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      11-28-2012, 08:24 PM   #1
3002 tii
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Cheap Thin Metal - Endless Dents WTF?

Over the 4 years I've owned the car, I've had to call a PDR guy 3x to take out a total of FIVE dents. 3 on the front quarter panels, 2 on the doors. The door was probably a result of someone else's door, quarter panel (according to PDR guy) is usually from leaning on the car. Can't recall when that happened, but how the heck does a BMW dent so easily? Anyone else have similar experiences?

Oh yea, I just saw a new 6th dent on the other quarter panel. And for what it's worth, I never notice these dents till months later. Never obvious huge dents, rather weird creases or small dents that only show up when the light never hits right, either see a dull spot or weird reflection.
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      11-28-2012, 08:51 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DSC_OFF View Post
Over the 4 years I've owned the car, I've had to call a PDR guy 3x to take out a total of FIVE dents. 3 on the front quarter panels, 2 on the doors. The door was probably a result of someone else's door, quarter panel (according to PDR guy) is usually from leaning on the car. Can't recall when that happened, but how the heck does a BMW dent so easily? Anyone else have similar experiences?

Oh yea, I just saw a new 6th dent on the other quarter panel. And for what it's worth, I never notice these dents till months later. Never obvious huge dents, rather weird creases or small dents that only show up when the light never hits right, either see a dull spot or weird reflection.
Bodies on newer cars are terribly thin, even on my 2004 Dodge dually the sheetmetal flexes easily and my wifes 2012 Dodge Journy has a ding in the front of the hood from a small stone that would have just chipped the paint on any of the older cars we had.

The dent on my rear quarter that I just fixed was caused by none other than myself leaning on it with my hand a bit hard when messing with my tires and then kicking myself for doing it.

IIRC the hood is aluminum on the Z4 too and I'm really carefull around that thing.

Light colored cars like your silver hide a lot too. Dark colors show everything.
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      11-28-2012, 08:58 PM   #3
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Funny , but I had the same thought today . I found a new small dent in the light I had never seen before on driver door . I have 4 now . One other on the hood , 2 on the trunk . the hood was a acorn from a tree . I saw it drop. heard it hit and was like WTF . Just small creases that show in certain lights, or when dirty of all things. Just enough to piss you off.
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      11-28-2012, 09:24 PM   #4
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Fortunately PDR is dirt cheap. Two days after I brought my M home, my son knocked a bike into the car, just the rubber handle hit. It put two decent sized dents in the front quarter panel, and yes, that surprised me. Fortunately the PDR guy took them out for $100. Don't know if it's the sheet metal. I have an '08 Pilot and a '12 Jeep Grand Cherokee and we don't have any issues with them.

Regardless of the thickness of the Z4 sheet metal, I never park her near other cars...never.
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      11-28-2012, 09:37 PM   #5
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i'm inclined to disagree...

after owning 2 chevys, a mitsu, a pontiac, a ford, 2 subarus, and 10 BMW's... the BMW's are by far the best at resisting damage. the worst two were the 2008 colorado and the 2011 forester. the colorado was pitiful. leaning on the bed rails would deform the metal into the shape of the body part touching it that time. the forester was parked with a BMW next to it during a very minor hail storm (sleet storm is closer to the truth) and the forester took damage on every panel exceeding $1500 in repairs vs. the BMW's $ZERO damage.

sure there are going to be door dings and random dents that occur, but really... it could be a lot worse.
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      11-28-2012, 09:46 PM   #6
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my S2000 falls victim to this. just leaning on the rear panel put a dent in there.

meh

charge it to the game.
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      11-29-2012, 02:00 PM   #7
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+1

You want to talk about "fragile", try a Honda product. My 2010 TSX chips way too easily, and the clear coat scratches extremely easily as well.


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Originally Posted by v3.2mc View Post
i'm inclined to disagree...

after owning 2 chevys, a mitsu, a pontiac, a ford, 2 subarus, and 10 BMW's... the BMW's are by far the best at resisting damage. the worst two were the 2008 colorado and the 2011 forester. the colorado was pitiful. leaning on the bed rails would deform the metal into the shape of the body part touching it that time. the forester was parked with a BMW next to it during a very minor hail storm (sleet storm is closer to the truth) and the forester took damage on every panel exceeding $1500 in repairs vs. the BMW's $ZERO damage.

sure there are going to be door dings and random dents that occur, but really... it could be a lot worse.
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      11-29-2012, 06:29 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by ProdigyM View Post
my S2000 falls victim to this. just leaning on the rear panel put a dent in there.
This happened to the top of one of the front fenders on my 2000 S2000 possibly from leaning into the engine bay, maybe from my forearm/elbow. Just the slightest indentation. I'm not a big guy either, usually between 165-175.

The paint on it was still flawless after 13 years and 90,000 miles though. A far better paint job than the M and no orange peel either!
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      11-30-2012, 07:43 PM   #9
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Dan, I've also had these same 'minor creases' or dents show up on mine, specifically on the horizontal/flattish part of the front quarter panel that flanks the hood.

I had 2 of them removed that I didnt even notice until I had it taken to C&D bodyshop and they pointed them out before they accepted the car for other minor work I wanted done. Talk about those guys having a trained eye, it took me a minute to see what he was talking about! He specifcally said that BMW made the metal real thin in that area, perhaps for weight savings I dunno. But regardless he said that any small amount of pressure will crease the that metal. This is yet another reason why I stopped going to handwashes and I do it myself now: I gritted my teeth once as I watched those guys rest half of thier body weight by palming that part of the fender as they bent down to wash the front wheels. I can only inamgine what a careless shop mechanic could do to it as well...

With that.... my '03 540 is built like a friggin tank.... a sumo wrestler could sit on the fender and it wouldn't be an issue... I think its the z4's, not BMW in general?
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