Dent Resistant Panels? Doh!

[Jaseball]

I'm wondering how many people have gone in and either accidentally or with malice kicked in a door panel on a new steel Saturn?

What would a dealer do if a customer went in there and sent a knee into a door and dented it? I mean, how many times was whacking a door panel with a hammer or hitting the showroom models part of a salesman's demo?

I'm not suggesting anyone do this, but with the past advertising and the new models out there in steel this has to have happened at least a few times.

Any good stories to share?

[davidsky]

Originally Posted by Jaseball

I'm wondering how many people have gone in and either accidentally or with malice kicked in a door panel on a new steel Saturn?

What would a dealer do if a customer went in there and sent a knee into a door and dented it? I mean, how many times was whacking a door panel with a hammer or hitting the showroom models part of a salesman's demo?

Any good stories to share?

You wouldn't be able to dent a new Saturn with your knee.
maybe a hammer but that would damage a polymer Saturn too.

[saturn_69]

Only a dork would go into a car dealer - polymer panels or no - and purposely pound on a car. Even with polymer you could get paint damage or a cracked panel. Great. Another one of 'those' threads.

[Jaseball]

I guarantee you I can dent a door panel with a knee.

Don't read into the thread as a negative. I just thought with the focus on dent resistance for all those years it is pretty likely a few people have tried this with the new models.

[saturn_69]

Originally Posted by Jaseball

I guarantee you I can dent a door panel with a knee.

Don't read into the thread as a negative. I just thought with the focus on dent resistance for all those years it is pretty likely a few people have tried this with the new models.

I'll admit, I've worried about that happening.

[saturnjohnny]

Originally Posted by Jaseball

I guarantee you I can dent a door panel with a knee.

Don't read into the thread as a negative. I just thought with the focus on dent resistance for all those years it is pretty likely a few people have tried this with the new models.

doors are well supported behind, just like the polymer ones were, and i dout that people are going to try that, as late as the ION, salespoeple still did the stupid door panel demo and 90% of customers never knew. so, little chance of someone trying it now.
so very soon and polymer will be a distant memory. you'll be w/ your friends going, 'hey, remember those plastic cars? named after a planet or something? yeah, NEPTUNES! yeah, they sucked!'

[VTHokie00SL2]

I'll miss the polymer! Grocery shopping is now a stressfull experience. I hate leaving my new Subaru in the parking lot. There are *($^&@# shopping carts everywhere, and people are too damn lazy and inconsiderate to move them into the cart return area.

[saturn_69]

Originally Posted by VTHokie00SL2

I'll miss the polymer! Grocery shopping is now a stressfull experience. I hate leaving my new Subaru in the parking lot. There are *($^&@# shopping carts everywhere, and people are too damn lazy and inconsiderate to move them into the cart return area.

How do you sleep at night? You must have cajones the size of watermelons to be able to even step off the porch in the morning.

Park away from the building, let the idiots park up close. Heck, I have a polymer-clad Ion and I still park far away from the place I'm going into.

I know your parents' Accord has dings. That's because Honda uses really thin steel on the outer panels of their cars that way, the panels that weigh the most are used for crash structure and vehicle strength whereas the 'cosmetic' skin of the car is thinner so as not to add too much weight. GM should learn that trick, might help. It's kinda like the way the S-series were built; you have your strong structural steel making up the 'spaceframe' and the the thinner, cosmetic steel forming the 'skin' like the polymer panels. Your Subaru is made of stronger stuff, I wouldn't worry too much.

[beanheadz]

"Stupid door panel demo"...Mmmm,,,frankly nothing stupid about it!
How is it stupid to show a customer how dent-resistant a car is??

[Uzzy]

DO NOT TRY IT IN THE COLD!!!

I know a salesman that put his foot through the door!

[eRic 02sc2]

Originally Posted by saturn_69

Only a dork would go into a car dealer - polymer panels or no - and purposely pound on a car. Even with polymer you could get paint damage or a cracked panel. Great. Another one of 'those' threads.

Saturn retailers used to keep a door panel in the showroom for folks to step on and kick and so on. No damage other than some scratched from people getting carried away. at Homecoming (1994) one of the tents had a walkway with door panels for us to step on. It was entertaining watching folks jump up and down on them.

[saturn_69]

Originally Posted by eRic 02sc2

Saturn retailers used to keep a door panel in the showroom for folks to step on and kick and so on. No damage other than some scratched from people getting carried away. at Homecoming (1994) one of the tents had a walkway with door panels for us to step on. It was entertaining watching folks jump up and down on them.

Oh I remember that, really, I was just saying that no one is going to nonchalantly walk into a Saturn retailer and start pounding on a car.

[APE992]

You people don't make me feel any better, my 96 Sl2 was the floor model at the Fairfield, CA showroom at the time. Which is why it has all the good optional stuff aside from sunroof and cd player.

I'd hate to find out what they did to the poor thing.

[robertburns3]

When I used to sell Saturns, I we demonstrated the plastic panels by hitting it with a fist, (not knuckles) instead of running the risk of scratching the paint with a shoe.

If you hit it just a little too hard, you would hit the impact door beam....ouch.

[SaturnPlanet]

In my years with Saturn, I'd say mentioning the dent resistant panels was more of a 'surprise and delight' feature, and represented about 1% of the vehicle walk-around. Maybe its the market I work in, but the dent resistant panels have never been a big issue.

my $.02

[Danc922]

I demonstrate the dent resistant panels most of the time on the Saturns that have them. I usually bang on them pretty hard with my fist, and it usually gets a very surprised response. I've just been sure to tell any new consultants that are new to Saturn that the newer model Saturns don't have the dent resistant panels, so don't go banging on them.

[BobbyP]

Originally Posted by VTHokie00SL2

I'll miss the polymer! Grocery shopping is now a stressfull experience. I hate leaving my new Subaru in the parking lot. There are *($^&@# shopping carts everywhere, and people are too damn lazy and inconsiderate to move them into the cart return area.

VTHokie00SL2 - Whoa... Did I miss something? You finally bought the Subaru Legacy you've been looking at?

[SaturnManiac]

Originally Posted by APE992

You people don't make me feel any better, my 96 Sl2 was the floor model at the Fairfield, CA showroom at the time. Which is why it has all the good optional stuff aside from sunroof and cd player.

I'd hate to find out what they did to the poor thing.

Beat the crap out of it! But I'm sure my former rental car (my 2000 SL2) has had a worse life...I'm sure everyone that rented it and knew Saturns had polymer panels probably tried to dent it. And someone equivalent to a dogturd blew his engine in the past too (I got him with a different engine). If I found the fool that blew the engine I'd probably test the dent resistence of their skull, LOL.


Anyways, I've wanted to see a salesman accidentally dent a non-polymer Saturn, because I would just find that hilarious.

[2000sl1blue]

Can these panels be fixed? I found out a bit ago that they are not dent proof.. my rear door nicked something while turning and has a minor line indent now..

[pierrot]

The plastic front fenders and door panels were, to the best of my knowledge, never called "dent proof." They were described as dent resistant. According to the FSM I own, the answer is yes. Next, it would depend upon the knowledge and skill of the one performing the repair (if that person was out there to be found).