BRAND NEW PRO DENTED.. OPINIONS NEEDED

Little back story here. Washed my truck yesterday before going to the meat market to pick up some things. After I got back, I noticed my hood buldge looked a bit off. Looking a little closer, it was definitely dented.

I know the dent was not there while washing the truck, so it had to happen while parked at the meat market. That pisses me off to no extent considering I parked as far away as possible.
Granted, I parked so far away that it could hardly be seen so I guess that was my mistake.
I am assuming someone was a bit jealous of the truck or whatever other F'd up reason they could come up with to damage someone else's property. Literally looks like someone slammed their first down on my truck. I will never be able to get behind the rationale of someone damaging something that doesn't belong to them knowing that someone else worked hard to get it.

Anyhow, wondering what route I should go to get this fixed. Should i take it to the dealership to have them try to fix it, order a brand new hood buldge ($200), or take it to someone local who specializes in dent removal?

I know many of you will say "it's just a truck, don't worry about it" but I love this truck way to much to get used to looking at that every day.

 

That sucks and I feel for you. I doubt you could get it fixed for less than a new hood bulge. So if you can't live with it, I'd just replace it. Sorry for your troubles and best of luck in the future

 

Thanks for the info OV. Anyone else have any experience with "dent removal" in this area or similar dents?
I have very minimal experience with body work myself.

 

Oh man that sucks to see that, from the look of it , imho to just get the hood bulge replaced.

 

I’m not in your area but I’ve had PDR done before and been amazed with the result. That fix around here would probably be well under $100, worth a try.

A good PDR guy can work miracles.


Edit: I had a similar dent in my hood from having some work done at my house - one of the workers was mad and threw a shovel that landed on my hood. They paid dearly for that one but the PDR guy worked magic!

 

That part is plastic or urethane. It looks warped. I'd try getting it covered under warranty.

 

I inquired about removing this with paintless dent removal was going to be $200 and he stated 90% to normal.

 

The hood bulge is plastic so not too sure what you can do other than replacing it from @Roman

 

I honestly thought the same thing when i first saw it as well. However, there are one or two actual indentions that appear to have encountered impact. Does anyone have experience with warranty claims for something like this?

 

Deductible is prob more than to shell out of pocket for new one

 

Then you might have a problem if there's indentations.

 

I would just replace and buy a camera to catch the monkey in the act next time

 

Damn that sucks. Hood bulge about $200 for a new one. I would invest in a dashcam with parking feature as well for a next time.

 

I’ve seen this happen in the exact area; the bulge warps. Not saying someone didn’t do it but you may research some more as Toyota may fix it for you. Was it a particularly hot day outside?

 

It wasn't too terribly hot. Maybe 75 or so in GA. It is going to get much hotter so hopefully it didn't warp with that amount of heat.

 

If you can buy a new one for $200, then I would do that for peace of mind.

 

On my last Tundra, I installed a PRO grille and color-matched hood bulge. I received the bulge with a warp that looked just like your photo, and it was replaced. I would have a body shop (or your dealer) take a quick look at it and make sure that the bulge is not defective. It is a simple install (believe me, I'm no mechanic and I did the work). A re-install/re-alignment might even take care of it.

 

This sucks. I would probably plan on getting a new one, But given that it is plastic, I would start by taking it off. Then resting the painted surface on a soft set of towels. With a heat gun and rubber mallet, get it nice and warm and then see if I could work it out myself. If not, order a new one. This isn't a painted surface, but it worked very well for my bumper the other day. Not perfect, but well.

 

So to see that happen. PDR cannot do anything since that part is plastic. The reason it's dented is where the dent is located, there is a extension for the plastic clip to pop into the hood (I have taken the bulge off a few times when I installed my light bar there). So when they hit it, the plastic on either side dented in and the "fixed" area remained strong and stayed in position.

 

Looks like it was a sunny day? Were you parked near any large windows, glass buildings... ?

Low-e glass has been known to reflect and concentrate enough solar energy to melt plastics, vinyl siding...

 

Dang that sucks, some dastardly deed, and no note left behind for you.
Whom ever did that will have bad karma.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2014-20-Genuine-Toyota-Tundra-OEM-TRD-PRO-HOOD-BULGE-76180-0C030-C1-Black/163629648313?fits=Model%3ATundra%7CMake%3AToyota&epid=656104566

or @Roman

 

x2. I'd try to work it back with a heat gun. Cant hurt at this point. I'm amazed at some of the things I've fixed with my heat gun, and I'm just a hack.

 

That’s what I would do

 

Also look into getting a Thinkware dashcam front and rear. Solves a lot of issues parked and driving.

 

I have the same problem with people keying my paint, I am disabled and have a disabled licence plate. I think that when I park in a handicap space and do not have the typical handicap placard on the mirror that people think I am parking illegally. Which I am not.

 

Thanks for all of your helpful responses. After looking at it more and more and reading more about the warping under high heat, I am really thinking that could be what happened. I am going to contact the dealer today to see what they have to say.
I will keep you all posted.

 

Still get a Dashcam lol. I love my Blackvue setup.

 

Mine is like that 2018 Plat, just heat or a stress point