With cars becoming ever more complicated, the cost of professional auto repair has skyrocketed over the years. Gone are the days when any mechanic could get your ride going again for a tenner and a pack of beer. Hybrids seem to be the most expensive to repair, but some people have discovered clever ways to lessen their bills.
This video is from 2009 and shows how the front bumper of a Toyota Prius can be pulled out after a really severe ding. If you'd have visited an auto repair shop, they would charge at least $1,000 for a new bumper and paint, but because it's made from plastic, the dent can be pulled out if you're careful and know what you're doing.
The DIY mechanics in the video use a regular hair dryer, a pink one to be more precise. We think a professional mechanic's heater gun would have been much better, but not many people have one of those lying around.
Anyway, the point is to warm up the plastic evenly around the crease so that when you press it from the back it does't bend of break. After that, you just touch up the scratches with spot paint that you can pick up at any Wall Mart and it's done. Sure, nobody will confuse this for a Prius in perfect condition, but it's better than driving around with a big dent.
The Prius is the most common hybrid car in the world and in places like California also one of the most popular cars. Cumulative sales of 1 million units were achieved in the US by April 2011, followed by Japan, which reached the 1 million mark in August 2011. In total, there should be almost 5 million of them around the world. Dents like this are common occurrence in a parking lot and this DIY repair could put off a visit to the body shop for at least a couple more years.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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