Eric that looks a LOT like the dent in my hood when I hit the deer in my white '11 vert. The Ford dealer who did the estimating thought it was possible to "repair" it since it was so minor, but the body shop who actually did the deer damage repair immediately said "no way, have to get a new hood". His explanation was that aluminum doesn't have the "shape memory" steel has and that any heat-it-and-beat-it solution will not hold up long term. So yes, you need a new hood and don't settle for anything less.

And yes $1300 was exactly the new aluminum hood cost. For the raw part. The prep/paint/switchover of everything ran the cost up considerably higher.

PM me if you want to discuss more or if you'd like some pics of what my deer damage looked like. And best of luck to you in getting that fixed.

 

Yeah you're right , he's a class act. Don't run into him too often, but if i ever get the chance to talk to him , i'll mention it politely to him . Sorry for hyjacking ...

 

To the original poster, I would suggest (as this is the course of action I took) that you take the time to thank the guy for his honesty and buy him a beer sometime. You may never reap the benefits of your actions, but I know for a fact it makes people think about being honest. I was on both sides of this predicament and owned up to tapping the rear end of a car in a parking lot. I waited until the owner came out, we exchanged insurance info, etc., and I got a Christmas card from the guy with a $50 gift certificate in it for no other reason than being honest. When I was hit in a store parking lot (was inside at the time), the person went to the store clerk and asked to page the owner of a Jeep Wrangler over the intercom. I went to the front, they owned up to what happened and I reciprocated the gesture, by sending them a $50 gift certificate to a local parts shop (he was in the process of modding his own Jeep). Pay that stuff forward. Honesty is sadly too scarce in our world today. Good luck with getting your car fixed up. I have always loved that color.

 

You are absolutely correct. We both have breakfast at the same place FREQUENTLY. It is absolutely within my plan to guy him breakfast and maybe take him for a ride when the repairs are done.

 

Hum.... I'm starting to have second thoughts about this all accident/ breakfast thing !!!! What is her name !

 

He's a 65 year old man who is overweight and looks like Leon Panetta. Great legs though...

 

Eric, so sorry to hear bro. Get her fixed up and back to pristine shape! I vote for stock hood.... I don't think any other hood looks as good.

 

 

Leon Panetta or the dad from american pie?






long story short.. hes not out of your league

 

Know what Eric? Seems like this happens to the nice guys. Instead of coming on here and bashing the guy for an honest mistake you really handled this as more people should. Truly wish you the best with a good quality fix or replacement. I am guessing lifting has something to do with why you are able to handle yourself. Kudos man.. Well done on your end and kudos to the honest guy that did not hit and run.

 

Eugene Levy is hilarious.

And I agree with the post above me completely. Mistakes happen and you didn't kill the guy.

 

my mustang!

 

Hey Eric, i was in the same situation as you some months ago. My stock hood had to be replaced as these aluminum hoods are difficult to repair properly. The Ford OEM hood cost around 1200$ plus taxes, installation and all that. The grille was some 200$ to be replaced. Good luck with everything, this could be a great opportunity to get an aftermarket hood and some hood struts.

 

Got a call from his insurance company today. They assured me that he was taking responsibility and that they would like to move forward quickly with repairs. NICE.

 

Wow, lucky you.

I had someone hit my hood (didn't hit grill or front bumper though) just a couple weeks ago, but didn't leave a note or try to find me (was in the grocery store) or anything. And I have an aftermarket hood. So now I'm stuck with the bill myself, I think repair and paint will probably be around the same as my deductible, so I'm not even going thru my insurance.

Good luck with the repairs, and definitely buy the guy breakfast sometime for his honesty.

 

I agree with everyone about buying the guy breakfast, etc. But at the same time it irks me that as a society we've come to the point where we feel the need to reward someone for being honest because its become the exception instead of the norm. Pitiful.

 

Congrats for taking this as one should when an honest person comes forth to admit what he/she did. It could have been very easy for that person to just drive off, and no doubt, the tone of this post would have been different. If your anything like your avitar, the guy must have been a bit intimidated when he got to your table!

I had a simular story involving my Harley. A driver in a large SUV ran into it while it was parked at a diner. He went inside and told the front desk what he did, and they went to each table to locate me. How could I be upset with that? If we did, then we would scare away the honest folks.

Good luck with the repairs. You did the right thing by working with the person, for that, I tip my hat to you!

 

I work with aluminum everyday. Mostly T-3 and T-6. It can be fixed but would take some doing. I don't think it would be worth the trouble.

 

Eric, sorry to hear about the damage to your beautiful Mustang. Have you considered the Boss 302S hood from Tiger Racing? Might not be your thing but I wanted to throw it out there. Paint it solid KB of course.

https://themustangsource.com/f813/30...499240/index2/

 

Cheap hijack to show off your car!

Most insurance companies will not allow you to get a different part other than OEM stock type. If you have these already installed, call your insurance company in get them added to your insurance policy, otherwise they may not be covered should you get into an accedent. Check with your agent.