ocnblu

Agreed, I shudder to think I'd find a hair in my mashed potatoes.

Just put the whole thing in from the donor car, don't try to break a melted-on pin. Is the bezel the wrong color for your interior?

Good 3M product and good preparation of the surfaces is key to long term success. Rubbing alcohol can work, rub the surface of the door to remove any wax and impurities so the tape sticks as tight as possible.

That is a satin black painted part, it is a trim piece. I suggest waxing it to make it shiny like the piece on the rear door, just so it matches and makes the front door stand out less. What did you use to shine up the piece on the rear door? Just use the same stuff on the front. You can get a roll of two-sided tape at Pep Boys. Use a heat source to warm the molding up, then gently peel it off with a plastic chisel or razor box. Get as much of the old two-sided tape off the molding as possible to make sure it lays flat and looks good when you re-adhere it to the door in the correct position. Use masking tape to position it and as a straight edge. Run the tape from at least the middle of the rear door molding, all the way past where the molding ends on the front door so you have a level baseline of where to stick the molding on. For your rear bumper, take your taillights out and your trunk interior side trim so you can easier see where the fasteners are for the bumper cover. Inspect and tighten as necessary.

Oh I don't see much of an issue at all with the door fit, it looks fine. I'd say it's just a flooey placement of the side molding on your replacement door. Why not try waxing your black pillar trim to liven it up a bit, it looks dull in the pic compared to the rear door. Your "after" photo of the hood to fender fit looks a lot better. The bumper poking out, though, on one side makes me think more than ever it is a frame rail problem, with the rails being swayed over. Are the gaps hood to fender uniform from base of the windshield to the front edge of hood on both sides? Or do they widen or narrow as they come forward? If they are uniform on both sides, then maybe it is just the rail ends where the bar attaches, a simpler problem to fix.

That funny little lady made me bawl, damn it.

That's a lot of accidents, and bad ones. Glad nobody had any serious, permanent injury. Part of the problem seems to be related to geography. PA has some treacherous Indian trails masquerading as roads, and they are either not maintained, or they are difficult to maintain because of rocky soil, or underground springs, bedrock close to the surface, etc. Be careful, Vipes and family.

As for your hood fit to fender, does it fit high or low to the fender? If so, have you tried to adjust the hood bumpers up or down to achieve a better fit? The front bumper issue might indicate something like a previous accident in which the front structure is sideways, or swayed as we call it. If the frame rails are over just enough to cause the plastic bumper cover (which is attached to the impact bar, which is attached to the frame rails) to pop out on one side, that could be the issue. As for your door, does it open and close smoothly, or does it "fall" when it is opened? Try to just release the door by pulling on the handle as if you are opening the door, at the moment when the latch releases the door from the striker, you can see if the door falls, indicating an alignment problem. Adjusting the door striker on the post could solve that, but you have to be careful not to cause wind noise or a water leak. Shims are a bad idea, nobody uses shims any more. Shims are a lazy way to make up for underlying issues. Look at the body lines of the fender and rear door in relation to your replacement door. Does the top edge of the door shell line up with the top of the rear door? Don't look at trim, look at the actual door to door fit. Trim is soft parts, not hard parts, hard parts alignment is what you need to worry about first.

The door you put on could have been off a car made in a different plant (cars with the same paint code but made in different plants do not match, this is called a paint variance), or it could have been on a car that was painted (with the shop not matching the factory color exactly), and when the moldings were put back on, they were moved higher than factory... they are only stuck on with 2-sided tape anyway, they aren't that hard to scrape off with a plastic scraper and a heat gun, retape, and re-use. These guys are right about doing the de-trimming yourself, if you can manage it. There is a lot of labor charge in doing that stuff. Just measure where your side moldings go beforehand so you can put them back on in the factory position. The prices already posted are in the ballpark, as well. You will have to replace any emblems, especially the individual lettered ones, they're near impossible to re-use, and Chrysler is known for high-priced emblems and nameplates.

Thanks everybody except PCS :AH-HA_wink: . I'm going to write my own estimate today and present it to the State Farm adjuster when he comes to look at it. R&I: side molding outside handle belt molding glass run channel mirror water deflector interior trim panel Repair: LH door outside panel, 2.0 hours Refinish: LH door outside panel, blend within panel Replace: LH door pillar blackout tape Other labor: nib sand & buff cover car for overspray hazardous waste removal corrosion protection tint color to match I'm one of those people who, if anything is not just right, I notice it forever. When I see something that isn't right on a customer's car post-repair, I do what I can to call somebody's attention to the problem and correct it. It's going to be hard for me to be a customer, even though I know our guys will do a good job.

inevitable

Whoa, looks like it burns gas and rubber!

I like both Kappas for different reasons. I'd buy the Solstice Targa though, if I could afford it and an old S-10 for a daily driver.

sigh... dents

Satty, it's really red around the head. Perhaps you should have it looked at.

Darn n00fs.

Yes, I posted all I said to the kid. It wasn't his fault, it was his mother's, for parking too close. If she had parked in the center of the spot instead of right on the dividing line, this could have been avoided.

Was this in the MINI? If so, I feel your pain. It should be taken care of under your comprehensive coverage, which covers acts of nature such as this.

I agree wholeheartedly, ZL-1.

I had to run to Lowe's today to pick up a few things. As usual, I parked out by myself with no cars next to me. When I was finished, as I was just about to hit the trunk unlock button, I realized I left my list and pen by the self-checkout register, so I turned my cart around and went back inside with my purchases still in the cart. I retrieved my forgotten stuff and wheeled my cart back out to the car. It is breezy here today. As I approached my car, I noticed an '02 Durango parked next to me. At that moment, a kid of about 7 years old opened the rear door of the Dodge, the wind caught it, and it slammed into the driver's door of my car, right in the center, just below the belt molding, leaving a nasty little dent and scrape in the paint. I parked the cart and went over to the Durango, opened the door and yelled "you just hit my door!" at the kid. His mother turned around from the driver's seat and said "please shut that door and deal with me!" I was soooo pissed. The woman parked so close to my car, she didn't leave enough room for her doors to swing open without hitting it, and with the wind, the kid couldn't hold the door... SMASH. After what happened to my Sierra, and now THIS... I swear I can't have anything nice. It sucks so bad to be me right now. At least I have her insurance information. I called in a claim, hopefully the paint can be matched and I can put this behind me.

Are you sure this is what your saleslady meant when she offered a test drive? :AH-HA_wink: Three nice looking vehicles, mr. cruiser.

Eminem - We Made You

fossil

Yes, blindfolded and handcuffed laying down in the back seat. The real reason your wife has to keep handcuffs around.