Arg, dent and deep gouge on hood from rock :-(

**NewShockerGuy** · 10-11-2018, 04:08 PM

I try and take care of all of our cars. I have a 2009 E350 that's mint. Paint pretty much perfect. It was perfect until yesterday when a dump truck/tractor trailer passed me and then 4 cars up magically kicked up or something flew out from under it/over it. It cracked the windshield but what I didn't realize is that it struck the hood first. It was the size of what appeared to be a baseball... I don't know, it happened so fast I just remember screaming things I shouldn't have.

Please see pictures below. Before car: After: hood.

Couple questions. I am going to be contacting a paintless dent removal guy as everything I've seen, they should be able to get the dent out of the hood. Next would be that nasty gouge, it's right down to the metal :-( The hood is aluminum.

I was seriously thinking of taking it to a body shop but my neighbor who works at a Bentley dealer said if I repaint the hood it won't match the rest of the car, they'd have to paint/blend the fenders, doors..etc. The paint is iridium silver so it has some flake in it but surprisingly it isn't a huge difference from the bare metal compared to say a black car that it goes straight through.

I have all necessary detailing tools. Porter cable, Flex dual orbital polishers. Compounds, polishes, wetsand paper up to 4k, sealants, waxes...etc. I have two things of touch up paint that I have to experiement with, one is OEM Mercedes and the other is what the previous owner had which was never used. Both look like very very good matches.

What is the best way to actually tackle this? I have done tiny rock chips before and you can always tell there is a blob of touch up paint...etc.

I'm sad by this because the car otherwise has zero blemishes... now there is this nastiness on the center of the hood.

Thanks,
-Nigel

**Rsurfer** · 10-11-2018, 04:16 PM

Do you have insurance that will cover the damage? If so, go to a Mercedes dealer and ask them who does their body and paint work.

**DMiglio** · 10-11-2018, 04:31 PM

Could possibly try sourcing a hood? Try eBay or junkyards maybe? I searched eBay and found a few options, but your eyes would better know what to look for than mine. If you didn’t want to deal with a body shop, paintwork/blending this might be the best route :/ best of luck!

**Bruno Soares** · 10-11-2018, 07:30 PM

Damn. Car did look mint before like you said.

**LSNAutoDetailing** · 10-11-2018, 08:14 PM

That’s definitely off to a body shop for sure, I don’t know if PDR could take care of a dent that size but then again you never know. My PDR guy is pretty good…

I don’t know is I would take stock in what the Bentley fella told you, as long as you go to a reputable shop they shouldn’t have a problem color matching the paint.

Let us know how it turns out.

Please excuse the typos. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**sudsmobile** · 10-11-2018, 09:22 PM

I will add this to what the Bentley guy said. With a car that old and it having flake in the paint, it may not match exactly due to the flake. I have an 06 Lexus GS Silver with flake in it and I had a small section repainted. The guy that repainted it said that after he sprayed it he noticed that the flake was a little more prominent in the repaint than the factory paint. He said it was common with older paints to have slightly differing amounts of flake.

**itsgn** · 10-11-2018, 11:32 PM

IMO, with the tools available to you, you can't do anything with a defect of that size and depth. I even doubt that the paintless guy would be able to fix the bare metal for you to a level where it would appear to be seamless. And even then you'd still have the problem of the missing paint in that area, which was gone the moment the rock or whatever hit your car.

You can try to mess with the touch up paint, but again, because of the sheer size of the dent, and because the bonnet is a huge flat surface where every - even so subtle - defect or difference will be obvious, you won't be able to get a seamless result. Because of that a repaint is inevitable, and everything that goes with that. Just my two cents.

That said, because you have nothing to lose, you could do and try anything and everything you want to. I just personally wouldn't even hope that I could fix that up to a level where a repaint would appear to be unnecessary. And I'm saying that despite me being fairly experienced with rock chip and small defect touch ups.

**vobro** · 10-12-2018, 11:16 AM

IMO the deed is done and you must go on from here. If you need a repaint at least you're working on 2 different planes meaning if the paint isn't 100% perfect but indeed close it'll be really hard for anyone but you to know. Also with changes in EPA regulations since 2009 I highly doubt the Mercedes paint will be the same anyway.

**Rollo** · 10-12-2018, 11:57 AM

Your insurance should pay for flying objects without putting it on your collision so it won't cause a rate increase. Definitely go that route.

**NewShockerGuy** · 10-13-2018, 09:57 AM

Appreciate all the info everyone. Such a shame. Have an appointment next Saturday at an authorized MB collision center. I guess that's the way to go. Could have been worse I guess right... tire flying through the windshield...etc.

I think the PDR guy is still wanting to try it so worst case scenario if he can't do anything then it gets fixed by the body shop.

-Nigel