[Minn]

I have a 2014 Porsche Boxster and it sustained a minor damage to the front hood and the front bumper (picture below).
As unfortunate as this is, I thought this would be a good opportunity to do the repair myself and learn more about working with cars in general.

For the front hood, I tried warming the front hood with hot water (I've seen videos where people used hot water/hair dryer to fix dents), but since the front hood is not plastic, it was impossible to mold the hood back into place no matter how warm/hot it got. Does anyone have any tips/ideas on how to fix the front hood?

For the front bumper, I was planning to take it off and try the warming method to mold it back into place. The toughest part of this seems to be the bumper removal part. I've done some research around the web and this forum and the only helpful post I found was this. However, that instruction seemed a little too complex for me and I was wondering if there were videos or other easier instructions to remove the bumpers.

Thank you in advance for your time and I would really appreciate any help on this as I'm very stressed about it and nervous about this whole ordeal. I would like to avoid using insurance and repair shops as much as possible due to the high deductible and other complications.

 

[B737NGWS]

Hi there
Am sorry to say that the damage looks well beyond anything that could satisfactorily be repaired 'at home' or by mobile repairers.
It certainly looks like a new front bumper is required-you may be able to source one in good condition from a similar donor car? The front lid will likely require straightening and then re-painting, or again replaced. Bad luck-hope you find a satisfactory solution.

 

[Closertotruth]

Sorry for your damage. I agree with the post above. I recently just grazed a deer with my Boxster Spyder. It had far less damage than your car. I nicked him in the leg and he stepped on the hood as he ran away. Damage was a scrapped bumper and a subtle ripple in the hood. I took it to the best repair shop in the area and basically was told that the for the car to look perfect the bonnet needed replacement and the front of the car needed to be painted to match the new hood. Car looks perfect. Cost, about $9000. At least deer strikes fall under the comprehensive and not collision portion of auto insurance so no increase in rate is expected.

 

[gfspencer]

That won't "buff out". Take it to an auto body expert.

 

[JohnnyQuest]

Ummm, there is no way this is a serious question.

 

[danschy]

Yep, not sure if this is a serious question. My 07 "hood" is aluminum - probably yours also. I'm no body expert, but I think that might make repair more difficult and replacement the likely solution. A flawless repair by a good body shop would help retain the car's value.

 

[ICNU]

I have a 2014 Porsche Boxster and it sustained a minor damage to the front hood and the front bumper (picture below).
As unfortunate as this is, I thought this would be a good opportunity to do the repair myself and learn more about working with cars in general.

For the front hood, I tried warming the front hood with hot water (I've seen videos where people used hot water/hair dryer to fix dents), but since the front hood is not plastic, it was impossible to mold the hood back into place no matter how warm/hot it got. Does anyone have any tips/ideas on how to fix the front hood?

For the front bumper, I was planning to take it off and try the warming method to mold it back into place. The toughest part of this seems to be the bumper removal part. I've done some research around the web and this forum and the only helpful post I found was this. However, that instruction seemed a little too complex for me and I was wondering if there were videos or other easier instructions to remove the bumpers.

Thank you in advance for your time and I would really appreciate any help on this as I'm very stressed about it and nervous about this whole ordeal. I would like to avoid using insurance and repair shops as much as possible due to the high deductible and other complications.

View attachment 161946

This is well above your skillset based on your post, which frankly sounds more like something a 16 YO kid who took his dad's car out and wrecked it and wants to fix it with his friends before he finds out. Did you seriously think hot water would remove that crease in a metal hood? Those step by step bumper removal instructions with photos are about as clear and easy as it gets for the DIY mechanic, so once again you are way over your head if you dont think you can manage to get the bumper cover off. Body work requires many specialized tools as well which I'm sure you dont have.

How do you plan on repainting the car if you were to make it that far? Do you have any experience at all with automotive painting or understanding of how complex this is? You would spend far more money buying the equipment, tools and supplies you would need to do the job than simply paying your deductible. A Porsche is not a car to "practice" body work on for the very first time. You will only devalue the car even further than it has already been and make things worse. This is what insurance and the Pros who do this every day are there for.

 

[Clacky]

Unless your a gigolo and can find an all girl Porsche body repair shop yer SOL. Hopefully some humor can alleviate your stress.

 

[Whiteball]

try a strong rubbing compound, a ball pein hammer, and a roll of duct tape. I agree with JQ, this cannot be a serious thread.

 

[cobby]

No need for me to chime in, but I will anyway, of course. I had similar damage as part of being backed into, and I don't see anything there that looks cheap to fix. Most reputable body folks will want to do some painting beyond the affected areas for matching purposes.


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[ampfore]

That can not be fixed without replacing the fender and hood. Man up and get your CC out.

 

[jtucker]

I don't think this is a fake/joke thread. But yeah...beyond...FAR beyond...any level of DIY. You gotta go pro, my friend. Sorry.

 

[K-Man S]

I have a 2014 Porsche Boxster and it sustained a minor damage to the front hood and the front bumper (picture below).
As unfortunate as this is, I thought this would be a good opportunity to do the repair myself and learn more about working with cars in general.

For the front hood, I tried warming the front hood with hot water (I've seen videos where people used hot water/hair dryer to fix dents), but since the front hood is not plastic, it was impossible to mold the hood back into place no matter how warm/hot it got. Does anyone have any tips/ideas on how to fix the front hood?

For the front bumper, I was planning to take it off and try the warming method to mold it back into place. The toughest part of this seems to be the bumper removal part. I've done some research around the web and this forum and the only helpful post I found was this. However, that instruction seemed a little too complex for me and I was wondering if there were videos or other easier instructions to remove the bumpers.

Thank you in advance for your time and I would really appreciate any help on this as I'm very stressed about it and nervous about this whole ordeal. I would like to avoid using insurance and repair shops as much as possible due to the high deductible and other complications.

View attachment 161946

You don't have to use insurance you can pay for it out of pocket. If you want it done right take it to Dave at Scarab-Motorsports.com - The Legend Returns and he can fix both the aluminum hood and the plastic bumper to like new condition for less. $ than most other shops and his work is meticulous, top notch. This isn't something you can fix on your own without the right tools and experience. Take it to Dave!

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[2504.37978]

I have a 2014 Porsche Boxster and it sustained a minor damage to the front hood and the front bumper (picture below).
As unfortunate as this is, I thought this would be a good opportunity to do the repair myself and learn more about working with cars in general.

For the front hood, I tried warming the front hood with hot water (I've seen videos where people used hot water/hair dryer to fix dents), but since the front hood is not plastic, it was impossible to mold the hood back into place no matter how warm/hot it got. Does anyone have any tips/ideas on how to fix the front hood?

For the front bumper, I was planning to take it off and try the warming method to mold it back into place. The toughest part of this seems to be the bumper removal part. I've done some research around the web and this forum and the only helpful post I found was this. However, that instruction seemed a little too complex for me and I was wondering if there were videos or other easier instructions to remove the bumpers.

Thank you in advance for your time and I would really appreciate any help on this as I'm very stressed about it and nervous about this whole ordeal. I would like to avoid using insurance and repair shops as much as possible due to the high deductible and other complications.

[iurl="http://www.planet-9.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=161946&d=1502338214"]

[/iurl]

Sorry to hear about the damage, looks pretty horrendous.

Go on eBay, find a slightly used front bumper, they are around £100 so maybe $150 max and swap them out. The bonnet needs a repair shop.

 

[Never Late]

Bite the bullet and have a quality body shop do the work, if your car is a lease it will cost you more when the dealership does the turn in inspection if its a cheap/crappy repair. Same issue will happen if your try to sell the car and the buyer sees that the hood and bumper cover have had a cheap repair done, first thing that, that buyer will think is how bad was the accident and what other items did the owner cheap out on...

Do the repair right with lots of documenting photos, and you will not take as large of a trade in financial hit.

 

[Greenman]

There must be some dodgy repair places over there if the general consensus is this cannot be fixed without replacing the bonnet and bumper!

I would think the bonnet should be able to be repaired fairly easily. The bumper -maybe, they do seem to be able to reform/weld plastic bumpers pretty well. I had a rear bumper repaired a couple of years ago with similar damage to this, bumper was not replaced and you could not tell any repair had been performed afterwards, similarly I had a crunch a few years ago and front wing was badly damaged, when I saw the car I couldn't believe they hadn't replaced the wing - looked perfect.

However I agree, unless you run a paint shop this isn't a home repair. If you are trying to do it on the cheap take it to a few repair centres and see what they say.

 

[takeshi]

Does anyone have any tips/ideas on how to fix the front hood?

Find a good body shop in your area. Ask around for recommendations if you need it. This isn't a DIY job.

 

[classj]

This is not a DIY repair.

If the hood has not shifted back (bent hinges,warp, etc) it might be repairable but if it were my car, I would probably put a new hood on it. You are painting it anyway.

As far as the bumper. If the impact was up high, above the license plate, there is a chance that a new bumper can be put on and there will be not hidden damage.

If the impact hit the license plate things are going to get more expensive quickly. The tow hook ties into the bumper assembly which is bolted to the front structure.

I HATE tow hook license plate mounts. They essentially transfer the force of the impact straight to the metal bumper of the car and bypass the foam impact cushion that is between the metal impact bumper and the plastic bumper cover.

Best case if it was a low impact....the impact bar took the hit and the front structure is intact.

The hood will get sprayed. Front bumper sprayed. Depending on the shop and their color match skills, they may want to blend the front fenders. Although if it were my car I would fight to get the color matched exceptionally well (especially if not metallic) and tell them not to shoot the fenders to preserve factory finish.

 

[KCZ]

try a strong rubbing compound, a ball pein hammer, and a roll of duct tape. I agree with JQ, this cannot be a serious thread.

Don't abuse the OP, he probably just saw some ludicrous recommendations on YouTube or someplace. We all know the internet is a vast repository of bad advice.

 

[NetMage]

Apparently we don't all know! ��

More seriously, if the OP really wants to repair it, I would suggest finding a small local body shop that might be willing to trade labor and some cash for training, expertise and use of tools. I would also suggest getting a similar piece from a junkyard and practicing on it first - make sure it is aluminum like the hood, and make sure the shop has experience with aluminum.