Should I even bother trying to fix this?

[Andrew]

Alright gang.

Somebody backed into my car today and left a nice new dent in my hood (and also absolutely wrecked the latch system in there). Whoever hit me either didn't notice or didn't care to stick around, and I doubt I'll ever know who it was to swap insurance with them.

It's not pretty.
I am absolutely decidedly not a car guy - I think they're cool and in my dreams I drive a nice jet black '90s Mercedes sedan. Beyond that, I've got no real idea of how to fix most things or if I should even bother attempting to... the latch system does hook back in, but when you open the hood it takes like four to seven tries to get it to close properly. I'm sure that after enough opens & closes, it won't latch again. Not an expert, but the whole thing is displaced in there.

Is there any way I could reasonably fix this myself? Should I bother trying to take it to a guy? I really did intend to drive this until the wheels fall off, but I feel like that suddenly just got moved up in time and I'm honestly stressing pretty hard about it. I'd rather not old yeller this thing yet if I could help it.

EDIT: Also, if it helps - 2007 Ford Fusion

 

[inlinesix]

its honestly not too bad, you could probably use a (rubber) hammer to push the panel back out then just buff the paint and it'll be hard to tell, don't use a plunger or anything I've heard bad stories about that.

you're lucky that its on the hood and not a quarter panel or anything, worse case scenario you just buy a new hood which might be 200 - 300? or get an old panel from a parts car for $80 like i did.

 

[brawler]

Your hoodlatch probably got bent-- Either the one on your core support, or the one on the hood itself. As inlinesix mentioned, you can probably bend it back into its original shape using a rubber mallet and a flathead screwdriver. Just get it close enough to close, pop, and open easier.

You can also check to see if your radiator is damaged at all, since it is in the same general area. See if there is any new leaks underneath your car.

But, if you don't mind the visual aspect, I'd say just rock the damage. It seems to be nothing fatal, just an annoying wound.

 

[Andrew]

I didn’t even think about the radiator. Really appreciate the feedback fellas

 

[Andrew]

They found the guy & insurance found him fully at fault. Guess I’m getting a rental for a few days!

 

[brawler]

They found the guy & insurance found him fully at fault. Guess I’m getting a rental for a few days!

LETS GOOOO

 

[inlinesix]

YEAAAA WWW

 

[Mukky]

Andrew Epic Win!

 

[Andrew]

THEYRE GONNA TOTAL THE CAR

It somehow DAMAGED THE ENGINE

 

[brawler]

THEYRE GONNA TOTAL THE CAR

It somehow DAMAGED THE ENGINE

wha... how????

 

[Andrew]

wha... how????

My crackpot guess is that repairs were more expensive than handing me $3k to shut up. I started it with a spare key to get my belongings and the engine was making noises that it wasn’t in the last two weeks after that damage. Genuinely think an “accident” happened because their description doesn’t seem to match the reality of it all.

With that said, the minor bump n scratch to impaling the engine pipeline is very funny

 

[Mukky]

what the fuuuuuuuuuuck

 

[Andrew]

And so the saga of my 2007 Ford Fusion comes to a close.

I think I’ll write a thread about this sometime soon, this thing is an executive bullet. Hidden sports car under a shockingly modern exterior