I made it 1 year with out one ding, an immediate concern of mine since the Toyota aftermarket moldings well look stuck on. One year one day I got my first ding, not from a door, my guess is some type of overnight bag, above level of door handle on rear door at front of door. I took it to a detail shop, who in turn called in somebody, the ding was removed from the inside of the door, only a minor scuff in the clear coat if you look at it from a particular angle with just the right light. I am believer some dings can be removed without paint work, which I probably would not have done, non factory work always ages differently. By the way it cost $100. I could have gotten cheaper on my own, but it was already getting detailed, so I let them arrange it.

 

Sorry about the ding. I can feel your pain. I hate that feeling when your pristine, unblemished new car gets its first wound. My TCH just made it through one year without any wounds, but alas like clockwork, yesterday, as I was parking in an underground garage, I severely scraped the outside edge of the passenger side view mirror against a concrete column when I was parking in a tight space. A large section of paint was scraped off the edge of the mirror housing, but at least the mirror didn't break off. It's embarrassing, as I thought I was being careful. I wonder how much it will cost me to paint it...

 

nah, come on now, do not worry about painting the mirror (is not metal to rust), just get a good touch up and you will be fine and wait until it breaks and then replace it...

 

What's the deal with the Ding Club? My first door ding, on the driver's side rear door, also appeared about a year of perfect dinglessness. I also had a rock fly off the hood, and a windshield ding. I've had my three. Now I want a break.

 

From experience mine and others on Toyota's mirrors, and other some other parts, come painted, and may be cheaper just to replace. Models made in Japan are generally eaiser to replace because the plugs are just behind the cover on the inside of the door. Some US made models you need to remove the door panel. One dealership I order parts from that discounts is Butler Toyota, Bob Luper 800-921-2851. Discounts range from 20-28%. Dealerships that are on the higher side of the discount range tend to make it up on shipping.

Suggestion for all car makers the mirrors should fold both ways, try pulling out of my garage with my wife’s Sienna, three inches clearance on each side, and that is if you pull in equally, power folding not available in 2004.

 

My husband backed my less than 2 month old TCH into a gigantic rock while on vacation. Ding doesn't begin to describe it.

 

After about one month of ding free ownership, I had a shopping cart hit my front bumper, and it left a quarter size dent in the bumper shell.

Just a few weeks ago, I was messing with the nav, and backed into a pallet of construction materials on a jobsite, now I have a foot long scratch and crease in my rear bumper.

I also have a couple door dings where large SUV doors have swung and bashed my doors. The bump strip would have done no good for those dings, as they are all about 3" below the windows.

Guess I can forget having a nice car now. Oh well, it is saving me money and wear and tear on my truck.

 

Lou is right. Paintless dent repair methods can repair minor dings and even some pretty good sized ones well -- as long as the finish isn't cracked or chipped. I had one shallow dent the size of a baseball removed successfully (I think it was actually a baseball that hit my car).

The cost isn't that much compared to a conventional body repair method of using body filler and repainting the panel.

Most body shops now have PDR techs that come around on a regular basis to repair such minor dents.

 

I had one in my truck that was the size of a head. They were able to pop it out, and you would never know it was there in the first place now.

Now the person who hit their head on the truck, probably remembers it. Too bad I did not see that.

 

I have what appears to be a scrape on the bottom edge of the lock button on the driver's door...plus a few little dings from who knows where...I try to park next to other new cars, but sometimes they move and an old beater takes it's place and those drivers don't care!

Barb