So for those of you who didn't see my previous post, I had a tree fall on my car about 2 weeks ago (it was about a month after I got the car). I was able to do a little home detail job and it looked ok. I was planning on a professional polish job within the next month or two to make her gleaming again!
Yesterday I parked on the street and came out to this - see picture below... A tow hitch of some moron went about half way up my hood. The white line is actually metal showing through. Aside from the scratch all the way down to bare metal, there's a nice dent in there too. No buff/polish job here.
I filed a police report, but whoever did this was too cowardly to leave a note, and no witnesses were coming forward. I think my car is doomed.
I'm obviously going to file an insurance claim on this
To the crowd - would you:
A. Dispose of the car and get a Kia at this point. Every time my car gets hit it kills me...I'm not sure how much more I can take.
B. Get a dent removal and repaint of the hood (without replacing it)? How good a job can they do? What about longevity of the non factory finish?
C. Ask for a full hood replacement? I worry about the fit and finish of this option. I could probably get a better paint job, but when they attach the hood, will the seams be perfect?

Thoughts and condolences are appreciated!!

 

Hmm...can't seem to get the photo to upload. I will keep trying!

 

Omg! My condolences. When the tree hit your car I almost cried as this is the kind of luck I have. Now the trailer hitch. Sigh. I would probably cry. Then get the insurance company to replace the hood and then drive the **** out of it. It's the only way to recover from something like this.

 

Dude, that ****ing sucks. Sorry to hear that.

 

A. The common approach is insurance claim leading to bondo and respray. Better approach (I think) is paintless dent removal with touchup and wet sand to retain as much of the original paint as possible. Video below shows what I'm talking about.

B. You're kidding, right? Keep the 911. Drive the snot out of it, now free of any qualms over keeping it like new.

C. Still can't believe you said get a Kia.

 

I'd go for a new factory hood. Its got to be painted anyway, and I wouldn't worry one second about a factory hood fitting perfectly. The right shop can do it well. While it may seem like 991's are carved out of single pieces of aluminum, they put their parts on one piece off the line at a time just like everyone else.

Oh and keep the 991. With a proper repair I think you will feel unshackled from the ridiculous notion that a car needs to be showroom perfect that some people have. Drive it dirty sometimes, don't care a bit about tiny little specs of road rash and enjoy it. There's always been something a little perverted about mint condition 20 year old cars anyway. Let her get some honest wear and have fun!

 

Still can't get the photo to work - parse error?

So far -
2 for a new hood
1 for PDR/wet sand and refinish
0 for a Kia...

 

Here's the picture - beautiful, isn't it?

 

Chuck - thanks for advice. I love the AmmoNYC guy. I couldn't get enough of his videos. I've seen that one. I actually emailed him after the tree incident to see if he knew of anyone near me. I'm still not convinced that that Mercedes looked that good after all that work. I'm thinking if it's on the insurance company's dime, I may ask for the full new factory hood...although I guess it depends on the insurance adjuster.
My previous car - aside from also getting hit by a tree (that's good luck, right) also had the bumper dinged by a coworker of mine (awkward). We went thru insurance. Dealership said I needed a new bumper, insurance only covered a repair job (not the whole bumper). After the "repair" the trunk never closed right. I got so annoyed that I ended up getting rid of it (among other reasons) for my 911. It makes me worry that anything short of a full replacement won't be as perfect as it was...and even I worry with a full replacement that it might not be just right...
Here's another poll-
Would you have the dealership do the bodywork? Or go to a body shop?
Thanks everyone!!

 

Why do I feel that this trailer hitch guy did this to your car intentionally? This damage is quite deep; it does not look like an accidental ding. That Mercedes G55 in the video was also intentionally keyed.

Anyhow, I feel sorry for your situation.

 

The tree attack was one of those bizarre flukes. But this new event makes me hurt and angry. There's no way this was an accident. The trailer hitch theory makes sense, but did you see the truck parked in front of you earlier, or did they come and go while you were away? In order to get the hitch that far up your hood, they had to overshoot the nose of your car by at least two feet. I'm sure it made a terrible sound when it happened. Makes you want to get a dashcam that's always active, or maybe hidden automated paint guns that spray neon green paint on anyone who touches the front or back of the car during parking.

Good luck with the repair--I'm sure it'll be right again.

 

I don't think you should sell. Keep it; and pick your parking spaces carefully. Hoping to see pics of a perfectly repaired hood.

 

I feel for you ...................

 

I think your run of bad luck must be over. You've had more than your share for sure. I would take the car to the best place in town and get it fixed. Just suck it up and let them do what's necessary to make everything perfect. It can be done. Then enjoy your car. And maybe start parking in your bedroom. Good luck from mere on out!

 

Yes, this was obviously not just an accidental happening. I cannot understand the mentality of the person who intentionally damaged dr.alexs' car.