Rusted front fender - are online painted auto body parts worth it?

[Jen]

Hi! This below thread inspired me to try to fix the rust spot in the usual front fender area :
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/how-to-repair-dreaded-rear-quarter-panel-rust.34157/

Was wondering if I could get some feedback - here's are my thoughts:
1. Can this be repaired by the method above using a combination of steel mesh, bondo, glass, etc, without welding?
2. Don't even bother repairing ... this is too far gone , get a replacement fender - follow this installation guide:

3. If I replace the fender, does anyone have experience with getting a painted part from:

https://paintedautobodyparts.com/pr...wrangler-97-06-fenders-1100111&sid=taiZXt3Rpd​

The wavy metal support structure underneath the fender is totally rusted through so this hole is only going to get bigger.
At this point I am going with number 2 or 3.
So my main question is: Does anyone have any feedback they can offer for paintedautobodyparts.com ? This is looking like the answer but seems too good to be true.

Thanks!

 

[Davidtj]

The fender is shot any attempt at repair will most likely have another rust spot pop up soon
Also check with local salvage yards , might find a good candidate

 

[P man]

100 % not worth any "repair" throw it in the scrap pile. The pre painted parts seem like a good idea but they are aftermarket parts and guarantee the paint wont match and may be off by a mile. My first choice would be to source a used oem fender with your paint code and install as is (assuming its not dented or rusty of course)

 

[THEREALJIM]

Don't bother even trying to repair it, I made that mistake. Rust came back after like 5 months. Couldn't find any reasonably priced paint matched fenders so I just ordered some replacement fenders off ebay and had my shop paint and install them. They turned out great! Think the manufacture of the fenders was "Keystone".

 

[WallyWest]

I ordered one of those replacement fenders off ebay that come painted however you want them, based on the paint code for your Jeep. Not the TJ, this was the front fender of my wife's '08 GC. The metal is not quite as thick as OEM, but you have to feel both at the same time to tell. The GC is black, which is notoriously hard to match. It's pretty close. You have to stare at it in bright sun to see the difference, and I think most of it is just that the paint job is newer so it's a tad more shiny than the rest of the vehicle.

It's a roll of the dice, but worked out in my case. It's generally more expensive to order the bare part and then have it painted, but that way you could choose a place you trust and they would be able to look at your TJ to get the color match right.

 

[Rubicon88]

Two things...quite possibly 4.

Don't attempt to fix a rust king...and those fenders minus like 7 select fenders from Las Vegas and San Diego are all rust kings. I swear every single one of those fenders above the Mason Dixon line rust right there.
Every single one!

You fix that spot it will rust again. I promise you 101 percent.

Replacement body panels not of OEM status are iffy at best.
Paint? Meh...that's the least of worries.
Fit is the ultimate concern. It's a Jeep and not like a Mercedes walk-off tie in with perfect symmetry. That's a positive!!

Paint...make sure you use your paint code but pending how much sun your Jeep has seen it might not match so well regardless.

If it were me...
I'd get some MCE fenders and fuhgetaboutit

https://www.mcefenders.com/product/mce-fenders-front-45-inch-width-jeep-wrangler-tj-1997-2006-gen-ii

 

[WallyWest]

If it were me...
I'd get some MCE fenders and fuhgetaboutit

https://www.mcefenders.com/product/mce-fenders-front-45-inch-width-jeep-wrangler-tj-1997-2006-gen-ii

Yeah, that's a solid option for sure.

 

[TheBoogieman]

And I thought my rusted fender was bad.

 

[Sea Cot]

And I thought my rusted fender was bad.

That's cute.

This issue will be fixed by a pair of China's finest re-pop fenders covered generously in Dupli-Color's Color Match paint.

OP: replace don't repair. Replace with whatever suits your budget and needs.

 

[SolarColumbia]

I bought the Ebay front fender. It seemed about as heavy as the stock one I took off but I didn't weigh them. The Solar Yellow doesn't quite match but it's still better than this.

 

[Jen]

Thanks for all the great feedback - so helpful! MCE sounds like a good fix - fuhgetaboutit

Fingers crossed! I will hopefully update this post - at some point soon . We will see how it goes!

 

[Rubicon88]

Yeah, that's a solid option for sure.

I run them..
Honestly at first thought I was hesitant. Plastic. Really?
Then I thought about something. I wheel in the mountains/woods a lot and trees can be bitey at times. Metal fenders will dent. Extreme welded tube flat fenders if you hit hard enough will buckle the whole damn rig.

That plastic. Bends and then bends right back to its original place.

They overlay the factory rust king fender with most of it cut away.

Just some food for thought.

Just an FYI...
3 inch variety are way too narrow

4.5 is what you see on mine.