Yup my fault and a gouge/dent... didn't know the extent until I saw it in the daylight.
Do you think I could get the bottom 6 inches or so sprayed w/ the same black texturized stuff that is on the door posts and door handles?
That way I wouldn't have to repaint the whole panel.

Dave

 

Hey, if that parking situation is going to be permanently that tight, why not use the first dry weekend to "Improve Survivability of Parking Spot" ??
A couple of handyman tasks could make life much better / safer for the future:
1) Build a "feeler" for the retaining wall - concrete bolt a whip antenna flag with a tennis ball on it to your "last safe parking line" so you get better visual confirmation of how far over you need to be - or bolt a 2x4 to the concrete to guide your tire at that same "last safe distance"
2) Protect yourself from the sharp of that low retaining wall - bevel chip away the sharp leading edge corners - or perhaps even line it with hard plastic to reduce "the bite" if you contact it (that plastic barrel in the picture could be sacrificed into some good plastic sheets)

(I guess it's out of the question to expedt the wife to trade-in Subaru for Harley - which after all would fit better...)

 

Last night I was getting my ducks in a row to add a row of 12 inch belgian block so the wife can feel the bump bump bump and know she is over far enough...problem is a sprinkler head in the corner of the driveway... I'll mess with that later. But I like the 2x4 to bump my tire over as a fail safe.

My body guy retired last year I gotta find out if the new owner is gonna help me out here.

later,

Dave

 

sucks, but scratches and dents are something that happen most likely at some point, seems the more you car and harder you try to keep it perfect then something will happen

 

BS they have to paint the whole panel, there is a body line there they can use that back taping or that stuff they put on so the clear doesn't stick so much and you can buff it out almost like feather edging....especially way down there on the truck. Had it been up at the top of the wheel well then...............or maybe its the colour but with base clear that doesn't matter any more, Anybody it seems can paint, body shops spend more time buffing than painting is what I am told by my friend who works in a body shop. He said he has saved so many paint jobs its not funny and this is who is giving me this info about your repair.

 

I am going to change my opinion on this, you may have to paint the whole panel depending how that colour matches, some vehicles you ding the fender you have to paint the door and sometimes the hood too because it's hard to match. Also if the primer line after repair is less than 3 inches from the body line you should paint the panel. A good body paint guy should be able to do it but it won't be cheap, it is I am told easier to paint the whole panel, I can't see it cuz of all the taping needed you have to cover the whole truck. Go to a few shops and see what can be done. If you are going to choose to get the truck done now don't put anything on the damage it will just cause more work for the body guy and if you do tell him what you did so he know he has to clean it chemically before starting. I hope you can get away with just painting belowthe line, really I can't see why not. I did some small stuff before and well a buddy and I fixed his wifes door that he hit in the garage when he came home drunk. It was the weekend, we took the door off and did it in the alley. She never even knew we had to wash and wax her car so she would not notice. We painted only below the body line and the scratch was real close to it. worked out fine, she has bondo in her door but she doesn't knowit LOL.

Good luck.

 

72, your buddy is right on... I brought it to a body and fender shop and had asked him about painting a "chip guard" black on it...he looked at it, and told me he recommended that he paint it up to the indentation that runs along the bottom of the fender the length of the truck. I asked how much it would cost to do the whole panel, he said alot more. I'll stick to his opinion as he's the professional. He did say that the right way to do it is to paint the whole panel so that the clear won't peel, but said he'd go with the smaller option. I appreciate honest people who work to be fair. His shop was beautiful even though the neighborhood was run down...bright, clean, organized. Price is @$300 not bad...He also has a paintless guy who can do my Costco Cart Ding in my tailgate for $125 or so. It'll only take 3 days so I feel good about the shop. It's good to have buddies who can recommend you to good people. My buddy is our auto shop teacher..started the shop in the late 60's...still teaching strong..but a good judge of quality..He's a corvette collector and a man I trust. Thankful for good friends, and you guys as well.

Dave