A damaged fender is more than unsightly; it can affect the structural integrity and, ultimately, of your vehicle. Although it can be repaired by a professional body shop, replacing a fender is an interesting and rewarding DIY job that can save you serious money.
This guide explains the procedures from beginning to end to allow you to undertake this project with confidence and to get professional results.
Why Replace Your Fender?
- Aesthetics: Restore your vehicle’s original look and curb appeal.
- Structural Integrity: A fender that is not intact can allow exposure to components and the elements, impacting the overall rigidity of your vehicle.
- Safety: Depending on severity, a damaged fender can also impede wheel movement or expose sharp edges.
- Resale Value: A well-maintained exterior adds great value to your vehicle if you decide to sell.
Before You Start: Collect Your Tools and Supplies
Having the right tools will help make the fender replacement smooth and easy. Here are the basic tools and supplies that you’re going to need:
- New Fender: Make sure it is the correct one for the make, model, and year of your car. You can also get a fender that is either primed or pre-painted.
- Socket Wrench Set: You may need several sizes depending on what you are replacing.
- Screwdriver Set: Phillips and flathead screwdrivers.
- Trim Removal Tools: Use plastic ones to avoid damaging paint or trim.
- Body Hammer and Dolly (Optional): If you need to slightly adjust the surrounding panels.
- Drill and Bit (Optional): If there is no hole when you need to put one or if there are holes that strip.
- Rust Penetrant (WD-40): This will help loosen stubborn or rusted bolts.
- Painter’s Tape: To cover up and protect adjacent panels.
- Rubbing Alcohol or Wax and Grease Remover: To the clean surfaces if applicable.
- Touch-up Paint (if needed): To match the new fender to the existing vehicle color.
- Safety Glasses and Gloves: Please protect yourself!
- Jack and Jack Stands: If needed to remove the wheel to gain access.
- Work Light: Will always help & to see better.
- Shop rags: To wipe up things.
How to Replace a Fender? – Step-by-Step
Safety Considerations: Always work in a level and secure area and engage the parking brake. If you’re working under the vehicle, support the vehicle with jack stands after removing the wheels.
#1. Prepare Your Workspace and Vehicle.
- Park Securely: The vehicle must always be on solid ground and with the parking brake engaged.
- Disconnect the Battery: First, disconnect the battery. This will prevent any accidental electrical shorts to charging or electrical systems while working near wires.
- Cover Adjacent Panels: Use painter’s tape to cover the edges of the hood, door, and bumper closest to the fender. This will keep scratches down during removal and installation.
- Remove Wheel (Optional): If you have easy access to the fender, leaving the wheel attached may not be an issue. However, some designs make it easier to completely remove the front wheel on the side you’re working on, as it can help prevent damage during removal. Use a jack and jack stands to do this.
#2. Locate and Remove Fasteners.
This is the part of the procedure where there may be a good deal of variability, as every car style is configured quite differently.
- Plastic Clips & Bolts: Many fenders are secured to a fender lining, so be sure to check for any clips, screws, or bolts that are securing the lining itself. Sometimes it can help to turn the steering wheel toward the side you’re working on for access.
- Across the Top Edge (Under the Hood): Open the hood of the vehicle and look for bolts that are securing the top edge of the fender to the chassis of the vehicle, usually can find it around the engine bay.
- Along the Door Jamb: Open the door on the side you’re removing the fender. You should be able to see bolts or screws across its vertical edge where it contacts the fender. This may be covered by a weather strip.
- Across the Front Bumper: The fender will usually have some tied to the bumper by clips, screws or bolts from the top or even under the vehicle. Depending on what it is attached to, you may need to loosen or remove the bumper itself for access.
- Along the Bottom Edge (Under Vehicle): Finally, you will want to check for bolts or clips holding down the fender to the undercarriage or rocker panel.
Tips for Fastener Removal:
- Take Pictures: Before you remove any fasteners from the fender, make sure to take pictures of the fasteners and their location, as this can be very helpful for reassembly.
- Sort Fasteners: Make use of small containers or magnet trays to sort fasteners by size or type while keeping everything labelled for reassembly (Ex: top fender bolts, bumper screws).
- Rust Penetrant: If you have any bolts or screws that appear to be seized or rusted, apply rust penetrant and allow time to soak before trying to loosen them.
#3. Remove the Old Fender with Care.
After you’ve removed all the fasteners, the fender should be loose.
- Using Gentle Wiggling: Wiggle and twist the fender gently. Make sure you are not missing any hidden fasteners.
- Watch for Wiring: Be careful of any wiring harnesses for the side marker, turn signal, or other components that may have been connected to the fender. Disconnect carefully.
- Lift and Remove: Once all attachments are free, lift the old fender away from the vehicle. Place it in a safe location where it will not scratch/damage anything.
#4. Get the New Fender and Mounting Surface Ready.
- Inspect the New Fender: Before starting the install, make sure the new fender doesn’t have any shipping or production damage.
- Clean the Mounting Surface: Using a rag, rubbing alcohol, or wax and grease remover, wipe down primer, paint, or adhesive wherever the new fender will be mounted. Remove any dirt, rust, and/or loose adhesive.
- Apply Anti-Seize (Optional): If you live in a humid area where road salt is prevalent, you could apply a thin layer of anti-seize compound to the bolt threads before installing. It will lessen the chance of rust in the future and help with removal when ready.
#5. Install the New Fender.
The following steps are the opposite of the removal process:
- Alignment and Positioning – Align the new fender in the correct position, and it can help to have someone support the fender while you bolt it in place.
- Start All Bolts by Hand – When you install the fender, loosen all the bolts in the same sequence as you removed them by hand. Hand starting all of them will also prevent you from cross-threading a bolt.
- Reconnect Electrical and Clips (If applicable) – If you had any electrical connections, connect them to the new fender. Likewise, connect any clips or associated pieces back to the new fender.
- Reinstall Fasteners – Step-by-step, reinstall the bolts and screws in the reverse order of removal processes. Do not fully tighten any bolts until you have started all of them and the fender is in correct alignment.
- Tighten to Manufacturer Specifications – When you have finished installing all the fasteners, gradually tighten them. Start tightening the middle bolts first, and then tighten the outer bolts last. Do not over-tighten, as it can strip a thread or crack the fender.
- Install Fender Liner – After you have completed the fender installation, reinstall the inner fender liner and the clips or screws.
- Install Wheel – If you took the wheel off the vehicle, install the wheel again and run the lug nuts to the manufacturer’s lug nut torque specifications.
#6. Final Checks and Finishing Touches.
- Test the Door and Hood: Cycle the door and hood a couple of times to ensure the opening and closing do not rub against the new fender and are interference-free. If it is rubbing, adjust accordingly.
- Check Gaps: Take a look at the gaps around your new fender and the adjacent panels (hood, door, bumper). The gaps should be even and consistent. If you need to perform some adjustments, at times you can just loosen the fender and reposition.
- Reconnect the Battery: Reconnect your car battery’s negative terminal.
- Clean Up: Remove all painter’s tape and wipe off any fingerprints or smudges.
- Touch-Up Paint (If required): If your new fender is primed, you will have to paint it accordingly to match your vehicle. If it was pre-painted and has small chips or scratches to touch up, do this next.
Troubleshooting Common Issues:
- Misaligned Gaps: If your gaps don’t line up, you may want to loosen the fender bolts and carefully move the fender until the gaps are uniform.
- Stripped bolt: If you do happen to strip a bolt, you may have to either use a tap and die set to re-thread the hole or try a slightly larger bolt (use caution).
- Maybe fasteners are hard to get off: If rust penetrant doesn’t do the trick, you may consider using a heat gun (be cautious) if the bolt is extremely stuck.
Final Thoughts
Replacing a fender on the car by yourself is possible for most do-it-yourselfers. As you can see, if you follow the previous steps, get the tools you need, and take your time, most jobs can be done without an expensive trip to the shop to put a car back to its original design or to fix that fender bender while saving money in the process.
As always, take safety precautions when necessary, and if there is something you are unsure of, such as which fasteners go where or which torque you need for each fastener, then refer to your vehicle service manual. Good luck!