Scratches and Dents

rainjacks

rainjacks

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I've got a dent on the passenger side door thanks to my kids and their bikes, and some leather issues. Anyone have any suggestions for how to fix them?

Here's the dent. It is dead center in the pic:
dent.jpg


Worn out leather on drivers seat:
seatleather.jpg


And a rip on the passenger seat:
seatrip1.jpg

seatrip2.jpg


Somedays it seems like half my life is spent fixing stuff my family breaks. :rolleyes:
 
You may have to live with the dent, but check yout local body shops for PDR repairs. They normally have someone come through once a week or so to take care of any work they need done.

For the worn leather, check out SEM leather refinishing. Spray can type stuff. I'm going to use it on my drivers seat. I haven't used it yet, but I'm sure it's a scuff/clean/spray type of process.

My local auto body supply shop had SEM stuff on the shelf, and they should be able to match your interior color. Your's looks like med. parchment, but I could be wrong.
 
I knew I could count on you! Medium parchment sounds about right. Med Parchment - Grey, whatever.

I considered trying the dry-ice trick on the dent. I can't tell you how pissed I was when I saw it. I guess it's Karma from the time I dented the fender of my Dad's shiny new 1987 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe with a rake.
 
That dent is too big for the dry ice trick. At least mine was, but mine was a little deeper than that. It's worth a shot I suppose. It's just a couple bucks for a small chunk, and a half hour of your time to try it.

I would suggest finding a local retailer for the SEM stuff. That way you can bring the cans outside, and match it to your leather. What's your interior code?
 
what's the dry ice trick? i just got a ding myself never was there till recently
 
Ouch. That dent appears to be RIGHT on that seam line of the door. Usually PDR guys dont mess with those. My seat is wearing in the exact same place, just not as bad. I actually planned to swap the leather covers 2 weekends ago. No dice. The side airbag is actually partially sewn into the underside of the outer portion of the seatback leather. Im guessing there may be someway to undo it/undo the stitches, but I opted not to mess with it.

As Pektel said, SEM makes a great product. I actually used their Graphite color to "dye" my aftermarket video monitor headrests, and the match is close, but no cigar. But with my darkly tinted windows, you cant really tell unless you look closely. I dont know if it would be a close enough match for a spot repair like that though. I've heard that some body shop supply places will mix up a custom match for you? Your gonna need some crack filler for the tears. And generally speaking, the repairs to seats usually end up cracking again due to use. How long depends on how well you do your prep.
 
lseguy said:
Ouch. That dent appears to be RIGHT on that seam line of the door. Usually PDR guys dont mess with those. My seat is wearing in the exact same place, just not as bad. I actually planned to swap the leather covers 2 weekends ago. No dice. The side airbag is actually partially sewn into the underside of the outer portion of the seatback leather. Im guessing there may be someway to undo it/undo the stitches, but I opted not to mess with it.

As Pektel said, SEM makes a great product. I actually used their Graphite color to "dye" my aftermarket video monitor headrests, and the match is close, but no cigar. But with my darkly tinted windows, you cant really tell unless you look closely. I dont know if it would be a close enough match for a spot repair like that though. I've heard that some body shop supply places will mix up a custom match for you? Your gonna need some crack filler for the tears. And generally speaking, the repairs to seats usually end up cracking again due to use. How long depends on how well you do your prep.
Click to expand...

I have a dent right on that body line too. And you are correct that most don't want to touch it. But if it were me, I'd still ask.
 
For anyone else who is curious; the dry ice trick is when you get dry ice and use it to cool down the area in hopes that the shrinkage caused by the cold will cause the metal to go back to the original shape. I think I might try it becuase I might get lucky. If I'm not lucky I'll still have some dry ice to fool around with and my kids would think that is cool. (bad pun)

Luckily FordFan isn't here to tell me I'm an idiot and should take it to a professional before ever trying anything.
 
Too bad it's right there.. Sometimes, if you can get at it from the back side, you can hit it with your hand and it will pop back into place.. Idk if there is a brace or something there were you can't hit it or...? Like I said, sometimes that works..
 
I've had some luck with that kind of dent by bumping it out from the back. Take a piece of scrap wood---probably a piece of 2X2---and round one end so that there are no edges to cause a problem. Place the rounded end against the back of the dent, and bump it with something like a small sledge, so that you are more giving an almost-gentle push than a sharp blow. Good Luck!!
KS
 
i didn't know that you can refurbish the leather. i need to look into this. thank you!
 
My driver seat looks the same. I just haven't made it to the local auto paint supply shop to see if they have SEM. My question is does it rub off on your clothes?
 
lol, never even thought of that. haha. Yeah that would work better.
 
I had 6 taken out on my conti with the PDR. 2 were on the ridge line of my door. Guy was amazing, came from russia and spoke no english, cost me $75 for all removed. If you can find someone good, they should be able to get that out no problem.

If anyone in Michigan is interested I'll talk to George at northgate ford and see if I can find out what other dealers the russian guy does, or his phone number, not that you could understand him, LMAO

Also report it to insurance before you start. If they attempt to fix it then crack the paint insurance will take over and get it done the expensive way. IMHO yours is not creased, I see no reason it will crack. I had a shopping cart shove into the side of my truck. That russian guy got the crease out no problems. From what I heard this repair started in russia becuase of lack of car parts and repair shops. They brought the trade overhere now every Tom, Dick, and Jane are trying to do it. Even have a toolkit and schooling you can go to. Most can be found chasing hail storms across the US picking up the insurance money.

If the guy speaks english as good as you, don't let him do it. If he sounds like a russian gangster, grab him some cash and vodka, then point at the dents.
 
ground_zero298 said:
If the guy speaks english as good as you, don't let him do it. If he sounds like a russian gangster, grab him some cash and vodka, then point at the dents.
Click to expand...

quite possibly the funniest thing i have ever read! does every city have a guy that is good at his job, AND willing to work for a little cash and vodka?? if not, they should.
 
It is awesome that the leather can be repaired like that. Unfortunately, I don't have the kind of time necessary. The LS is my daily driver. It is kinda hard to drive without sitting in the driver's seat while waiting for stuff to dry. Maybe I can talk my wife into letting me pay someone to do it right. In the meantime I'll try to not let it get much worse.
 
Tried the hair dryer / canned air method on the dent. It actually helped a little bit. The dent is still visible, but not as bad as before. I filled in some paint chips with a little bit of paint also. I either need to buck up and pay someone, or I need to buck up and get the proper tools to do it all myself. I think the dent can be completely removed with PDR. But I really need a buffer and all the right detailing gear. I just don't think I can swallow putting down what Pektel has at this point for the stuff.
 
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