# Removing dent from BMW 3 series roof



## Tintin (Sep 3, 2006)

While I had left the car in a car park the other night someone kindly ran up the bonnet and made a dent in the roof of my 2007 BMW 3 series. I have emailed a couple of local mobile dent guys and the first response has been that roof dent removal is time consuming (and therefore presumably expensive) as the interior roof lining has to be removed.

Is this correct? Anyone give me a guide as to how much a mobile dent company might charge? I was trying to avoid going through my insurance and paying the excess, but looks like I mind end up going that route.

There are footprints and a kind of black mark on the bonnet so it might even have been a skateboard ffs.


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## Clancy (Jul 21, 2013)

Yeah you need the headlining out, could take it out yourself then take it to the body shop ? Will save loads on labour, it's not a hard job just time consuming


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## mikethefish (Feb 4, 2011)

Why not get some quotes from the Dent men rather then some guesses from people on here !!!!! 

I think you would be surprised at how reasonable it will cost compared to a paint shop and no need for new paint !!!!!


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## Tintin (Sep 3, 2006)

I am awaiting a few replies. The first guy wouldn't quote without seeing it but said it would be time consuming. Turned out he was quite a distance away so I probably wouldn't have used him anyway. I had thought that they would remove it using a suction cup, rather than from the interior. I was hoping that someone who had a similar repair could give me a ball park figure. 

I had thought of removing the headlining myself but a quick Google seemed to suggest it was quite tricky.


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## Clancy (Jul 21, 2013)

It's not hard it is just fiddly but you could do it in an afternoon easy enough with a YouTube guide or such. If you do it buy some trim removal tools they are very handy, only like £2.50 off eBay for a set 

Might be doable from outside it depends how bad it is and what technique they use to remove it


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## Scoobycarl (Aug 13, 2011)

If you have a go at removing the headliner heres a tip for you ! Buy some latex gloves or nitril are better and change them if dirty regular ! Its easier to change the gloves than get finger marks off headliner ! Especialy if its a light colour &#55357;&#56397;&#55356;&#57339;


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## Tintin (Sep 3, 2006)

Thanks for the comments, guys. I had a few quotes in the end and as it was well over what my excess is, I have gone through my insurance. Hopefully they will do a good job.

I have nitrile gloves for working on my restoration project - highly recommended like Scoobycarl says - and once you buy a box you find yourself using them for everything from decorating to cleaning up after pets. Pretty cheap on eBay.


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## Deanoecosse (Mar 15, 2007)

Were you not able to take the car to a local PDR guy to have a look? I´ve seen them remove two roof dings from a neighbours Audi with a glue gun & tag pulled out by a hand clamping device. All done from the outside of the roof, no internal access required. If your insurer wants to send it to a bodyshop for filling & painting i´d want to avoid that if it was mine.


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## slim_boy_fat (Jun 23, 2006)

^^ Plus it's then on your insurance record once you advise them. And up go future premiums.......


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## Scoobycarl (Aug 13, 2011)

Very true


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## squiggs (Oct 19, 2009)

Any comments and speculations as to whether 'some roof dents' can be removed by PDR alone are surely all null and void unless pictures are posted


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## Tintin (Sep 3, 2006)

I tried to post some pictures this afternoon, but they wouldn't load and I lost my post. The dent is pretty big; it's two dents really, where they have obviously stood on the roof, then jumped up and down, each foot making a large dent. They weren't kids either as the footprints on the bonnet are easily size 9/10 or above.

I do have no claims protection but am bracing myself for an insurance hike next year. I like my car but I always think people are more important than stuff, and nobody died, so I am trying not to get too worked up about it. I would have been upset if it had been my £300 resto project as I have spent many hours fixing and welding it to the point where it is now worth about £500:lol:


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## Scoobycarl (Aug 13, 2011)

Good philosophy mate ! You have to take sh1t like this on the chin


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## Tintin (Sep 3, 2006)

Well, there would have been a time when paying the excess would have caused us real financial hardship and I would have been a lot less chilled about it. Fortunately we are in a better financial position now, so I am just trying to forget that I could have spent it on stuff I have fancied for a while, like a rotary polisher and a foam lance attachment, or even gone towards a respray of my project car. Anyway, the car is back later today so I hope they did a good job.

Edit: car came back this afternoon and a quick look suggests it is as good as new.


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## Porkypig (Jun 20, 2012)

Sorry to hear that your car has been vandalised dude. Roofs are a biatch. Every car and every dent is different and as far as just 'sucking' the dents out, no such thing, lifting and pulling with glue yes, but its far from straight forward. The chances are that the roll braces that are attached to the underside of the skin are now bent too. Dropping the roof lining will enable them to be cut from the skin freeing the panel and enabling the dents to be either lifted or pushed back into place. I have repaired many roofs and never relish the task. It is long winded and a ball ache but is most definitley doable and cheaper than a new skin.

Thing is, there is no short cut to doing it so it does cost a fair bit. Also you need to make sure that the roll bars are straight and the skin re-bonded for various reasons. Last one I did 3 or 4 weeks back had 9 dents in the skin and had bent the roll bars to such and extent that with out straitening them first the skin couldn't be repaired as they had reduced the roof area to such a degree that there was more metal than space for it to fit back into too. It was for a main dealer customer so I had them drop the lining out and disconnet all the curtain airbags etc but they did have to take the seats out too to make it easier. There is quite a bit going on under a roof lining these days...

Any good PDR Tech will be able to do the repair but some just bin it at first base cos chances are they can do 4 or 5 much easier jobs in the same time and earn more form them. Hope you get it sorted


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## Scoobycarl (Aug 13, 2011)

As above mate a pal of mine has a dent company and have seen him do many roof repairs from caved in to hail damage and it can be a couple of days work


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## Tintin (Sep 3, 2006)

Thanks for posting, guys. I feel a bit better having read that. Sod's law though - I parked it in Asda car park this morning, in the far reaches, with at least 6 gaps between me and the next car, and came back to find a large smear of blue paint on the door. It looks like it will polish off, but annoying none the less.


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## stevehayward90 (Nov 24, 2013)

I have a 2007 BMW 130 and have had a similar problem recently. In July my neighbour got locked out and climbed on to my roof to access his flat from his balcony (my car was parked in front of the garage which is under his balcony).

Unfortunately the whole roof had to be replaced at a cost of around £1500-£2000 so had to go through insurance. Two weeks after it came out of the body shop in September my neighbour did it again! Phoned the police but they just don't want to know. Annoyingly I live in the town centre so there's barely any on-street parking so I have to park there.

Hopefully you'll be able to get the damage fixed without having to have the entire roof replaced but I would say just to prepare for the worst, just in case.

Good luck mate!


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