A Bad End to a Bad Day/ Car Repair

[BigguyZ]

So, I come home from a long and boring day at work ready to tidy up my shop and get things more organized to start some more projects. I try to open my garage door and it sticks. I try a few more times, and notice that the upper two panels are buckling IN! So- I examine it further. It seems that the angle that the door opener is pulling at one point is causing the door to buckle in, instead of forcing the door up. I've had this door opener installed for almost 2 years, and have yet to have a problem with it. So now it's giving me problems!

So I'm testing the door to try and see just what's going on, and then the two sections give way and the iron framing separates from the solid front part of the door! The foam cracks, it's a real mess. So I then continue to take the next 2 1/2 hours running to HD to get some slotted iron and some bolts. I bolt the center bar to the front, and change the placement of the opener attachment. Now I have a FrankenDoor, but it works.

Now here's the fun part. I get into my car, and drive it into the stall. Because of the odd angle I had to go at, and my rush to relax for a bit before calling it a day, I scraped a 5' length of my car doors/ rear panel against the side of the door opening! I've had the car for about 2 years now, and I'm still making payments. It was a used Mercury Sable, but I still like it and don't want it to be a total piece of crap.

So, here's the main question. I want to get it fixed. I just got my insurance re-upped, and because of the miles I drive and my age (25) and Minnesota's wonderful No Fault law, my premium is actually higher than my car payment (No, I don't have any tickets/ acidents on my record)! So I'd rather not submit this to the insurance- besides I have a $1000 deductible.

Ok- here's the actual question... Is there any reasonable way I can fix this myself? I've worked with auto paint in modding computer cases, but I'm hesitant to try to do any major work on my car myself, as I want to match the color/ etc. So what do you guys think?

[Warren]

You got a university or high school with a auto shop class? That's one alternative. It's an easy fix with the right equipment. If the scratch isn't down to the metal you might, I said might, be able to touch it up yourself.

At least get some wax on it quick before the winter weather and ice melt starts to work on the metal or under coat.

Oops, forgot this. You do need to work in an extremely clean, heated environment. If it's not down to the metal you should get a reasonable match using paint from the local distributor. If you try and do a body shop repair you're going to need a grinder or at least be willing to hand sand to feather the edges and then do the blending. Then there's at least a couple of coats of clear finish which have to be applied and finished.

I'd opt for the college or high school if available.