fender repair or replace?

[bobbyv]

the left front fender of my 190e2.6 is rusting in the fender lip, with some rust perforation.

will it cost me more to have it patched up or to replace the fender altogether?

when i have the fender replaced, does it come pre-painted or primered? Does MB stock up on pre-painted body panels?

thanks.

[VA300SD]

I'm facing the same dilemma with my 81 SD.
Both fenders rusting - one on the lip near the front bumper and the other just above the trim panel just ahead of the front door.

Bought a starter kit from POR to stop and stabilize the rust then contemplate my next move. Since the car is more of a heavy user rather then a restoration project, a small patch of touchup spots won't bother me too much. Still better looking then rust spots.

Repair or Replace! This is a major question.

Recently, I had my 240D's body fully redone. I took it to many shops and was told something different at each one. Cost became the number one factor.

Most shops were quoting prices to repair the rusty fenders, but I looked around the junk-yards and found replacements (myself) in near mint condition for $100 each. The $400 I spent for the parts shaved about half the cost of the body work - including parts! Total cost $1900 and the lowest body shop quote for repair and paint was $3750.

Bottom line, shop around... Many times you can get used body parts, in great shape, at less cost than a quality repair.

Just my $0.02 worth

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William
76 240D - 550K miles
78 300D - 200K+ miles

[ncarter]

Did you take the panels to the body shop for installation+paint, or did you install them yourself and just pay for the paint job?

Also, did you have the whole car repainted or just the "new" fenders?

My 240D is rusting in about the same place: a bubble underneath the paint about two inches wide and one inch tall, underneath the trim immediately behind the front wheel well, on both sides. The driver's side is a lot worse than the passenger's side...

- Nathan
'83 240D, 252k miles

Nathan,

I had the whole car painted for $1500. The fenders cost $400 total. The body shop removed the old fenders and prepped the whole car, then painted the car and fenders separately. This was easiest thing to do since the fenders were already off the car.

After the first couple of coats had dried, they fenders were put on the car and the next three coats were applied, then the clear-coats.

The whole job took a few weeks, but they were working me in between insurance jobs. The car looks great and I much prefer the 'solid' feel of the 'whole' fenders as opposed to ones that were filled with scrap metal lying around the shop. Just a mental thing....

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William
76 240D - 550K miles
78 300D - 200K+ miles