Front Quarter Panel Replacement (1999 Civic)

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?

I am going to dig for a manual but am not optimistic I can get my hands on
one.

If this were my car, I'd wing it. But it's someone else's car, so advice
would be appreciated.

 

It's called a fender. There's no such term as "front quarter panel". There
*is* a "rear quarter panel", though.

This is odd. I've just checked two different Honda shop manuals and neither
even mentions the front fenders. I can only guess that Honda thinks it's
pretty obvious when you start studying it.

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
(undo those LAST); There's one at the top rear corner that can only be got
at with the door open; There's one or two at the bottom behind the front
wheel; There's one or two at the front just ahead of the front wheel.

On my '91 'Teg you also need to remove the front bumper, the corner light
and its bracket, and the mudguard.

You'll also need to remove at least three of those plastic clips that hold
the fender liner on to the wheel well lip.

 

Stuck bolts are a problem. You might need a few new ones. You might need
to coerce some of the old ones to come out. I've seen some bolts painted
in place, maybe as the result of some repair work.

If you get a replacement fender, you should get a Honda part. A friend
went aftermarket on a VW, because the German parts prices are so high, but
it didn't really match up. On my BMW, factory parts came pre-painted,
which justified the high price for someone on a DIY job. I didn't need to
get it painted.

 

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.
-----------

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.

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.

 

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.

 

really? i never knew that... thats kinda cool. what if the car is old?

i wonder how much extra it costs, and how much extra careful packing has
to be done when its shipped.