I am _so_ mad with myself...

[Huw Powell]

> We've had some snow here in the Pacific Northwest

We are so jealous here in NE.

> I've done some driving around in my 80Q, up hills and 
> down hills, looking for places to "build character" by practicing in 
> the snow, since I'm not in snow that often.

Big parking lots are best...

> But I'm here to tell ya that all wheel drive might as well be no wheel 
> drive if you're going over ice.

Are you running real winter tires or just all-seasons?

> Now I've got a huge dent in the driver's door, and the trim is broken. The 
> door wants to pop open when you close it because the dent (I think) leans 
> agains the cable that pulls the latch. You can get the door shut, but you 
> have to work at it.
> 
> What is the wisdom about having body work done on an '88 80Q? Can it be done? 

Well, an insurance company would probably total the car, since its book 
value doubles each time you fill the gas tank.  But that's irrelevant.

I would suggest, in order of cost/convenience:

1. See if it can be pulled/hammered out.  You might not even care about 
pretty.  A bit of Krylon anywhere the paint is cracked or scraped off 
and you're good to go, with a nice reminder to watch for aggressive 
trees right there every time you get in the car.  Just take the door 
apart and have a whack at it...

2. Swap the door.  Finding one could be a pain, but it should also be 
cheap.  The hard part is getting all the wiring out of the old door and 
into the new one.  If you're lucky it will be the same color.

3. Bring it to a body shop and let them "fix" it.  Now you're starting 
to pay other people for their time.  But the results could easily be "as 
good as new".

-- 
Huw Powell

http://www.humanspeakers.com/audi

http://www.humanthoughts.org/