Miata Mailing List: April 1993, Message #106
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   From: (none)
Subject: Re: Front End Dings
   Date: (none)

> it's not cracked right?  "just" scratched/gouged?
> i imagine you could repair this with filler and paint
> (make sure the paint has a flexing agent in it).
> you might want someone else (body shop) to do the job for you.

I while back I pulled up too far in a parking lot and got hung up on the
"stop" at the front, and when I backed off, bent the front end out of shape.
I took it to a body shop, and they wanted to replace the front end, which
would have been $400 for the part alone (they would have had to paint it too).
But I was able to fix it myself: it turns out that that plastic is awfully
flexible, and what was wrong was just that the metal tabs where the plastic
bolted on to the metal fender panels had bent out of shape.  A few hours of
pulling and swearing under the car and I got it back in to shape.  There used
to be a four inch gap on one side in the seam between the bumper and the
fender, and now it's back to 1/4th inch on one side and 1/8th on the other,
which nobody but me can see...

Anyway, this probably doesn't apply to the situation at hand, but it lets you
know the ballpark a body shop is going to try to nail you for.

	-- Jamie