Advice for repairing my own fender?

I wanted to get your advice here.

I got in an accident about 1+ years ago two days before I was about to leave the US.

I took a payout of about $2k because I would have had to void my whole trip.

The problem is that the quote for the repair is "no less than $5k" ... so let's say $7k.

They're saying that they have to buy the fender, align the paint, swap out the door (because the door wouldn't open, etc).

I think this is all BS honestly but I might be wrong. I don't work on cars but swapping out the fender shouldn't really be TOO hard.

I'm attaching a photo.

Here's my plan.

They're saying that Toyota ships the parts from the factory unpainted, and that THEY have to paint it.

I was thinking of just trying to buy a used fender online, with the correct color from salvage.

Then just installing the fender myself.

The door has some mild scratches but is totally functional. I don't care about the scratches honestly. It's an overlanding truck so it's going to have some scratches.

Do you think this is a practical plan or is there something I'm not anticipating here.

For example, maybe it will be a huge pain to find the right part from salvage with the right color.

He MIGHT be right about the door, but the fender won't cost too much and it would take me like 2 hours of work and I'd save like $5k if it works.

Worst thing that could happen is that I'm out the $400 or so it would cost for the fender.

 

Could buy an unpainted aftermarket fender and have a body shop paint it for you then try to install it yourself

 

Call Alex in Boiling Springs, S.C. 828-243-3068

Not sure if he has one but he has a junk yard with a lot of late model Tacoma trucks sitting in it

 

If you can't find one used, you could also buy one from Revemoto. Should be a decently close paint match.

 

Yes replacement body parts are not painted. The existing paint on your vehicle would have faded over the past few years, so a new panel painted factory color would not match. The collision shop has equipment to scan your paint and do a custom mix to match as closely as possible.

If you don't care about paint matching, you can order a fender on Partify painted at their facility (enter your paint code when ordering). I did that after suffering trail damage last year. Can also try your luck on Car-part.com for a gray fender at a salvage yard.

Physically replacing the fender is easy. You'll need bags of replacement fender flare clips (two different kinds) and fender liner clips.

Your door has more than scratches though. Not as easy to replace or fix.

 

Another option...if you don't care about the scratches. Repair the fender. Remove and bend (or bash with a hammer) it back into shape. Maybe fix up the door a bit too (more bashing). Spend the $2k on some overlanding supplies.

 

Wow... you think it's possible to bend that all back in shape? I've seem some Youtube videos and I do have to say it's pretty impressive what can be done. I'd need a bunch of cools and a heat gun and stuff though.

 

www.car-part.com for your fender

 

Contact the insurance company you settled with, and get them to reinspect the truck and write a supplement, to get the vehicle repaired correctly. Use the first money received as a down payment for the start of the repairs. Have the shop work with the insurance company. Follow the process, trust the process. This is done all the time, even a year later. Ski

 

Body work is difficult and expensive.

Did you take the truck to a body shop for an estimate before accepting the $2000? If not, I’m sorry to say that you made a mistake.

Who did you agree with to take $2000? The insurance company?

I highly doubt those dents can be feasibly repaired.

@5nahalf might have a more expert opinion.

 

get on coparts, find a matching fender and door, move them over. i've done this on other vehicles and even started from scratch with having a body shop buy and paint replacement panels for me and I've installed them. you're looking at a solid weekend worth of work at the very least if you haven't done this before.

 

If a “pretty good” repair is good enough, DIY bodywork like this is pretty straightforward. I’ve done several “pretty good” repairs of dents, clear coat failure, and rust repair with YouTube videos and advice from our local automotive paint supply place. A casual observer would probably never notice the repair if you take your time even though it would likely be obvious to a professional.

 

PDR=Good as new.

 

I’m no expert but, it does not look like PDR could remove the dent in his fender. It has a pretty bad crease.
But OP, if you really dgaf then pdr could at least get it to be the right shape again

 

Did these repairs include things like bondo and fiberglass?

 

I agree. It’s missing paint, so by definition Paintless Dent Removal is not going to return it to “good as new”.

 

All I can say, is do not buy an aftermarket fender and paint it to match. The quality is just crap!

I rebuild Toyota trucks and have done this. It's a mistake.

Buy a used factory fender the same color, and install.

Be aware, the MGM is the worst for to match. There are 10 different shades. I have one, it took forever to match the paint.

If you are not worried about that, then just buy a used Toyota fender and install it. You won't regret the savings

 

For a comparable price point, I damaged the entire passenger side of my truck and it came out to about $7k. The body shop replaced the front fender, side mirror, 2 doors, bedside, taillight assembly, repaired the cab, and painted all the new parts to match. I could not differentiate it from new when they were done. My insurance paid for it minus my deductible.

Judging only by your photo, I think $5k might be high. Post the estimate if you have one. If you don’t have one, go get one. It’s generally free I think or maybe only after contacting the insurance company. I’m not sure.

When I took mine in for an estimate, the tech spotted and showed me damage I was unaware of. I found it interesting watching and interacting with him.

One thing I learned is that a good thing about our trucks is that the bedside is bolted on thus it can be easily replaced.

 

I went through something similar 2 months after I bought my truck new. It only had 500 miles on it at the time. A 90 year old man who should have never been allowed to drive merged into my passenger front door and fender on the freeway onramp in bumper to bumper traffic driving home from an appt at the Mayo Clinic. He was in a newer Camaro and the side mirror is pretty high up on those cars.

Anyway, new fender, new fender flare, door was repaired, paint match ect. I sent it back like 4 times to get the paint right. I think it was around 3k maybe 3500 with parts and labor.

The bodyshop had a difficult time getting the fender to line up and ordered 2 fenders from Toyota or so they claimed. They'll need a little bodywork out of the shipping box before you can install. I still had to replace/fix a couple things myself like the cracked windshield washer reservoir that the shop missed.

From those pictures, I'd guess a new door skin, new fender, new fender flare, paint match and several hours of bodywork. The fender apron might need some massaging too. 5k doesn't seem unrealistic.

Call up your insurance again and get them to cut another check as mentioned.

 

Times changed. I just fixed a minor damage in my opinion to my 2012 at no cost to me and their total bill was over 5k. 2018 I paid my deductible on tacoma for a huge bed panel dent, wheel and tire replacement. It was 2k