Tire shop scratched my door - advice on repaint door or touch up?

[phreak480]

Hey all, looking for some advice on handling a scratch.

Quick story is tire shop left a 6-7” scratch in the middle of the drivers side rear door, the employee I was working with was friendly and helpful, we went first to the detail shop down the street that they work with. Detailer inspected and said “no” too deep to polish out, me being easy going and really busy and not wanting to deal with it in the first place asked if he could get it “good enough”? He suggested a paint pen from the dealership and that he could blend it. Did that, it was better looking but still obvious, took truck back to him to polish out all my forest pin-striping that I wanted to do anyways. After that, truck looked new again, all the little scuffs/scratches gone! Now....the touchup filled in scratch looks much more obvious.

So I called tire shop back, they are having the manager call me back, they are informed of the situation. They say theres no way to fix without repainting the whole panel (door), which they can do BUT....they tried to warn me (scare me off?) that when you repaint a panel it never matches the factory paint and will look worse and worse as it ages. But that its up to me.

So question is: should I push to have them repaint the door? Anyone have experience with this situation? Am I going to have a crappy looking mis-matched door in a few years if they repaint it? I dont have any experience with repainting vehicles so I really don’t know if they are just trying to steer me away from the more expensive fix option or if its a legit concern. What would you do?

The truck is a ‘19 Calssic in Delmonico Red (cherry metallic red/maroon) for reference.

Thanks for any help!

They should not be painting the panel, they should be paying the bill when you take it to an autobody shop. No legit bodyshop is going to paint just the panel. Painting just 1 panel will indeed not match, but that's not how we do it. Color gets blended into adjacent panels. Example on a 4 door vehicle if the front door needs painting then you have to blend into the fender and the rear door, sometimes even into the hood and the A pillar as well.

 

[LonestarRammer]

Hey all, looking for some advice on handling a scratch.

Quick story is tire shop left a 6-7” scratch in the middle of the drivers side rear door, the employee I was working with was friendly and helpful, we went first to the detail shop down the street that they work with. Detailer inspected and said “no” too deep to polish out, me being easy going and really busy and not wanting to deal with it in the first place asked if he could get it “good enough”? He suggested a paint pen from the dealership and that he could blend it. Did that, it was better looking but still obvious, took truck back to him to polish out all my forest pin-striping that I wanted to do anyways. After that, truck looked new again, all the little scuffs/scratches gone! Now....the touchup filled in scratch looks much more obvious.

So I called tire shop back, they are having the manager call me back, they are informed of the situation. They say theres no way to fix without repainting the whole panel (door), which they can do BUT....they tried to warn me (scare me off?) that when you repaint a panel it never matches the factory paint and will look worse and worse as it ages. But that its up to me.

So question is: should I push to have them repaint the door? Anyone have experience with this situation? Am I going to have a crappy looking mis-matched door in a few years if they repaint it? I dont have any experience with repainting vehicles so I really don’t know if they are just trying to steer me away from the more expensive fix option or if its a legit concern. What would you do?

The truck is a ‘19 Calssic in Delmonico Red (cherry metallic red/maroon) for reference.

Thanks for any help!

One reason I always buy white vehicles.

 

[CC Rascal]

I have a 2019 Delmonica Red and some gentleman plowed into my tailgate and it had a bad scratch or two....(now get ready to laugh guys...but I called Allstate and told them I did not want the fix to show.....they called back and had me drive 130 miles to San Antonio and got it fixed ....only thing was I had to go shopping for two days and stay in hotel which they paid for) but the body shop was great .....does cars for movies and commercials......so don't rule out calling ins co.....good luck

 

[RaminitinFL]

Definitely repaint it, but find a good shop. The real challenge is to get the texture/blend right. The Delmonico is a high metallics paint, so differences in spray technique will show the most. With all the computer matching stuff out there, the paint itself will match perfectly. They will likely want to blend into the panels on either side, so that any difference from the factory finish will not be as noticeable. Then they do a full clear coat over the panels that were blended. Even knowing it's been done, you will have a hard time seeing it if you get a very good shop. Ask for references and get a good look at similar work before you commit.

 

[Chuck962500]

Remove. Scratches and dings and rust from your life.Raptor line the whole thing...best thing I ever did to a truck.and I get more people at random checking it out and loving it.been offered to do others trucks but I build houses.I did it myself .

 

[Kenneth Gunther]

First get an acknowledgment from the tire shop that they did in fact damage your truck door. Whether that be an email, text message or a recorded phone conversation if that’s legal where you live. Where I live only one party needs to know that the recording is happening.) then I would tell the tire shop that you were going to go through your insurance to have the door or the whole side of the truck painted if they can’t match just the door. Your insurance company will go after them. If he’s smart he will make sure that it’s fixed properly before it goes to insurance.
Before I got the ram I had a 2017 Ford F-150 Limited. When I brought it in for an oil change they scratched my back bumper which was painted the same color as the truck. They had their touchup guy try to fix it and I wasn’t happy with it. So they sent the truck out to a body shop to spray the entire bumper. They gave me a loaner car for the three days. When They told me the truck was ready I looked at it before I even went into the dealership and noticed some bubbles in the paint. Needless to say they kept it for four more days and re-sprayed it until it was perfect.

 

[Goose55]

Read reviews of all the body shops in your general area. Even if you have to drive a ways to the best, it'll be worth it

 

[RC Turner]

A good body shop will repaint it and nobody will ever know it was damaged or repainted. I have had many cars/trucks repaired and all come out perfect. Reds are the easiest to match, silvers are the worst.

 

[Ken D]

While unfortunate, not your responsibility to repair. Your cost is that now of inconvenience. If the shop is a top notch one, the employee will not have to pay for it. A good learning experience.

 

[Klaus756]

A good paint shop should be able to match it. They may have to blend it in to the surrounding panels. Some colors are just that way.

 

[johnwayne]

If you follow the instructions and watch videos you can use a product called dr colourchip. Depends really on how well you are able to use it. I have used this product for years and it is amazing. Paint match is way better than mopar can give you. Yes, even the guys who made your truck are incapable of providing a proper touch up paint. It can save you a lot of money and you will have enough of the product to fix every paint defect now and in the future. I get a lot of rock chips up here in the bush in canada. Here is link check it out:
https://drcolorchip.com
other than that pay the body shop im affraid

 

[Roncad]

Confused about blend or paint just the door? They both are right and wrong. Your truck was painted by a robotic painter all at the same time, same paint mix, same pressure, and same brand. Now you have to have it fixed by a human. 38 years as a used car wholesale dealer taught me about consistency/inconsistency in spot jobs. Blends are done usually if the paint color/pearl/clear is a difficult one and it will help your eyes not see the difference. To spot a panel only and get the color right, the pearl coat consistent, and the clear coat texture correct it's a matter of high skill and some luck. You have a darker color of red, with a pearl coat............good luck. Luckily, your truck isnt too old so the chances are decent it will be close. If you are extremely picky, I would find the best shop and paint the whole side.....but,$$$$$$.

 

[Justin33]

Paint. The Delmonico is tough to touch up without seeing it. Some of the other colours are easy to touch up and hide, but not Delmonico.

Well I got about three scratches on three doors in brilliant black pearl coat...can see everything with black.

 

[BWL]

Well I got about three scratches on three doors in brilliant black pearl coat...can see everything with black.

anything with metallic or pearl is tough to repair without it showing. Black is probably the hardest to color match as it tends to fade over time the most.

 

[Justin33]

anything with metallic or pearl is tough to repair without it showing. Black is probably the hardest to color match as it tends to fade over time the most.

Yep I have fine swirl marks debating what I should do on those along with some fine white scratches.

 

[Hemimania]

Hey all, looking for some advice on handling a scratch.

Quick story is tire shop left a 6-7” scratch in the middle of the drivers side rear door, the employee I was working with was friendly and helpful, we went first to the detail shop down the street that they work with. Detailer inspected and said “no” too deep to polish out, me being easy going and really busy and not wanting to deal with it in the first place asked if he could get it “good enough”? He suggested a paint pen from the dealership and that he could blend it. Did that, it was better looking but still obvious, took truck back to him to polish out all my forest pin-striping that I wanted to do anyways. After that, truck looked new again, all the little scuffs/scratches gone! Now....the touchup filled in scratch looks much more obvious.

So I called tire shop back, they are having the manager call me back, they are informed of the situation. They say theres no way to fix without repainting the whole panel (door), which they can do BUT....they tried to warn me (scare me off?) that when you repaint a panel it never matches the factory paint and will look worse and worse as it ages. But that its up to me.

So question is: should I push to have them repaint the door? Anyone have experience with this situation? Am I going to have a crappy looking mis-matched door in a few years if they repaint it? I dont have any experience with repainting vehicles so I really don’t know if they are just trying to steer me away from the more expensive fix option or if its a legit concern. What would you do?

The truck is a ‘19 Calssic in Delmonico Red (cherry metallic red/maroon) for reference.

Thanks for any help!

 

[Hemimania]

I may have missed it. Are the numb nuts at the tire shop gunna pay for it?

Also I agree with all the others here. My local Dodge dealer had to redo my entire rear fender for rust under warranty. They were confident it would match cause the shop they used could match a 4 yr old truck. Looks great too. Can't tell.

Tonino

 

[DA Smith]

Hey all, looking for some advice on handling a scratch.

Quick story is tire shop left a 6-7” scratch in the middle of the drivers side rear door, the employee I was working with was friendly and helpful, we went first to the detail shop down the street that they work with. Detailer inspected and said “no” too deep to polish out, me being easy going and really busy and not wanting to deal with it in the first place asked if he could get it “good enough”? He suggested a paint pen from the dealership and that he could blend it. Did that, it was better looking but still obvious, took truck back to him to polish out all my forest pin-striping that I wanted to do anyways. After that, truck looked new again, all the little scuffs/scratches gone! Now....the touchup filled in scratch looks much more obvious.

So I called tire shop back, they are having the manager call me back, they are informed of the situation. They say theres no way to fix without repainting the whole panel (door), which they can do BUT....they tried to warn me (scare me off?) that when you repaint a panel it never matches the factory paint and will look worse and worse as it ages. But that its up to me.

So question is: should I push to have them repaint the door? Anyone have experience with this situation? Am I going to have a crappy looking mis-matched door in a few years if they repaint it? I dont have any experience with repainting vehicles so I really don’t know if they are just trying to steer me away from the more expensive fix option or if its a legit concern. What would you do?

The truck is a ‘19 Calssic in Delmonico Red (cherry metallic red/maroon) for reference.

Thanks for any help!

They need to repaint the door. A good reputable body shop can match the paint perfectly and it will look same as the rest of the truck. This is done every day and is no big deal. Just don't go to some cheap shade tree paint shop !

 

[BWL]

Yep I have fine swirl marks debating what I should do on those along with some fine white scratches.

The fine white scratches are usually just clearcoat scratches as are swirl marks. Try a da polisher on a test area and you'd probably find that all comes out.

 

[Phillyrube]

They need to repaint the door. A good reputable body shop can match the paint perfectly and it will look same as the rest of the truck. This is done every day and is no big deal. Just don't go to some cheap shade tree paint shop !

Im dealing with this, my hard topper has a small section of clearcoat peeling off. No way to blend, so $831. Owwwweeeeeee.