> A friend of mine's front driver's side quarter panel (a.k.a. "fender")
> became dented in a parking lot hit and run. Her car is a 99 Civic LX.
>
> Has anyone replaced one of these quarter panels? How much time did it
> take? Where are the main fasteners?

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> "Elle" <elle_navorski@nospam.earthlink.net> wrote
> > A friend of mine's front driver's side quarter panel (a.k.a. "fender")
>
> It's called a fender. There's no such term as "front quarter panel".
The following, among other sites, indicates you're wrong:
-----
http://www.innerauto.com/Automotive_Definitions/Front_Quarter_Panel/
The front quarter panel is composed of the body skin, or sheet metal, that
runs from the front corner of the hood to the front of the door. It is
usually a separate piece that is welded on in a few places. This makes it
easy to replace if you get in a "fender bender." Front quarter panels can
usually be replaced relatively inexpensively.
Some newer vehicles use a rubber-like plastic for the fenders, which allows
small impacts to be absorbed without damage.
-----------
> > became dented in a parking lot hit and run. Her car is a 99 Civic LX.
> >
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> even mentions the front fenders. I can only guess that Honda thinks it's
> pretty obvious when you start studying it.
I checked my 1984-1995 Civic/CRX/del Sol Chilton's manual, and there is a
half-page on front fender replacement. Same for the 99-2000 Accord manual,
which I picked up at the library.
> The fenders I've removed have all been very easy except for fastener
> corrosion: There's a row across the top, paralleling the hood/fender gap
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> You'll also need to remove at least three of those plastic clips that hold
> the fender liner on to the wheel well lip.
Sounds good and similar to what I see in the manuals and on my own 91 Civic.
If I give it a shot, I'll post back in a few weeks.
Clarence, thanks for the tip about avoiding aftermarket. My friend is buying
OEM for about $125. Not sure what her plan is for paint at this time.
TeGGeR® - 30 Jun 2005 23:10 GMT
> Clarence, thanks for the tip about avoiding aftermarket. My friend is
> buying OEM for about $125. Not sure what her plan is for paint at this
> time.
I'll second (and third...) Clarence's aftermarket warning. They're a bitch
to make fit, and often they refuse to no matter what.
Until you try making parts fit that came off another car (especially when
one or both were in a collision), you have no idea how squishy car body
alignment really is. Even the factory makes impromptu "modifications" with
wooden-handled rubber mallets during assembly.
Get used OEM, and expect some bending before clearances are correct. If it
falls into place with no fiddling, consider yourself lucky. Don't snug down
ANY bolts until everything is lined up properly. There's a reason many
holes are oversize or slotted. You may have to temporarily reinstall
bumpers and lights to make certain everything is correct before you tighten
the fender bolts.
If you have to remove the bumper, a helper is handy. It's only about 20
lbs, but it's long and awkward to handle. I remove mine by unhooking the
driver's side end first, then "unwrapping" the bumper from the car like
peeling the lid off a coffee can. The passenger's side has a small hook
that holds that end up when all the bolts are removed, so the last bolt I
remove is one of the driver's side ones. Yours may be similar. Inspect the
consturction as you disassemble.
Another few warnings: Fenders are very floppy when they're not bolted in
place. It's easy to kink or bend them if you pick them up wrong. Be
careful. Watch for sharp edges that can (will) slice you. And if the lights
or bumper are really in the way, remove them, don't try to work around them
or you'll bend the fender or scratch something.
If you have to remove the headlight, use Wite-Out to make marks on all the
mounting bolt flanges. This will enable you to replace the light exactly as
it came off.
Good luck and have fun. :)

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