Front fender damage
Thread Starter
2nd Gear
Joined: Jun 2023
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Front fender damage
What's the best course of action for a damaged fender? So I took my car in to get something fixed and my local mechanic accidentally damaged the fender while he was lowering the car. I haven't gone up to see the damage but it appears to be a hairline crack.
Should I have them try and repair and paint the fender or completely replace it? The car is spiral grey and I am unable to locate an used replacement fender with the exact color online. Furthermore I am worried the color won't match up and paint workmanship not being as good as factory.
Thanks
Should I have them try and repair and paint the fender or completely replace it? The car is spiral grey and I am unable to locate an used replacement fender with the exact color online. Furthermore I am worried the color won't match up and paint workmanship not being as good as factory.
Thanks
Thread Starter
2nd Gear
Joined: Jun 2023
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 3,473
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From: West Virginia
Blending and finish are issues a good body shop will deal with. And the repairs to body parts can be dealt with with the usual fiberglass repair procedures, per the repair manual.
Racer
Joined: Mar 2020
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From: Virginia
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2023
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From: North Coast
To be honest a good used fender may be as much as the repaired one would cost.
Time is money. Fenders on the vette are not like the steel ones with issues and they are not hard to find.
Used fender will not have rust, dents or a repair.
Any good shop will match the paint just fine.
Time is money. Fenders on the vette are not like the steel ones with issues and they are not hard to find.
Used fender will not have rust, dents or a repair.
Any good shop will match the paint just fine.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2019
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St. Jude Donor '20-'21-'22-'23-'24
To be honest a good used fender may be as much as the repaired one would cost.
Time is money. Fenders on the vette are not like the steel ones with issues and they are not hard to find.
Used fender will not have rust, dents or a repair.
Any good shop will match the paint just fine.
Time is money. Fenders on the vette are not like the steel ones with issues and they are not hard to find.
Used fender will not have rust, dents or a repair.
Any good shop will match the paint just fine.
Have the mechanic take it to a body shop of YOUR choosing, and get it fixed. At least he's making it right.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2017
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If it's not bad or easily visible (maybe underneath), take some money and don't worry about it. If you really want to get it fixed, I'd personally be much more inclined to swap it out with a used fender and sell/scrap the old one. There's plenty of places to find used ones like ebay, vette villains, vette nuts, etc. I'd be pretty surprised if you can't find a used fender at a decent price. If you're not handy enough to swap the fender, you might end up paying more than it's worth for someone to swap/align it though.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2014
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From: Havre de Grace Maryland
Suggest contacting your local Corvette Club and ask for shop references. Once you agree to the shop and your mechanic agrees with the cost, the repair is on your to make sure it is done right to your satisfaction.
Melting Slicks
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From: North Coast
That was what I stated and it is plastic. Once painted it will appear like new at a lower cost. Take advantage of the body material
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Sound advice. Find a good body shop and have them repair the existing fender to your satisfaction. Good luck.