Re: [DML] Grrr!

[Gus Schlachter <gus@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ed,

You do not need a new door.  During the DMCH open house, we were given a 
demonstration of stainless repair.  One of the tools at their disposal 
includes a stick that can tack-weld itself to the exterior of a panel to 
allow dents to be pulled out.  Once flat, the panel is retextured.  I've 
seen some pretty amazing before/after pictures, so as long as the 
stainless hasn't cracked it should be fixable, and maybe even then! People 
have welded a patch into the front-right fender antenna mast hole, and it 
looks perfect when done...amazing.

The question becomes relative cost.  There may other places that do 
stainless repair, and DMCH is halfway across the continent from where you 
are in Canada.  (Of course, some Canadians were giving aid in New Orleans 
before FEMA managed to get there, but that's another story.)  You could 
get a new door, but now you're looking at the R&R of the door, plus the 
R&R of everything inside the door, arrgh.  My worry would be getting it 
back on and aligned correctly.

So maybe your best bet is to send the whole car to a DeLorean shop up 
north near where you live, have THEM remove the door and ship it off to 
get repaired, and them let them reinstall it.  But who knows, maybe they 
can fix the stainless themselves!

You should:

  1. Find out shipping cost for the car to various locations (I'd guess 
$600 to $1500USD)
  2. Find out shipping cost for just the door (which is about 150 lbs!)
  3. Email photos to the vendors for a repair estimate

You may need to document several estimates and hound the insurance company 
to pay for the correct repair.  They will try to lowball you at every 
turn, and you must keep reminding them that "your client hit my DeLorean", 
"YOUR INSURED HIT MY DELOREAN".

At least you got the offender's info; when I got hit last month, I 
foolishly let the criminal party drive away.  :-(



Gus Schlachter
VIN #4695
Austin, Texas




dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote on 09/05/2005 12:53:36 PM:

> Well, it had to happen: yesterday, in a parking lot, a guy in a pickup 
> truck backed out of his spot without seeing me in my car (I was stopped 
> between two cars in a line-up), and despite the dozen or so blasts of my 

> horn and about five people standing around & yelling at him to stop, he 
> backed into my passenger mirror, resulting in a fist-sized dent just 
> below the mirror, and a scrape & crease from his bumper.  Luckily he was 

> going slowly, so the damage is not severe, but still, it sucks. 
> Especially since I've JUST retrieved my car from my mechanic's shop and 
> have been driving it for about a month!  Grr!  He took off when he found 

> out the police were called, because I could smell the Jack Daniels on 
> him from three feet away, but I did get all his info, so I presume he 
> was picked up in the meantime.  GRRR!
> 
> So, how hard is it to remove the dent?  (The crease may be there for 
> good, but I'd like to at least pop out the dented part).  It's directly 
> under the mirror, and looking at the door from the inside, in this area, 

> there doesn't seem to be any way to access the outer skin - it's covered 

> by the inner skin.  To fix it as new, I'm not looking at a new door, am 
> I??  Any tips would be very much appreciated; I don't want to make it 
> worse trying to hammer out the crease,etc.  I'd prefer to find somebody 
> who can fix me up, since my insurance deductible will cost about as much 

> as the body shop would charge.  I'm in Toronto, so any Canadian listers 
> who know of a shop who can work on the DMC would could please contact me 

> directly: mr.pants(at)ca.inter.net  telephone:416-752-6669
> 
> Also, I have some time off right now & I'd not be adverse to taking a 
> little trip across the border to one of the many shops/vendors on the 
> list who sell parts and stuff: if any of you do bodywork on the DeLorean 

> & can fix my dent, I'd certainly come down for a visit.  Plus vendors 
> may have spare doors or door skins, if there's such a thing and I'd be 
> happy to come down to do a swap or something... Again, please e-mail me 
> directly and I can send a photo if that'll help...
> 
> Thanks to all in advance...
> - ed 
> 
> 1982 DMC-12 (11594, still pretty even with her new scar!)




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