Can this be fixed? body side moulding damage (1 Viewer)

[Jwoodywild]

Truck got side swiped apparently - I am getting rid of the running boards in favor of sliders anyway, so that is ok - but the scratches on the molding are pretty deep. Also a few on the wheel well near the rear bumper. The question is if a body shop skilled in this kind of thing can repair this? I don't need it to look new, but do want it to look respectable. If not, how much are we talking about? I assume there is after market parts - is the repair simply bolting the new molding?

Thanks!

 

[Trapper50cal]

The ease of the repair will depend on what happened to the metal underneath the cladding/molding...
The pass. rear door will need new cladding and unfortunately, the wheel well trim is part of the
overall rocker piece. The piece behind the rear wheel is just nicked. That's just touch up.

With the sidesteps gone, the primary focus is what happened behind the cladding pass rear door
and whether or not that wheel well trim can be pieced in instead of replacing the entire rocker piece.

If this was a hit & run, wouldn't insurance be needed to work up a quote? That would be the way
to find out from a body shop's perspective.

You're in Atlanta, call ACC to see who they use for body stuff.

 

[Jwoodywild]

The ease of the repair will depend on what happened to the metal underneath the cladding/molding...
The pass. rear door will need new cladding and unfortunately, the wheel well trim is part of the
overall rocker piece. The piece behind the rear wheel is just nicked. That's just touch up.

With the sidesteps gone, the primary focus is what happened behind the cladding pass rear door
and whether or not that wheel well trim can be pieced in instead of replacing the entire rocker piece.

If this was a hit & run, wouldn't insurance be needed to work up a quote? That would be the way
to find out from a body shop's perspective.

You're in Atlanta, call ACC to see who they use for body stuff.

Thank you. I am hoping to not involve insurance if the cost to repair is low enough. If there is nothing structural / safety at issue it is just a matter of what I can tolerate?

 

[Trapper50cal]

Yup...financially tolerate. The cladding won't be cheap...and paint work probably semi-brutal. You may want to look for used cladding
that is already the correct color.

 

[Jwoodywild]

Yup...financially tolerate. The cladding won't be cheap...and paint work probably semi-brutal. You may want to look for used cladding
that is already the correct color.

Looks like the cadding is available in the correct color from eBay for about $250. Is the install easy enough?

 

[Trapper50cal]

Don't know. It's probably a clip style that requires a special tool (prob. not expensive) but I don't know for sure. And there's still the
matter of any damage to the metal behind. I'm sure someone else will chime in with more specific, experiential knowledge.
But that sounds like a smoking deal on the aftermarket cladding. Read the reviews...seek out the negative ones and see if it
seems like any issues are legitimate or "user error"

 

[SteveH]

The clips are steel and may be completely rusted away, as mine were. The clips are not sold separately and are not easy to fabricate. Clip info here: 1999 LX 470 Body Panel Moulding Clips - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/1999-lx-470-body-panel-moulding-clips.1164412/#post-14912286

I used (so shoot me) blobs of urethane adhesive in places, to hold the cladding to the door. Cladding can be a real nightmare, and AFAIK, there is no aftermarket cladding - only used, OEM. Yours is so gouged that I think it should be replaced to have any hope of looking good.

 

[Jwoodywild]

The clips are steel and may be completely rusted away, as mine were. The clips are not sold separately and are not easy to fabricate. Clip info here: 1999 LX 470 Body Panel Moulding Clips - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/1999-lx-470-body-panel-moulding-clips.1164412/#post-14912286

I used (so shoot me) blobs of urethane adhesive in places, to hold the cladding to the door. Cladding can be a real nightmare, and AFAIK, there is no aftermarket cladding - only used, OEM. Yours is so gouged that I think it should be replaced to have any hope of looking good.

Thanks - any chance my clips are still good and could be reused if i get new cladding?

 

[SteveH]

I have a Colorado truck, and they were completely gone. The winter salt and wet atmosphere between the cladding and the door conspired to dissolve them. The only way you will learn anything is to pull it apart and investigate. What I would seek is used cladding that is the right color and has good clips. Pay whatever they are asking for something like that!