So I just bought a 1998 ls400 and it had suffered some fender damage to the right fenders on the wheel well edge. It was quoted at 1,500 dollars to repair. So I thought it could be cheaper to just buy some fenders/quarter panels and replace it myself. However I looked and it seems like the read fenders can't be removed. Does anyone know it is possible?

 

The car looks like it was damaged from being too low and poor fender rolling. Check the underside of the car for significant damage first before deciding to repair it, because it may not be worth the money if the car needs major work beneath.

The quarter panels are not bolt on. This is a unibody car, and the quarters are welded as part of the body. To replace them, they have to be sectioned out as per the collision manual and replacement pieces have to be welded in place.

A body shop may either reshape what's existing on the car since it's only the arch, or section out the quarter panel to replace the damaged metal.

$1500 sounds decent for the job. I wonder if it entails full replacement or just repair. If it's replacement, then I'm surprised it's that low.

The front fenders are the only quarter panels you can remove and replace yourself without special tools.

 

^ yep Celsi0r addressed this correctly. it appears to be a poor fender rolling job which i always tell folks NOT to do since the rear quarters are double lined (read: thick) that a roller is not able to do a good enough job. it should have been cut or shaved to clear the bigger wheels/tires.

$1500 is very decent but i believe that price will only include body filler to get things contoured back to shape; not a full cut/weld replacement which is preferred. those jobs run perhaps 3x as much!

 

I thought the same thing about fender rolling and I still believe that's the case, however I'm the 3rd owner and the 2nd owner told me it was from the first owner lowering the car and not rolling the fenders which caused the right tires to blow when driving

 

So you think the 1500 is worth it to repair?? Also what about putting a wide body kit on the fenders and just cutting the existing ones

 

If the wheel offset was changed when the car was lowered and the car was riding against those wheels, then it would essentially be the same as fender rolling except the car is doing the work over time.

It sounds like the tires blew because they were actually rubbing against the fenders and rolling them in the process, causing excessive wear that led to them failing prematurely

If you're planning on a wide body kit, then I personally don't think it's worth paying the $1500 for the repairs.

I guess it all depends on what you are planning to do with the car and how much you're willing to spend. I would still check underneath the car and make sure enough of it is still intact first

 

yes it's worth it, to get it back to stock but if you're going to put a wide body kit (read: custom = more $) then just use that money for the kit.

i don't think a tire blowout would do that to the rear quarters which is super thick and strong. you'd see more scratches first than a buckling of the metal! this was a botched fender rolling job for sure!