'04 Forester XT Dents easly

[Y2KRedMustang]

I have a Forester XT and the darn things gets dents (not door dings) often
in the front fender above the crease and between the top of the fender.
I've taken it to a couple of different paintless dent repair shops and they
say that the current Foresters are famous for this. Even the stealer said
this. I've had them fix the dents at least 3 times. I can't believe how
soft that area is. I can dent it with my thumb or with my butt resting
against it (no smart ass comments about that

Has anyone else experienced this?

Thanks

 

[Jim85CJ]

What did it cost to get the dents out? My 2000 GT sedan is full of them
(for some reason suburban drivers thing they are driving a compact car
and park in spots marked "compact"...

 

[Hallraker]

I have a Forester XT and the darn things gets dents (not door dings) often
in the front fender above the crease and between the top of the fender.
I've taken it to a couple of different paintless dent repair shops and they
say that the current Foresters are famous for this. Even the stealer said
this. I've had them fix the dents at least 3 times. I can't believe how
soft that area is. I can dent it with my thumb or with my butt resting
against it (no smart ass comments about that

Has anyone else experienced this?

Unfortunately Subies seem famous for weak sheetmetal and weak glass, but
thankfully the frames and engines are mighty and seem to go forever. I've
just learned to live with the dents in my '95 Outback, and I've come up with
some amusing (fictional) stories as to how they got there. Truthfully
though, I've gotten dents from things you wouldn't think would dent. I
tapped, and I do mean lightly tapped, the plastic hose from a shop vac
against my door. Dent. I parked under a tree at school that dropped these
nasty green acorn looking things and got several dents from those. And of
course, I get all sorts of door dents in parking lots. Last I checked,
mom's Forester had 30-something individual dents, mostly in the rear
fenders.

It helps to stay away from two-door vehicles like Camaros and Cavaliers.
The doors are long and open wide. You can't control who parks next to you,
but you CAN control who you park next to. I'm young and able-bodied so I
usually park farther out to leave the up front spaces to the moms and
elderly, but if I'm in a hurry I'll try to nestle between two minvans - rear
sliders and short front doors make less dents.

-
Matt

 

[Edward Hayes]

My 2000 Forester doesn't seem to be affected with easy to ding sheet metal.
Am I just lucky for the 4 years 72,000 local miles or have things changed? I
do read that the newer high strength steel is more prone to dents but is
much safer in major accidents.

 

[Y2KRedMustang]

The costs vary depending on the size of the dent and the depth of the ding
and how hard it is to access the dent behind it. Usually, the guy charges me
$25-$40 per dent since its not a door ding. Door dings are higher cost
since they have to smooth our the point of contact

I've had many makes of cars from both sides of the ocean and I've never seen
anything like the way my XT's front fender flexes and dents. It almost
feels like the Saturn plastic doors (at least they don't dent). And I park
the hell away from everyone.

It's very frustrating to wash & wax the car and see these dents or body
flexes.

 

[JW]

What did it cost to get the dents out? My 2000 GT sedan is full of them
(for some reason suburban drivers thing they are driving a compact car
and park in spots marked "compact"...

Ah! You got it wrong, that sign refers to the driver's brain!

 

[Dr. Rastis Fafoofnik]

My 2000 Forester doesn't seem to be affected with easy to ding sheet metal.
Am I just lucky for the 4 years 72,000 local miles or have things changed? I
do read that the newer high strength steel is more prone to dents but is
much safer in major accidents.

My god! what do you expect? Subaru's are a cheap car!
They suffer from cheap/crappy paint that stains and dissolves from bird poop
to glass that cracks in the sun. The thin/soft sheetmetal is barely good
enough to cover the car.A collision with a shopping cart will result in
$1000's in damage.They have lots of engine problems from bad valve guides to
not being able to pass smog tests in less than 5 years. The WRX is now
starting to get a reputation of engine compartment fires.

The car is a shitbox, maybe thats acceptable in the UK..but it sure doesnt
make any points in the US of A.

 

[Hallraker]

The car is a shitbox, maybe thats acceptable in the UK..but it sure doesnt

make any points in the US of A.

Troll.

 

[Tip]

I had just signed the papers on my new '02 WRX wagon,
and the salesman, a rather portly gentleman, was
showing me how the key fob works. When he enabled the
security system, the car began beeping, and he said one
of the doors must be open. He went around to the back
and bumped the rear hatch with his butt to make sure it
was closed. You guessed it - he put a huge dent in it!
I hadn't even sat in the car yet. They had the "Dent
Wizard" pop it out. For some reason, this car is a
dent magnet. I park 50 feet away from the nearest car
and it still gets dents. I've had cars for 5-10 years
with only a single ding, but have had more dents on the
WRX in the last two years than in the previous 20.

I bet it's that troll on the newsgroup who's doing it.

Regards,
Tip

 

[Henry Paul]

My '96 is like that too. A good stern look is all it needs to get a good
dent.

Maybe it's time for Subaru to discover fiberglass??? ;-)

 

[Florian Feuser /FFF/]

My '96 is like that too. A good stern look is all it
needs to get a good
dent.

Maybe it's time for Subaru to discover fiberglass??? ;-)

Why? So it breaks instead of bending?
Perfect call for a Trabbi...

florian

 

[Henry Paul]

What is a Trabbi?

--
Henry Paul

Why? So it breaks instead of bending?
Perfect call for a Trabbi...

florian

 

[Hallraker]

Why? So it breaks instead of bending?
Perfect call for a Trabbi...

Have to agree with you there. Although fiberglass and plastic seem like a
great idea, those panels look awfully silly when they've been smashed to
bits and are barely hanging on. For whatever reason, (to me at least) a
dent might look bad, but doesn't look as bad as the broken-glass appearance
of shattered plastic or fiberglass.

-Matt

 

[Florian Feuser /FFF/]

What is a Trabbi?

Trabbi (or Trabi) stands for Trabant, a two-stroke passenger car with a 100%
rust-proof plastic body manufactured in the former German Democratic Rebublic.

Here some pages that popped up on Google:
<http://www.m.benndorf.easynet.be/PRIVATE/CARS/TRABANT/Home.html>
<http://www.therockalltimes.co.uk/2002/02/25/trabant.html>

florian