yesteday I had gotten into a fender bender and their car is completely fine, but the hood of my car bent and it won’t stay down. Any idea of how much it’ll cost to replace? Can I fix it myself? Thanks!
Without actually being able to see what is hanging up…I’d say to stop at an auto body shop. Ask them if they can do a quick peek at it and maybe get it to stay closed.
If you ask for an estimate and butter them up about attempting to use them to fix it correctly in the near future, they might try to get it to stay shut, until you bring it back for the full repair.
Yosemite
1 Like
You can probably get a replacement hood on the Internet for about $80-$100. That does not include painting. You may have some additional damage that prevents the hood from closing.
Another option - find a matching hood (paint included) at an auto recycler/junk yard. You could search
car-parts.com for it.
1 Like
I just do not understand why so many people think they can post a picture of body damage and even get a reasonable idea of repair cost. Then they ask if they can fix it their selves as if anyone knows their mechanical ability or painting skills.
Rant over, you may slam me all you want.
1 Like
@VOLVO_V70 this is a friendly community. Please don’t try to be rude.
1 Like
I think in a lot of cases we correctly tell people that their ballpark guess is way too low, which can help them in deciding what steps to take next.
3 Likes
I’m still trying to download the picture (with my inadequate PC), but I managed a car body shop (collision repair shop) for a couple of years and saw plenty of damaged hoods up close.
Following a collision, usually the problem is that the hood won’t open. We’d need to open it in order to do a proper estimate, but had to be careful because once opened it was sometimes impossible to reclose it.
Car hoods have 2 latches, one controlled from inside the car (hood release) and a “safety catch” that is released from the front of the hood.
Since your hood won’t “stay down,” I’d guess that the main latch could be sheared off or broken, maybe bent and the safety catch also broken or bent.
Often times the upper radiator support the latches latch into is damaged and needs straightening or replacement.
Is it wired down so that the car can be driven safely? If so, you can take the car to a reputable Body Shop (not regular car service center, but collision repair) and I’d bet in just a couple minutes that a friendly person will help answer these questions and more. Most will do this free of charge.
CSA
EDIT addition: I see the photo. It is not helpful in answering your questions, unfortunately. I feel a live inspection is needed.
2 Likes
@common_sense_answer yes the hood isn’t flying up or anything! It just won’t open/shut completely:( do any auto body shops let you buy the good yourself and they’ll do the repair?
There’s a chance that a person at a shop could have that hood open for you. It will need to be open to estimate a repair. We sometimes had success by having one person push down on the hood above the latch while a second person tried the hood release inside the car.
Caution must observed so that the hood release cable isn’t broken by pulling too hard on it if the hood latch won’t release.
In some more severe collisions we’d have to cut part of the hood to open it.
All that can be determined at a shop and a discussion about providing parts, etcetera can ensue.
Sometimes getting ideas from a couple of shops is prudent. Find a shop that is friendly and helpful or go elsewhere 
CSA
I just don’t understand the part of buying the parts yourself and having a shop install them? I’ve done several hoods and I needed the trailer to get them home. They are big and bulky and not particularly light. Hoods though you don’t fool with because they can come unlatched while you are driving down the highway. So yeah just stop by a body shop and let them take a look and you can ask about used hoods etc. if you are on a budget.
I used to take a guess on what repairs would cost and then double it. Now I need to triple it. As I mentioned a lady backed into me at a drive-through. Front bumper cover, headlight housing, a little hood and fender damage. The estimate was $2000. By the time they got done with a couple more parts and some more painting to blend it in, the final bill was $2900. I hope she enjoyed her $3000 hot fudge sundae.
A lot of people think they will save money buying the parts and paying someone to install. They don’t seem to realize there will not be a warranty.
you can get a painted hood on the internet for $340 and I guess whatever the shipping is. It would be easy to install with the help of a friend or relative, provided the latch mechanism is in working order.