Classic fender bender

abusedblanky · Postby **abusedblanky** » Sat May 25, 2013 10:13 pm

Today i did my drivers side quarter panel in on a pole in an underground park. Pic related.

Anyway I don't have any comprehensive car insurance and was wondering if i would be better off (cost wise) getting the dent fixed up at a panel beater or just getting a whole new quarter panel from a wreckers and painting it. The damage to the paintwork isn't that major so if someones manages to straighten out the panel i could just use some touch-up paint to fix it up. I live in Perth so if anyone could direct me to some good panel beaters or wreckers with NA mx-5 parts it would be much appreciated.

Starting a topic about how to fix my recent screw up probably isn't the best way to introduce myself to the forum but i've been lurking for too long, about time i signed up.

Mr nanotech · Postby **Mr nanotech** » Sat May 25, 2013 10:34 pm

Replace the whole quarter. Put up en EOI on in the for sale section of the forum, people are wrecking mx5's all the time on here and parts go cheap. I can't imagine many people wanting more than $150 for a painted single fender off an na.

I just found this one on ebay cheap http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Mazda-mx5-mi ... c4d&_uhb=1

I'm sure you could find better with a decent search. Good luck!

Postby **tomli123001** » Sat May 25, 2013 10:45 pm

This??? Much cheaper

Postby **tomli123001** » Sat May 25, 2013 10:46 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11zpXnFStNo

forgot

abusedblanky · Postby **abusedblanky** » Sat May 25, 2013 11:13 pm

tomli123001 wrote:This??? Much cheaper

I think the dent is waaaay too big to simply bog up. They even said in the video that you should just buy a new panel instead of bogging up the dent they were fixing (which is about 1/3 of the size of mine). Think im just gonna have to search for a quarter panel and replace it. Ill start by posting an ad here

geofiz · Postby **geofiz** » Sat May 25, 2013 11:21 pm

I would replace the guard, it is too far gone to effectively repair. You can get a brand new guard for around $150 in Perth, and then get it painted to match. 2nd hand body panels are quite hard to find in Perth, but they do come up on the odd occasion

A few of us carry some spares, if you get really stuck I have a guard, but it has a few small dents and will need some repairs.

If you need more details, let me know.

abusedblanky · Postby **abusedblanky** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 1:40 am

I'm about to buy this guard as a replacement: http://www.mx5centre.com.au/index.php?m ... cts_id=202. Would this match my 97 NA quarter panel i've got now? Are all NA fenders the same?

Mr nanotech · Postby **Mr nanotech** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 2:27 am

Woah pricey :shock:

And yep, all na panels are the same. The only differences are in the USDM ones which don't have side markers, but aside from that they are the same.

abusedblanky · Postby **abusedblanky** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 3:16 am

Mr nanotech wrote:Woah pricey And yep, all na panels are the same. The only differences are in the USDM ones which don't have side markers, but aside from that they are the same.

Alright cheers. Yea ive looked around for the past week and i cant find a reasonably priced fender for the NA in perth. Only one of the junkers stocked one and it was 330$, red and dented. Absolutely ridiculous.

Drek · Postby **Drek** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 8:17 am

mate that MX5 centre guard is dead straight and (more or less) ready to paint so it ends up being a good deal in the end. If you get a second hand guard with a few dings and paint that needs stripping - and you're paying someone to fit and spray it for you - it would cost a fair bit more than the extra $90 plus shipping - over a s/h $150 guard - to get it to that point if it's dinged. And there's maybe a tiny advantage in having receipts for showing the jobs done properly if you were to sell the car later on, but it depends on your budget.

geofiz · Postby **geofiz** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 9:29 am

As I said before, you can but the same panel in Perth, and not pay shipping costs from the East coast to Perth. I bought a pair late last year and it was less than the price you have listed. I will check if they have stock on Tuesday and PM you the details etc if they have them

abusedblanky · Postby **abusedblanky** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 12:28 pm

Thanks geo, if you could point me in the direction of a cheaper but not substandard option that would be awesome. Especially if i can go pick it up and have it all painted by the end of the week. Sick of barely being able to squeeze in and out my door

Mr Morlock · Postby **Mr Morlock** » Wed Jun 05, 2013 6:11 pm

No comprehensive- your call. Labour is expensive in Australia and that means painting panel beating - the whole shooting match. If you want to do a rubbish job then throw on anything that fits regardless of colour. And lets move on from comments about "bog". Any decent panel beater will want to minimise the amount of filler used because it will crack or fall out etc. You fill to pretty small amounts these days and panels are thin compared to the tanks of the past. The way anyone gets a price on anything in this case panel damage is go to a panel beater and ask for a quote and ask for alternatives- go to 2 or 3 or whatever and a picture will emerge. If you reckon its a rip off then let the panel beater know and perhaps duck. Its optional whether a quote is accepted. Incidentally Geofiz seems to have the right solution - seems reasonable to me but you have to check it out.

abusedblanky · Postby **abusedblanky** » Sat Jun 08, 2013 3:05 pm

I bought the panel that geofiz directed me to and now i just need to get it painted. My plan is to buy the OEM paint (caste white) and painting the panel with the help of a friend who has all the right equipment and plenty of experience. The condition of the paint on the car is excellent so i doubt it will need to be colour matched. Where would be the best place to buy the paint from? Do most normal auto shops (ie autopro, repco) sell OEM paints?