Aftermarket hood

I'm in the middle of a 2012 front end conversion and have everything but the hood. An oem hood will cost 512 while an oem replacement hood will cost 200. Im just worried about it being damaged while in transit and the fitment. For those of you who have oem replacement hoods how did they turn out?

 

As a former body technician, I hated installing aftermarket panels. Sometimes they fit great, sometimes they don't and require a ton of adjustment. With hoods they usually require the bumpers on the core support to be raised quite a bit. If its buckled in the center at all, send it back. Edge damage can be fixed easliy enough. It really is different with each one.

 

Yea ^^^^ this is correct!
I had a little issue a few yrs ago and the insurance wanted to use a lot of aftermarket parts. The shop refused most of what they got.
They were capa parts but were not up to oem quality and fit. It had pretty good front end damage my fault!!
Dr fender, grill, bumper, cover, lights, hood, lower rad support.
Antenna the cop almost fell and grabbed it broke it off.
Ended up with only the hood not oem. Went back a half dozen times for fit on crap. They agreed and didn't want the hood but the insurance wouldn't budge.
I have slotted my light mounting for fit. I use bolts instead of body clips on the grill. I had to shim my avid bar to match the rest of the front end all because of the hood in my opinion.

 

If you decide to go aftermarket be sure the part is certified. This will help reduce the likelihood of fitment issues. You can also search car-part.com for used. You shouldn't have any fitment issues with a used hood but may need some light body work.

 

Check your local Craigslist. Been seeing plenty of hoods for sale in my area. You might even get lucky and find one in matching color.