Howdy...

I have a bit of a quandry. A guy backed into me and dented the front fender of my '85 w126 300sd. Very minor damage, easy to repair.

I sourced a replacement fender with same exact color from the same exact year - even matched the color code.

Of course, the alternative is to take it to a body shop and have them fix the dent and repaint.

Here's the question; which option is better? Or, more precisely, can I just eyeball the replacement fender and be confident that my eyes will tell me that the colors truly match? Or, to put an even finer point on it, what are the chances that I can just rip and replace an old fender from my car with an old fender from a donor car and the colors will match up?

The real cause of this quandry is money. I can make quite a tidy profit if I rip & replace instead of going to a body shop and getting it repaired.

If you want the money then yes. Replace it yourself. The front fender is easy to replace and align. You may however have some discoloration issues. Paint fades differently for each car. You may get lucky though.
Adam

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Current Stable:
01 ML55 AMG
92 500E (a few mods)
87 300E (lots of mods)
00 Chevy 3500HD Diesel Box Truck
68 18' Donzi Marine
06 GT i-Drive7 1.0 Mountain Bike (with GPS!)

PREVIOUSLY OWNED:83 300SD, 87 420SEL, 88 420SEL, 90 420SEL, 86 560SEL, 86 190E 2.3-16V AMG, 94 E320

Thanks Dr. Evil. I think the only solution is to simply have a look at the replacement fender. I am just wondering what the odds are that the replacement fender paint will be worn in such a way as to not stick out from the rest of the car. Very likely, very unlikely?

If you are very lucky and the paint isn't scratched, you can also try a paintless dent-removal service.
I did, and was abso-freaken-lutely amazed....It was as if the dent never existed. No trace...none whatsoever.

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It is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so. Robert A. Heinlein


09 Jetta TDI
1985 300D

Yep - and this dent would be a candidate. Except, the dent extends down to the molding and the chrome on the molding. Suppose I could just replace the molding though.