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Hi all, in an effort to avoid an accident today I damaged my front passenger quarter panel. I was almost successful, but the bumper of the car in front of me caught the quarter panel and dented it up pretty bad. It was a low speed collision (10 mph max) so I'm not too worried about internal damage, and I'm due for a tire change so alignment will get checked anyway.
My questions are:
Does anybody know of a reputable source for buying an OEM panel myself? Preferably color matched so I don't have to pay for that.
Assuming I can get one, how hard would it be to replace myself?
If it's out of my league repair-wise, what's a fair labor estimate for getting a shop to do it? Also what's a fair estimate to get it color matched if I can't find one that's already been painted?
If I go the route of just taking it to a shop and letting them handle everything, what's a fair estimate of the total price?
And bonus question, does anybody happen to know of any good shops that would do this kind of work around St. Louis assuming I can't handle it on my own?
thanks! it looks like i will have to get the fender liner too. if i go the unpainted route, what's a fair estimate of getting it painted? also, how difficult of a repair would this be...is this something I can do in my garage over a weekend with some basic tools, or are there parts welded to the frame?
is there a guide somewhere for how to do it? i tried searching the forums, but all I get are results for 2g and 3g TLs, which I'm sure aren't the same as the 4g. preferably a pdf, unless theres a really good detailed youtube video out there that my google fu has failed to find.
the thing is....all these modern cars are put together the same way.
if there is a video or walk through for another modern car, it would be the same for your 4G.
bolt on, line up the lines...torque all the way down. not straight, do that shit again.
is there any difference between these two sites? i know one is in arizona and one is in florida, but the layouts, pricing, and ordering seem to be exactly the same.
is there any difference between these two sites? i know one is in arizona and one is in florida, but the layouts, pricing, and ordering seem to be exactly the same.
Down at the VERY bottom of both websites, it says... "Powered by RevolutionParts"
assuming RevolutionParts owns both websites, or is "powered" or built by RevolutionParts.
visiting RevolutionsParts.com, it's actually like a broker of some sort. they provide the hosting and other aspects of selling car parts online. they must have a network of dealerships and auto manufactures, cuz it seems most online dealerships use Revolutionparts.com to build their websites.
Last edited by justnspace; 05-10-2018 at 11:02 AM.
perfect. thanks. found the 4g TL service manual on a different post here. now i just need to figure out if i need the inner fender liner or not...doesn't look like it, but i won't know for sure til i open her up.
i just wish that these sites sold the A-Spec kits at the same discounts they are selling all these other parts. would get that in a heartbeat.
If you want to change only the fender and nothing else and diy then $500-$600. Buy a fender and bring it to have it color match and paint it off the car. Then diy.
If you want to change only the fender and nothing else and diy then $500-$600. Buy a fender and bring it to have it color match and paint it off the car. Then diy.
The sites listed above have the OEM fender I need for 241 + shipping. Guess the rest of that $500-600 is for the painting?
$500-$600 price includes a new oem fender, paint materials, matching the paint to your original fender/car, painting the fender off the car, and nothing else.
Note, the color will probably still be off by a little to a lot. There is no guarantee of a match. Most shops would not recommend this and a good shop will not do it. That's because you will bad mouth the shop for as long as you own the car. The first thing out of your mouth when someone asks what is with the off color? Your answer will always be "The color doesn't match that good... xxxxx (name of bodyshop) painted it".
Best bet is to go on eBay and find a fender that痴 the same year range and color as your car. I always had good luck with eBay when it comes to used parts. Recently I replaced a broken fuel door on my friend痴 2013 VW Passat. The door was from an a 2012 but it matched perfectly.
You might give Dent Devil on Manchester Road a try. I had a guy back into the front fender of my '79 280ZX a few years, which had a complex shape like our TL fenders. The owner said they'd give it a try and if they couldn't fix it they wouldn't charge us. I didn't think it was possible for PDR to make it look right, but they did. If you didn't know it had been wrinkled, you'd never tell by looking at it. They buffed a few scuffs off and for under $400 I was on my way. Might be worth a try.
Honestly don't buy another panel because it's not going to fit as good as the factory 1/4. Gaps will always be slightly off unless you spend big $$$ on getting the new parts refitted. A good shop should easily be able to refinish the fender and paint the affected areas so you won't have to blend into the door and the hood. Should be around $500 or so to get it done. Add another $300 or so to get the front bumper done too. The factory refinished panel is going to fit way better than any replacement. Same with the bumper.
A bicylclist ran into the front 1/4 of my 4G and left and imprint of his handle bars in the 1/4. Shop couldn't refinish it since the creases were over a year old. I got an OEM fender though them and the fit is not perfect but ok. Slightly off at the headlight outer edge by about 1/8th of an inch where the light is slightly beyond the edge of the fender.... and they had to spend 3-4 hours getting the gaps even and right to that point with it unpainted. I can't imagine the trouble with an aftermarket fender!
The more fresh the damage, the better it is to repair since the creases set in over time.
Honestly don't buy another panel because it's not going to fit as good as the factory 1/4. Gaps will always be slightly off unless you spend big $$$ on getting the new parts refitted. A good shop should easily be able to refinish the fender and paint the affected areas so you won't have to blend into the door and the hood. Should be around $500 or so to get it done. Add another $300 or so to get the front bumper done too. The factory refinished panel is going to fit way better than any replacement. Same with the bumper.
A bicylclist ran into the front 1/4 of my 4G and left and imprint of his handle bars in the 1/4. Shop couldn't refinish it since the creases were over a year old. I got an OEM fender though them and the fit is not perfect but ok. Slightly off at the headlight outer edge by about 1/8th of an inch where the light is slightly beyond the edge of the fender.... and they had to spend 3-4 hours getting the gaps even and right to that point with it unpainted. I can't imagine the trouble with an aftermarket fender!
The more fresh the damage, the better it is to repair since the creases set in over time.
I was planning on getting an OEM fender for sure, but now that you mention the gaps, i'm a bit worried even that won't be enough. Looks like I have some thinking to do. it doesn't look absolutely terrible right now, but it bugs the shit out of me every time i see it, so much so that i've taken to parking backwards in the driveway so i don't have to look at it every time i go outside. i prefer to do whatever work I can on my own cars, and i was planning on removing the front bumper anyway to paint the shield and beak and remove the stock intake resonator, and i figured I could do this while i had it taken apart. like i said, i have some thinking to do. I have a lot of patience when it comes to repairs, so i think i could wrestle with it enough to get it looking pretty good again, but i'm sure it wouldn't look perfect to the discerning eye. just gotta decide if that would bother me more than the current state it's in enough to drop $ to get it professionally done.
Good luck fixing your fender. If you aren稚 too picky about aftemarket parts. I know eBay sells pre painted fenders. My friend ordered a bumper pre painted for his Infiniti G35 coupe and it was a pretty good match. https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F312123396806
Good luck fixing your fender. If you aren稚 too picky about aftemarket parts. I know eBay sells pre painted fenders. My friend ordered a bumper pre painted for his Infiniti G35 coupe and it was a pretty good match. https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F312123396806
thanks for the link. i'll check it out and weigh the pros and cons of going aftermarket. $250 prepainted is a hard deal to pass up, assuming they use the correct WDP paint and it's not super obviously off color compared to the rest of the car. It's especially good because because the OEM fender is about the same but doesn't come painted. Once I get the A-spec kit i plan on doing a full paint job on the car anyway, just to freshen it up, and because I love this car and plan on holding on to it for a long while.
I知 glad to be of help to you. I been in your situation before when I had my 1997 Nissan Maxima. I replaced both fenders and front bumper and had Maaco paint the entire car pearl blue. I loved that car to death and spent more than 8k on it. Ended up selling it years later due to me wanting something more reliable in the suspension department. Must致e changed a thousand ball joints in that car.
Here痴 a pic of it.
I知 glad to be of help to you. I been in your situation before when I had my 1997 Nissan Maxima. I replaced both fenders and front bumper and had Maaco paint the entire car pearl blue. I loved that car to death and spent more than 8k on it. Ended up selling it years later due to me wanting something more reliable in the suspension department. Must致e changed a thousand ball joints in that car.
Here痴 a pic of it.
oooh that's a really nice blue. i like those older maximas. the new ones are fun as shit to drive, but i've heard long term that the CVT breaks down pretty easily.
oooh that's a really nice blue. i like those older maximas. the new ones are fun as shit to drive, but i've heard long term that the CVT breaks down pretty easily.
Thanks! I was inspired by the Nissan Silvia color wise. Yeah the newer Maxima and Altima have a lot of CVT issues but a lot of time it痴 cause people don稚 change the CVT fluids on time. Also the suspension on Nissan痴 just change plane out suck. My girlfriend痴 2008 Nissan Maxima has 90k miles and already the struts and shocks are worn out completely.
Thanks! I was inspired by the Nissan Silvia color wise. Yeah the newer Maxima and Altima have a lot of CVT issues but a lot of time it’s cause people don’t change the CVT fluids on time. Also the suspension on Nissan’s just change plane out suck. My girlfriend’s 2008 Nissan Maxima has 90k miles and already the struts and shocks are worn out completely.
goddamn. my TL has 140k and still has the original shocks and struts. when i took it to get a comprehensive inspection before buying it, the shop told me that those would be the main concern in the future because they are the originals, but they look great right now and aren't leaking or in danger of going anytime soon (unless i decide to go off-roading to test out the AWD system lol). the only previous owner of this car must have babied the crap out of it, because for the amount of miles on this car, it has none of the issues you would expect, except the infamous oil burning on these TLs, and the dealer replaced the pistons and rings for free and it now no longer has that issue. it was a deal i couldn't pass up once it cleared the independent inspection, especially when i saw the AISIN sticker on the engine indicating that the timing belt and water pump had been changed at 115k.
Last edited by snoopalupe; 05-16-2018 at 11:33 AM.
Reason: words
Sounds like you got a steal! Treat her good and she値l run forever. Right now I知 at 58k on my FWD TL so hearing that the suspension held up that long is a good sign. Always good to buy a car with the timing belt replaced, I知 sure it saved you a small fortune. lol. Only issue I had with my TL thus far was the key fob slot not working and the car thinking the keys were in the car still. Cost me $100 and 15 minutes to replace. Most recent issue I had was the transmission gurgling noise after having the transmission fluid change which Acura covered fully under warranty due to a faulty clogged filter.
Sounds like you got a steal! Treat her good and she値l run forever. Right now I知 at 58k on my FWD TL so hearing that the suspension held up that long is a good sign. Always good to buy a car with the timing belt replaced, I知 sure it saved you a small fortune. lol. Only issue I had with my TL thus far was the key fob slot not working and the car thinking the keys were in the car still. Cost me $100 and 15 minutes to replace. Most recent issue I had was the transmission gurgling noise after having the transmission fluid change which Acura covered fully under warranty due to a faulty clogged filter.
it was definitely a steal, and had i not committed to buying it pending an independent inspection, it would've been gone the day after i found it. when i went to pick it up to get inspected, there was a family that drove in from Ohio specifically to look at this TL and the dad flipped out when he found out that it was pretty much taken already. his fault though, he just checked the dealers website and decided to drive down without bothering to call and confirm if it was still available.
the shop that inspected it was surprised at the price i was getting it for. the dealer being a family friend worked in my favor, since he also hooked up the free piston and ring replacement.
i have had no issues with the transmission yet, but i do worry about it occasionally, just because it is one of the two common issues with this model, and i doubt i'll be able to talk the dealer into a free transmission fix if the issue arises lol.
i had a key fob issue as well, but it was one of the remotes not being programmed correctly. even with new batteries the car wouldn't recognize it, even if it was in the ignition slot. they took care of that while doing the engine work, so really all i have to worry about now is the original reason for starting this thread and the future upgrades i have planned.
not gonna lie, i love this car, and the last car i felt this attached to was my old '95 Accord EX coupe, which was my millennium falcon..."she may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts". it was a blast to drive, and super easy to maintain.
05-09-2018, 06:13 PM
