Front Corner Dent

[escaflowne]

Hi,

I have a friend who owns 2004 Safari 19-foot. On his recent trip, he hit a big tree by accident, which ended up leaving a huge dent on a front top corner. Attached is a picture of the trailer my friend sent me last night. It looks the damage has affected more than one shinny panel.

Would it be possible to DIY repair the dent?

Please let me know if you know any professional/shop who can fix the damage near Seattle, WA. Thank you.


-Flying Donka

[Belegedhel]

The first thing to try would be the various "paint free" automotive dent removal techniques like suction cups. Some forums members have had good luck hot-gluing a large nail head to the dent and then giving a yank on the nail shaft. A dent like this isn't just going to "pop" out and be unnoticeable, but you may be able to get it pulled out with only minimal rippling and crinkling visible (the metal actually stretches from this kind of dent).

If you want to really get into it, you could remove the interior walls and try to "roll" the dent out from behind. Rolling dents is more art then skill, and it is possible to make an even worse mess of the dent (believe me, I have).

The only way to restore it to brand new appearance would be to replace the segments. You can do this yourself as well, but it is no simple task. The panels themselves, with shipping will run you about $500 apiece.

Last I heard, professional segment replacement usually runs about $2000 per segment, and you have two dented segments. Why not use insurance?

good luck!

[KJRitchie]

What happened to the tongue jack?

Kelvin

[escaflowne]

Originally Posted by Belegedhel

The first thing to try would be the various "paint free" automotive dent removal techniques like suction cups. Some forums members have had good luck hot-gluing a large nail head to the dent and then giving a yank on the nail shaft. A dent like this isn't just going to "pop" out and be unnoticeable, but you may be able to get it pulled out with only minimal rippling and crinkling visible (the metal actually stretches from this kind of dent).

If you want to really get into it, you could remove the interior walls and try to "roll" the dent out from behind. Rolling dents is more art then skill, and it is possible to make an even worse mess of the dent (believe me, I have).

The only way to restore it to brand new appearance would be to replace the segments. You can do this yourself as well, but it is no simple task. The panels themselves, with shipping will run you about $500 apiece.

Last I heard, professional segment replacement usually runs about $2000 per segment, and you have two dented segments. Why not use insurance?

good luck!

First of all, thank you very much for replying on this post. Your info, tips, and advices are very helpful and greatly appreciated. I forwarded your feedback to my friend in Seattle. I expect to hear from him soon. He is a professional carpenter and a commercial builder/contractor. I guess he is trying to repair by himself first before calling insurance or a shop. Thanks again.

[escaflowne]

Originally Posted by KJRitchie

What happened to the tongue jack?

Kelvin

Very good question. I didn't notice until you bring it up. I also asked him what has happened. I'm looking forward to hearing from him soon.