |
Q: I have a 96 ranger with alot of body damage mainly on the bedside but also on the cab. I finished ...
A: I assume you are trying to get it flat and straight. You will need to get several coats of filler ...
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| Car exterior paint color | 1/8/2009 | Gary |
Q: I'm planning to buy a new 2008 Toyota Solara and am deciding between silver metallic or (dark) grey ...
A: Typically, the darker the color the more it will show scratches, dings, and dents. Black of course ...
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| 1998 Crown Vic Front Bumper | 1/7/2009 | Gary |
Q: Gary, I hope I'm taking this question to the right expert. I bumped into another car in a parking ...
A: To fix this most body shops will either plastic weld it or use a plastic adhesive to repair the ...
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| 2000 Ford F-150 Floor Pan Repair | 1/7/2009 | William Forster |
Q: I own a 2000 Ford F-150 that failed inspection due to a defective floor pan. It turns out the used ...
A: Lisa, you bought an 8 year old van from a car salesman- you should have taken it to an off site ...
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| 2004 Volkswagen Jetta | 1/6/2009 | Mark Haben |
Q: I had an accident in Aug 2008 impact was on the right front $8000 damage, insurance decided to ...
A: Jennifer- Unfortunately you have the burden of proof to show the insurance company that it is ...
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| repair hood-right door-fender | 1/3/2009 | Mark Haben |
Q: I accidently bumped into someone-my hood and hood cable need replacing. I purchased a hood from the ...
A: Suzanne- None of this is rocket science- but... You will need proper tools, access to an air ...
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| Repairing holes in body panels | 1/3/2009 | William Forster |
Q: I got an '87 El camino from my grand father that had bed rails attached. To make the lines of the ...
A: They need welded shut- period. Your only other option is to try to solder patches under them. If you ...
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| 04 Yukon Door gap | 1/2/2009 | William Forster |
Q: I have a 2004 Yukon and as I drive on the interstate I recently started noticing wind noise around ...
A: Take a large rubber mallet, and place it in the door jamb about where the striker meets the door ...
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| Holes in the Sub frame | 12/31/2008 | William Forster |
Q: I have a KIA Optima 2001. I just found out that there are 2 holds in the sub frame about a penny ...
A: You need to find someone to weld patches into the sub frame- try an independent body shop. Tell them ...
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| body repair single panel | 12/30/2008 | Gary |
Q: There is no paint damage and the area is about 6 inches square. I took it to a body shop who ...
A: Judging by the description you have given me there is no reason to blend adjacent panels. The color ...
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| Can'Get Hood Open | 12/30/2008 | William Forster |
Q: I have a hood that I can not get open.I made a mistake and now I do not know how to fix it. My car ...
A: Mel, I have no idea what sort of vehicle this is- that would help a little. The hood and hinges are ...
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| surface rust | 12/29/2008 | Gary |
Q: Will walnut shells remove surface rust? Are they good for paint removal? Can soda blast be used in a ...
A: I have a friend that does all types of blasting and uses walnut shell and phosphate primarily for ...
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| 1993 jeep cherokee floor rust repair | 12/29/2008 | Gary |
Q: ANSWER: Hi Anthony, If it's not a structural repair that should be fine. You might also consider ...
A: 3M recommends that if it is a structural repair it should be welded in certain areas. I personally ...
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| base coat clear coat | 12/29/2008 | Gary |
Q: i was wondering how long you should wait between base coat and clear coat painting. thanks jon ...
A: The code JKM is not the correct code for your truck. The paint stores most likely are using the KM ...
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| Auto Body Repair | 12/28/2008 | Gary |
Q: I have a 2008 Honda civic and a basketball net fell down and made a large dent by the edge where ...
A: Depends on how bad it is. Sometimes it may be cheaper to buy a new hood and re-paint than it would ...
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| cracked tail light on 2005 Buick Rendezvous | 12/28/2008 | William Forster |
Q: I have an '05 buick Rendezvous with a cracked tail light that is on the tail gate. My hubby bought a ...
A: The lenses aren't detachable- you have to replace the entire assembly if it had damaged ANYWHERE. If ...
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| Paint-number GMC VANDURA | 12/27/2008 | William Forster |
Q: I have a '85 GMC Vandura G25,and i am looking for the numbers of the original paint what's on de ...
A: Your van is a conversion van- the stripe colors are anybody's guess if the conversion company's ...
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| Lead seam | 12/26/2008 | Gary |
Q: I have a 1969 Camaro Coupe. I am replacing the full rear quarter. On the sale panel there is a ...
A: You can grind the lead seam off. I would use 3M's roloc grinding discs ...
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