2000 C2 Cabrio Lid Dented

[monkeydust]

I had the building super help me take my hard top off yesterday. He apparently didn't have a good grip on my hood and dropped the thing on the carbrio lid (I think that is what it is called. It is the metal panel that raises up on hinges and lowers back down after the soft top is stowed). So, that pointy piece of the hard top made a 1/2" scratch and a minor dent that is in a very visible area of the car.

So, my question is should I try to take this panel off and hammer it out myself? If so, how hard is that in terms of removing it and hammering it out? I've never done anything like that before so I'm not sure how much it would cost. Otherwise, I suppose I'd have to take it to a body shop to have them take care of it.

Thanks!

[number9ine]

I had the building super help me take my hard top off yesterday. He apparently didn't have a good grip on my hood and dropped the thing on the carbrio lid (I think that is what it is called. It is the metal panel that raises up on hinges and lowers back down after the soft top is stowed). So, that pointy piece of the hard top made a 1/2" scratch and a minor dent that is in a very visible area of the car.

So, my question is should I try to take this panel off and hammer it out myself? If so, how hard is that in terms of removing it and hammering it out? I've never done anything like that before so I'm not sure how much it would cost. Otherwise, I suppose I'd have to take it to a body shop to have them take care of it.

Thanks!

The part you refer to is commonly called a "clamshell." It's unfortunate that it was dented and scratched. A paintless dent removal expert may be able to remove the dent, but the paint will need touch-up. If your car is a lighter metallic color it will be very difficult to make it "invisible" via regular touch-up in such a visible area. You can ask a detailing professional to do it for you, they may have better luck.

If PDR and touch-up don't yield a result acceptable to you, the next stop is the body shop. The shop will probably need to "blend" the paint they apply to the repair on your rear quarter and decklid, and the bill could get expensive pretty quickly.

I'd go the dent-removal and touch-up route first, it'll cost you maybe $200 at most depending on whether or not you have a detailer apply the touch-up. If the results don't look good to your eye, take it to a body shop and get an estimate. Best of luck.

Mark

[99911]

Personally, I'd leave hammering it out, if it comes to that, to a good body shop. The part itself is easy to remove: put the top into the service position (half open); Disconnect the wire for the third light (under the rear shelf carpet; Unscrew the two nuts per hinge holding the lid to the hinges and carefully remove. I would mark the hinge locations on the underside of the lid for easier refitting. One person can do this, but it's a bit easier with someone else to hold the lid steady while you remove the nuts (might want to get someone besides the building super). Refitting is the reverse. Be sure to properly realign the lid with the body before you tighten down the hinge nuts!