Thought about that too..... But gotta get the car back to stock for leasing purposes....

 

Man...if only your lived closer to me. I am part owner of a body shop in Pittsburgh, PA. that repairs and restores many "high end" cars. We could repair it, blend it, and trust me...you would never know it was touched. A "GOOD SHOP" knows how to blend well...a "BAD SHOP" can really screw it up. Do your research!!!

I am wondering however...How bad is you fender??? Perhaps it could be fixed. If so, you would not have to blend it with the hood and doors. Could you send me a pic? If I were you, I'd avoid the junk yard route, you would be hard pressed to find one that will match.

Also, don't be afraid of aftermarket paint. It is so much better than Honda's factory paint. (If you don't believe me...take a look at you factory finish under a florescent light. You will be able to see all the imperfections and scratchs in your factory finish.) Honda's factory paint and clear coat is very thin. I am very disappointed with my factory finish. Since I can do a better finish job, I will probably repaint my 04 this winter.

Good luck!

 

Hey thanks for the advice...

I will try and get a pic up here soon....

The thing is that the paint is damaged on the fender. How could it be fixed?

 

On a related subject, if the paint doesn't match perfectly, does AHF car inspectors care? I have a new bumper sitting in my garage that I was going to have painted and then I was going to install on the car before turning it in at the end of my lease.

 

I don't think AHF cares, so long as the paint job is good...

 

I would have to see the damage. If it is fixable, the shop could blend the repair into the OEM paint on the rest of the fender. A little more time and work will be involved. Most shops would rather just paint a new one instead of trying to take the time to repair it. However, it sounds to me like you would perfer the repair.

Also, you may want to check your hood gaps. The fender that was hit may have pushed in a little. Make sure you have a consistent gap on both sides of your hood. If not, you will need to have that fixed as well.

 

LOL I think it is funny how that word "schmuck" is used gender neutral. I always thought the word referred to guys only. That is funny. I am sorry about your car situation. I hope all goes well with repair plans. Since I own Sebring Silver, I share the pain.

 

The 'blending' process does not involve the actual 'color' of the car. It involves the application if the clearcoat.

Meaning that they will repaint your fender,.. but put clearcoat on the fender, door, and hood. I can almost gaurantee you that they do not plan on spraying additional basecoat to your car's hood and door.

 

Hmmm... The process the body shop told me was: Sand down hood and door, paint, then clear.....