fender repair/replacement - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

tarbasd · 09-07-2010, 09:41 AM

Hi,

during our weekend camping trip, when I backed out from the parking spot, while turning, I didn't realize a tree was in the way and I dented the left front fender of my Corolla.

Anyway, I just came back from a body shop and they quoted $1000. They said the fender should be replaced, so it would be a new fender, labor, paint, etc. There is no way I'm paying $1000 for a dent that is hardly visible. So I looked around at car-part.com and I saw a blue '06 Corolla CE fender being sold about 2 hours away. The most important questions:

- Are the 2006 CE and the 2005 S trim fenders the same?
- Is there only one kind of blue in this generation of Corollas?
- There are two thin white lines running horizontally on the fender. Do these appear on all Corollas?
- Is it hard to replace the fender?

I'm also thinking about just pushing it out, but I know it wouldn't be perfect, especially because the paint is badly scratched.

Thanks,

DjiNN · 09-07-2010, 10:10 AM

Is it a front fender or rear fender?

If its a front fender ... at least in my area it doesn't cost more than 500$ with paint.

tarbasd · 09-07-2010, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DjiNN

Is it a front fender or rear fender?

If its a front fender ... at least in my area it doesn't cost more than 500$ with paint.

It is a front fender. Sorry, I forgot to give that info. (EDIT: Actually I've just re-read my original post, and I did say it was a front fender.)

I'm already thinking about asking another shop. There is a MAACO nearby. What do you think about it?

But also, if I could replace the fender with one from junked car, it may be just as good and cheaper.

DjiNN · 09-07-2010, 10:27 AM

Yes if you could find a junker with a front fender of same color it will be a lot cheaper.

tarbasd · 09-08-2010, 09:57 AM

MAACO gave me a $500 quote for replacement with aftermarket fender and $350 for repair; the repair wouldn't look 100%. In fact, even the replacement would not be perfect, because they would paint the new fender using the color code of the car (blue), and the '05 paint definitely faded, so you would see the difference. I'm still thinking about buying that fender from a junked '06 CE. Nobody knows if it would fit? (Mine is an '05 Corolla S.)