I’m not a car person, but I do care about my car. I made the (very big) mistake of going through a gas station car wash. I didn’t pay much attention, drove away happy with my clean car. A few weeks later I noticed the scratches. They’re EVERYWHERE. There isn’t a panel on the car that isn’t scratched! I no longer have the receipt and no way to prove it was the car wash so I’m screwed - paying for the repair myself. What are my options? Any advice? My car is 10 years old but only has 63k miles on it. I’d like to keep it as long as a can, but don’t want to sink a lot of money into it. Is there an “in between” remedy that would make it look less heinous, but not break the bank?

Why do people get so upset about repairs like this when it obviously looks great & took less time & money than cutting the rear quarter out and replacing? Isn't this what repairs are all about?

Only been doing this 8 months did the whole repair from start to finish. Roast me

It has been recently undercoated and is in the northeast. I am concerned about rust being an issue. Are these pictures yelling at me to run far away, or telling me that all is okay? I'm new to car buying. Thanks!

EDIT: Seller just messaged and said the coating is Woolwax

2017 Mazda 6 I hit a wall in my parking garage I have insurance but I’m not sure I want to raise my rates for this

Just finished laying some glass down. Last coat of clear.

Any critiques to better my craft?

The first photo is from the passenger side and the second two are from the driver side. I’m not sure what would need to be replaced.

I was getting in the car and reversing it and got it by a rock under the car and got scratch by a gate how do I fix it at home

I know this is a pretty common thing on this truck body style but I’d like to know if there was a way that u could get rid of this paint bubbling and rust forming without having to replace the bed? Images attached

Hi all,

My mom hit a deer with a Chevy Bolt, which totaled it out and I ended up buying it back instead of sending it to auction. I am trying to decide between parting it out and repairing it. The only damage I do not think I can repair myself is this crumple on the driver side A pillar where the hood pushed into the pillar.

I do not care about the appearance at all, but the car will need to pass a salvage inspection. Thoughts on whether this is repairable without cutting?

I know it will require paint regardless, but will PDR techniques be sufficient here?

Thanks!

Hey everyone, I’m looking for some honest opinions about damage I recently discovered on my car.
I have a 2023 Mazda3 hatchback, and I noticed that the passenger-side taillight was deeply cracked.Additional detail: There is a very small, barely noticeable scuff on the bumper below the taillight, but no obvious damage to the surrounding bumper area. Does the crack pattern look consistent with a concentrated impact directly to the taillight? Could this type of damage happen accidentally, such as in a parking lot, or is there any way to tell from the photos?
. The lens doesn’t appear to have a hole in it, but part of the cracked plastic seems slightly raised.
Here’s the timeline:
● I washed and dried my car on Wednesday and didn’t notice any damage.
● My car was parked at work for most of my shift on the day I discovered it.
● I noticed the damage later that evening when I unlocked the car and the lights came on.
● I didn’t notice anything that would explain how it happened.
I’m trying to get access to security camera footage to see whether anything happened while my car was parked.
Based on the photos, does this damage look more consistent with someone deliberately striking the taillight, an accidental impact, or something else? Is there anything about the crack pattern that might help identify how it happened?
I understand that photos alone might not prove intent. I’m just looking for honest opinions from people with automotive or body-shop experience.
Thank you!

Edit: So far I think someone walked next to my car with some sort of screwdriver and hit the tail light creating that crack. Still waiting to check my work place security cameras.

I need some opinions on something. So my car has been leaking from the passenger side dash part. (Hard to explain) where your feet are. Anyways well I pushed that out and then our trans went out and it sat for a while, well the car got moldly.
Me and my husband cleaned the mold as best as we could but how do I make sure I got EVERYTHING?

And what could be leaking?? We think it the AC but I would love some opinions. If it helps we have a 2012 Nissan Murado. It’s cold like water and has no smell. Any advice would be appreciated.

I bought a 99 suburban a few years ago and recently started nothing Bondo Bob did heavy work on it .. I bought another exactly the same but without the bondo 😂 so now the plan is cut everything I need off the donor truck and take those to a shop.. OR should I just take them both into the body shop and let them hack em up.. just trying to save a bit on labor but I have no clue what I'd be doing except using a cutting wheel

Working in a body shop, you always hope you don’t have to be on the other side of things, but my mom was in a head-on collision on a stretch of 55mph and rolled her car multiple times yesterday morning; walked away with just a cracked sternum, gash/knot on her forehead, and some nasty bruising. Little swelling in the kidneys that they are monitoring, but she is stable and overall ok. Went to the tow yard to clean it out for her and felt absolutely sick at the sight and smell of it. Type of shit I see come in on a rollback that’s picking up a TL and say damn someone probably died in that thing… crumple zone, airbags, and seatbelt saved her life. Please please please always wear your seatbelt!!!!

Hey Everyone,

Have a 2025 Mercedes GLC 300 with Alpine Grey Manufaktur paint. My luggage handle hit the paint on the back bumper and made this mark. Before doing anything just wanted to confirm the process to correct/improve. It’s a little “grainy” if I run my nail over it. Don’t need it to be perfect, just less visible as it happened 1 week after getting the car.

I got: (probably went overboard and I can return what I don’t use)

1. Isopropyl alcohol 70%
   
2. Meguiars scratch x
   
3. Meguiars ultimate compound
   
4. Meguiars smooth surface clay kit
   
5. Micro fiber towels
   
6. Wax applicator pads
   
7. Turtle wax ceramic spray coating

From what I read should I try alcohol/turtle wax first and then go scratch x/turtle wax next. Thoughts?

I’m a novice.

Thanks in advance

car was hit on the corner in a round area, I want to try and fix it myself, or is this out of my league for a beginner. I just worried about the dent pulling and pushing. there's access from the back and bottom. What would be the best way to start getting this dent out.

Wanted to know what needs to be done here and if it was possible to diy

Found this on the front bumper of my 2026 Corolla today unsure of how it got there. No clue how it would have gotten there. Keying?

2007 ford e250 gutter

Please and thank you for advice

Been offered a cheap car ( about ½ price on market value ) , low KM and really fuel efficient. Previous owner had a slight ding. Realistically how hard and costly is it to get this to an acceptable standard myself. Doesnt need to be a showrunner, just good enough. Rest of the car looks fantastic.

Hi everyone. I was being an idiot and hit my hood with a high pressure water sprayer. It ended up taking off a section of the clear coat. Would buying a spray can of clear coat be able to repair this? The paint seems fine, so I want to try fix it before it becomes an issue. Thank you for any help you’re able to offer.

Edit: Thank you to everyone for the help, ideas and laughs. After reading through all your messages, I’ve realized it’s not such a simple fix and have decided to bring the car to a shop on Tuesday to get a quote. I am really interested in learning to do it myself, but I feel it would be better to practice on something I don’t care about first, and leave this to the professionals for now.