[sachin131]

Hi All,

I am not sure if this is the right theard of the forum to post my experience and seek suggestions from my fellow BHPians. Moderators can move to the right area if required.

I was travelling to Hassan on Friday (10th Feb 2012) to my Mother-In-Law's place. At about 11pm, we had crossed Bellur cross and would have travelled about 5 Kms from Bellur cross, when we heard a loud thud on the car. Since the area was very dark and did not want to take chances to stop and look at what happened, i drove for about 600mtrs and stopped the car below a street light and in front of a stranded lorry.

I got down to check what happened and found a hole in the body of the car. (I own a Swift Dzire VXI). It looks like someone had thrown a big stone towards the car, intending to cause harm to the car as well as the in-mates in order to rob us. Now i am not sure as to how proceed further.

Can any please guide me here and help to a good place in Bangalore to get the damage on the car rectified? I would be very grateful to all the BHPians for suggestions and comments for me to move towards getting the damage rectified soon.

Thanks & Regards
Sachin

[Rajith]

Hi Friend,
Good that you have not stopped the car.In 2009 i was returning from kollur mookambika to bangalore in a scorpio, nearing ripponpet @ 11Am, Driver was cruising @ 90kms/hr with front 2 half lifted windows and rear full closed. I was half asleep.Suddenly i heard a thud sound and driver side window was broken into pcs. Driver suddenly applied brakes, i insisted not to stop as it was a deserted forest area.

[mayankjha1806]

This is shocking to say the least, I am very surprised to see night drives aren't as safe as i thought they would be.

It would be good to inform police as this is an incident they need to be aware off. This way they may choose to increase patrolling, if needed do file an FIR if possible. Finally to get the car repaired i guess the part would need to be replaced.

[Urban_Nomad]

Hi Sachin,

Good presence of mind not to stop my friend. You avoided what could have been a really nasty experience.

And dont worry too much about the "hole". It must pain you to see that gash everyday, but a good denter / painter fellow should be able to fix that with some putty(?), paint & elbow grease. I m sure the Bangalore BHPians will guide you on where to go.

Take care and all the best.

[Abhinav667]

Hey Sachin,
A few weeks ago, I rammed my car into a pole and a similar hole came up on my Fusion's front door. Make sure before you take any action, cover it up temporarily with something so that it doesn't corrode or get rusted! It'll easily get filled at a local workshop, and hence there is nothing to worry about. Also, before respraying double-check with the shade of red you are using, so that the patch gets covered completely! Anything other than the factory shade, will stand out with such a bright red!

[ghodlur]

Is it a hole in the body or a huge dent? If it is a dent then it can be repaired by the workshop. If its a hole then this needs to be brought to the attention of MS/dealer raising questions about the quality of the metal used. I doubt whether the stone could have caused a hole in the C frame. Have you contacted the workshop as yet to get an estimate of repair?

BTW what colour is your Dzire? Looks pinkish to me, never saw that colour before.

[sachin131]

@Urban_Nomad, @Abhinav667, Thanks for your concern and advice. I will be visiting a local workshop Sai Colorium probably this weekend to see what can be done about the hole and the little dent which is present on the car.
@ghodlur, I contacted the local MS dealer to find out the options available. They said that the entire back panel called the quarter panel will be replaced by cutting the body at the top and bottom of the back door where the door hinges are present.

Then a new quarter panel will be wielded into that place and painting would be done. But they cannot guarantee the color as the car is almost 2 years old and the color would have started fading. Moreover the cutting and rewielding will increase the depreciation value of the car.

After listening to all this, I opted out of the MS dealers idea of cutting and rewielding the panel, as i think that by doing so, the structural strength of the car would reduce. Also the depreciation value of the car will increase. So as i mentioned above, i will be visiting a local workshop Sai Colorium and check if they can remove the dent and close the hole.

[Miel]

Hey Sachin, thanks for sharing this incident with all of us. We can all be on our guard henceforth on such roads. Mighty smart of you for not stopping when you heard the thud.
Is your car's colour an original factory paint? It looks more orange than red to me. The dent can be welded shut, smoothened out with metal repair putty/dent filler and then given fresh paint. However, do take the advice of experts here.

[sachin131]

@Miel, Thats "Blazing Red" as per MS. I will check out at Sai Colorium at JP Nagar over the weekend and will let you know my findings. Also will visit the dealer once again for more clarification and possible expenditure that could be incured by following their advice.

All, Please be very very careful while driving in the night on the highways. This can happen anywhere on the highways, not necessarily at or around Bellur Cross on Bangalore-Mangalore highway (NH48). And most importantly, dont stop the car immediately upon hearing anything unusual as long as you have your car under control. Get to a well lit place, and then get out to inspect the damage. Otherwise things can go really horribly wrong. Please take care.

[vinit.merchant]

Originally Posted by sachin131

@Urban_Nomad, @Abhinav667, Thanks for your concern and advice. I will be visiting a local workshop Sai Colorium probably this weekend to see what can be done about the hole and the little dent which is present on the car.
@ghodlur, I contacted the local MS dealer to find out the options available. They said that the entire back panel called the quarter panel will be replaced by cutting the body at the top and bottom of the back door where the door hinges are present.

Then a new quarter panel will be wielded into that place and painting would be done. But they cannot guarantee the color as the car is almost 2 years old and the color would have started fading. Moreover the cutting and rewielding will increase the depreciation value of the car.

After listening to all this, I opted out of the MS dealers idea of cutting and rewielding the panel, as i think that by doing so, the structural strength of the car would reduce. Also the depreciation value of the car will increase. So as i mentioned above, i will be visiting a local workshop Sai Colorium and check if they can remove the dent and close the hole.

Hi Sachin.
Good presence of mind there.

Re: MS dealers "idea", good presence of mind here too, that you opted out. To add to the problems you listed, it will also be more prone to rusting once metal is cut and another piece welded. Infact, it will rust notoriously each passing month.

I would go by what Urban_nomad suggested and then go for anti-rust treatment every year to the affected part. Works out more effective, cheaper and easier than the dealers "idea", with much lesser area prone to rusting.

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by sachin131;2681565car

After listening to all this, I opted out of the MS dealers idea of cutting and rewielding the panel, as i think that by doing so, the structural strength of the car would reduce. Also the depreciation value of the car will increase. So as i mentioned above, i will be visiting a local workshop Sai Colorium and check if they can remove the dent and close the hole.

Did MS confirm whether they would continue the warranty part, if so you could claim insurance against the repair work. I dont know how feasible this is.
Your option for going to the local workshop might save you some money but in the longer run the cost of getting it treated for rust would need to be accounted for. Also the refilling might look a bit sore on the otherwise clean panel and will be more visible.

[ACM]

Colour mismatch may be as big an issue outside at a local garage as at the authorized one.

This almost looks like a bullet hole. Wonder what really caused it.

Yes the value of the car drops as during resale the new buyer / dealer will check for any welding work of this kind and this will be easily spotted.

But still since this would be within insurance (if you have compreshensive insurance) suggest you get this done at the authorized centre itself as the finish would be better. Welded joints tend to be stronger than the original if done well.

[kutts]

My friend mentioned of a garage just near the Shell petrol station at Kundanahalli . The mechanic/owner name is Arumugham. This guy fixed up a damaged fender for 1/5th the MS quote. Just check out, see how it will be fixed. If it is going to be the same process as what the MS said, suggest you stick with the MS workshop.

[sachin131]

Hi All,

Just back from Sai Colorium where my Dzire is currently being repaired for the hole and dent. The dents have been removed and the hole has been closed. Currently they are applied putty for the preparation of painting. Waiting in anticipation to see the final result.

The back bumper is also being repainted due to few nasty scratches. The total estimate for the work is 5,300/-. And the car would be delivered tomorrow evening.

[sachin131]

Sorry for posting late on the issue. Was very busy in the office from 15 days. Now let the photo tell you guys how satisfied I am with the job done at Sai Colorium.