You guys are great. This forum always makes us feel like someone has our backs.
We have talked to and e-mailed C&G the pictures of the dents. The guy thinks the whole panel has to be replaced, which is not cheap. We'll try to turn in the claim to the School District, and since we've got nothing to lose, we'll get one of the dent pullers recommended, and then we can always take it in to C&G. But, we're heading out for a summer trip with the AS from June 19 - August 25, and won't do anything until after that, in case the repairs take a while. . . or, we get another dent for a reason that we can handle, such as branch damage while dry camping or something.
I've had some luck with wide dents in my '63 Avion (bare anodized aluminum)
A heat gun is basicly a heavy duty hair dryer with a big heating element. I was using it to soften up the old sealer when replacing the running lights.
One of the lights was on a wide, dished dent, I was heating up the site, minding my own business, the POP! the dent was gone.
I suppose the aluminum expanded due to the heat and poped itself back into shape.
I spent the rest of the afternoon running around the trailer taking out other minor dents. About the only ones it didnt remove where from a pellet gun
BTW, the heat gun gets really hot. Cooler than a torch but not much, so be carefull if using on a painted or clear coat.
Take heart guys the middle school is a great place as a neighbor ... rather than a high school! Rock dents can be cured or reduced for way less than it would cost to replace a skin.
And hey what the heck, THEY COULD BE BULLET HOLES!!
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Glen Coombe AIR #8416
1984 28' Funeral Coach
Golf Professional Sales Rolling Showroom
"I'm not an expert. But I did sleep in an Airstream last night."
And hey what the heck, THEY COULD BE BULLET HOLES!!
Now wait a minute! I have a bullet hole in my '54 Flying Cloud and I kinda like it! My situation is slightly different tho, in that the bullet hole is in a window and not thru the skin. I always wonder what the story is behind it.
Do a daily walk-around even if it's -20, etc.. The delinquints that have pummeled my next-to-next door neighbors houses w/ baseballs from batting practice egged my 73' Airstream last fall; I spent a good while scrubbing and cleaning window and hatch gaskets but can still find places I missed, I hate to think about if I had let it dry on... Daily walk arounds AM and PM are an even better idea...
I am in law enforcement in NY and have dealt with individuals getting judgements against government/schools. If you have not already filed a report with the Sheriff's Department, do it. This will be your first stop in taking any legal action any and all parties. It is not your job to investigate who the perpetrators are. Your finance claims that boys will be boys, just passes on the responsibilty to others. If you claim that the school is responsible for the actions of the students during school hours, you have the ultimate responsible party.Get a detailed estimate(2 would be better) from the repair facility that you want to do the repairs. Send letters up the school systems chain of command via certifed USPA mail with return receipt with the amount of the repairs and any fees you may incur. Give each party up the chain 2 weeks to respond. If the school system powers take no action your next step is small claims court. In NYS $5000.00 is the max of that court's. It may be the same in CA. Get the judgement and get your AS repaired. You would be so lenient if the damage was much more?
If not, chaulk if up to boys being boys and eat the repairs.
A method to try that carries no risk is to go over the area with a piece of dry ice (we get it out in the desert in the winter when the dry lakes freeze). The extreme cold causes the metal to contract and will often pop the dent out. Deosn't cost much to try that.
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"Not all who are lost are wondering" say Bill & Heidi
'78 Excella 500,"The Silver Pullit". vacuum over hydraulic disc brakes, center bath, rear twin. '67 Travelall 1200 B 4X4 WBCCI 3737
A method to try that carries no risk is to go over the area with a piece of dry ice (we get it out in the desert in the winter when the dry lakes freeze). The extreme cold causes the metal to contract and will often pop the dent out. Deosn't cost much to try that.
That won't work on aluminum (I speak from experience), and you run the risk of causing the clear coat to separate from the skin.
Halimer, Thanks for the advice. Here's the wild part -- when the police officer showed up he said, "A police report isn't necessary unless you can identify the kid. My services are better served catching violent criminals." He took off. We called the watch commander the next day, and he was shocked and sent out another officer. Officer #2 said, "You do need a police report, but I don't want to step on the toes of officer #1, so I'm going to call him and get back to you." Later that night, Officer #2 called and said, "I talked to Officer #1 and he said he'll be in contact with you early tomorrow morning, and will come to take the report." He did not show up yesterday. We called again, and the dispatcher said, "Officer #1 does not work today. He'll show up when he's back on duty." Talk about frustrated. I refuse to let this go, because since we have called the school at least six times about this type of thing, they are extremely negligent. One of the neighbors down the street told me that their RV and van have both been pelted with rocks from school kids, and the school is not responsive to them either. I am in the process of filing written complaints (at the district level).
I would also be documenting the issue around the police response and send that into a higher level as well. It would seem to me that you are getting the run-around. I realize that there are horrible crimes in the world that need solving, but there's also criminal acts like damaging valuable property that also require resolution. Good luck with this.
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