climhazzard

Pictures below - has anyone else had this type of damage occur, then attempt to repair it? If so, is it a body shop-level job...or just grab with a vice grip and bend? The fender bolts are what concern me; the fenders appear to be aligned, but I doubt they would be simple to remove, if needed in the future.

I'm guessing the damage was done from a mechanic and the prior owner as both sides are bent, and I've always used the proper jacking points and never had an issue.



Passenger side


Drivers side

hecash

That is a damn shame. It looks like it was dropped down onto jack stands or something like that. I wish that I had dome guidance for you on that. I'm subscribing to this to see what is said.

kevos2k

My car has similar damage, I am almost positive it came from high speed bumps etc.

When I need to work on the fenders you can bend the tabs back enough to access the bolts.

climhazzard

climhazzard

zeroptzero

definitely from someone not using the proper jacking points in the past. If it was mine I'd grab some large sized vice grips and pull it straight, it is pretty soft metal there. Once straight remove the bolt, touch up any chipped paint and rustproof and reinstall the bolt with anti-sieze.

climhazzard

Thanks zeroptzero! To complicate things, the drivers side fender has been replaced by the prior owner, and the bolts aren't original. From what I can tell, the bolt is damaged (bent) which will make extraction...more interesting. Glad to hear it should be bendable/fixable though.

zeroptzero

aftermarket bolts won't be an issue, they still had to use the correct thread size and pitch to make it fit. They don't look too bad, once you can get the metal straightened a bit the bolt should come out fine with the correct size socket and ratchet. You should be good. Let us know how it works for you.