When talking about car repair and maintenance, most of the conversation typically revolves around what’s going on under the hood. That’s understandable, considering that’s where the ‘action’ is most of the time. Still, people (myself included) often forget that other car parts also suffer damage and require special attention.
Take the car door, for instance. No matter what automobile you drive, there’s at least one on each side. There will be more if you drive something like a four-door or anything with a side or rear opening, such as a utility van or hatchback.
Sadly, doors are exposed to their fair share of dangers. And while minor damages like small scratches might be acceptable to some car owners, doors can also suffer the kinds of severe damage that require days of repair or even a total replacement.
In this article, we’re going to look at five things you need to know about car door repair. We’ll start by looking at what kind of damage a car door can experience. Then, we’ll move on to the essential details of how to get that damage sorted out.
1. How Does a Car Door Get Damaged?
First of all, let’s look at how a car door can get damaged in the first place. The two most common types of damage that everyone is undoubtedly aware of are scratches and dents.
Scratches
When it comes to scratches, most of them are shallow and easy to overlook. Still, some scratches go deep enough to cut through layers of paint and primer, such as if someone ran a screwdriver across your car door for whatever reason.
Dents
Dents, on the other hand, are caused by impact. Something as simple as hitting your door against the wall when you open it can cause minor dents. Or, a full-on car collision can cause a major one instead.
Rust
Some car door damage can also happen out of sight. Just like any other part of your car's body, rust can build up over many years under or inside your car door. Finding this kind of damage requires a much closer look, as it usually won't be visible from the outside.
2. Can a Damaged Car Door Be Repaired?
Alright, so you’ve found some damage to your car door. Don’t fret! A repairer can sort out your damaged car door without a problem. It might take a bit of time, money, and effort, but it’s certainly doable.
You may experience one minor roadblock, though. You see, there are several different techniques used to repair a car door, depending on the type of damage you’re looking at. So, you’ll want to find a car body repair person or shop that knows what they’re doing.
Example: Car Door Repair for Dents
Here’s a typical example. To repair dents in your car door, you generally have two options: traditional body repair or paintless dent repair (commonly known as PDR).
They’ll bang and sand the dented part of the car door at a more traditional body repair shop and use body filler to even out the surface again. Then, they’ll paint over it to make it match the rest of your car.
Another shop that specialises in PDR, on the other hand, will remove those dented panels and then use special tools to ‘massage’ those dents away. No paint, sanding, or hitting of any kind. That’s a delicate way to repair a car door that takes more time, but the end result is pretty amazing.
3. How Long Does It Take to Repair a Car Door?
The time needed to repair a damaged car door will mostly depend on the extent of the damage and the type of repairs you’ve requested.
For example, those dent repairs mentioned earlier might take about four or five days. That will depend on how deep the dent is and how many are on all your car doors.
Of course, more straightforward repairs will take a lot less time. For example, replacing an entire car door won’t take days; it’ll only take a few hours. If painting and other procedures are needed, that’ll add more time to the process.
Bottom line: the process could take up to several days. So, be sure to ask the shop how long they’ll keep your car so that you can figure out your schedule in the meantime.
4. How Repair Cost in Much Does Car Door Australia?
The cost to repair a car door in Australia will vary for so many reasons (extent of damage, labour charges, materials needed, and repair methods, among several things).
So here's a rough guide to give you an idea of what you might have to pay:
- Repairing a small dent: somewhere around $80. Note: Each dent is unique, like a snowflake, so the prices can be very different depending on what your dent looks like.
- Paintless dent repair (PDR): starting around $120 for the first panel, though subsequent panels may be cheaper if you’re doing them all simultaneously.
- Deep scratches: possibly $400 and above.
- Replacing a car door handle only: prices and quality vary widely, so you might want to read this article to understand why.
5. When Should I Replace a Car Door?
There may come a time when you’ll need to decide whether to repair the damage on your car door or replace the whole thing. When it comes to this thing, the general rule of thumb is that if the repairs cost more than a replacement, you’d best buy a replacement.
Now, it’s hard to estimate how much a new car door will cost. That’s because this kind of car part is unique to the design of your car’s exact make and model.
However, if you’ve got a car door with several deep scratches, serious dents from a massive car collision, and so on, it might be safe to assume that car door repair is no longer worth it.
Find a Car Door Replacement the Easy Way!
Whether you’re looking for someone who can fix your car door or sell you the necessary replacement parts, you can find them through the automotive-dedicated Directory at Carpart.com.au. There, you’ll find suppliers and repairers closest to you in Australia and their contact details so you can ring them up and compare prices.
If you can’t be bothered with the endless calling and negotiating for a car door, or any other auto part for that matter, you can always request us for the car part you need here. It’s insanely easy to find an auto spare with this function, so try it now!
By Ray Hasbollah