WTB: 2002-2005 996 right fender in black on west coast

I'm looking for a right side fender for a 996. 2002 to 2005 non turbo. I need the fender to have Factory black paint in good condition with no dents and no large scratches. Small scratches are okay as long as it can be buffed out. I would prefer if this Fender was on the West Coast as I have to drive down from Portland Oregon to LA. But let me know what you have and I'll see if I can make it work. My friend's car was backed into and we'd like to replace the fender with Factory black paint. Derek

This post is a joke, right?

Why would it be a joke?
I've already found one but I'd like to find one closer that I could just pick up in person. With the internet today, and the fact that manufacturers only painted cars so many colors, It's relatively easy to find parts in factory paint. I figured with all the connections people on this site have, they may know of one. Or was black a rare color on the 996?

First off; black starts fading immediately so the chances you'll find one at the exact same stage of fade and with no significant scratches/dents is Lotto type odds.

What good is a 3.5 paint meter reading when the color doesn't match?

Sorry; nothing against you or your friend but our car culture is completely off it's rocker when one feels guilty about having to re-paint a fender on arguably the worst 911 model ever built.
However, I wish you the very best of luck now that I know you're serious.

I totally get what you're saying. And yes I know I'm looking for the needle in the haystack. But it's really more about the cost and hassle associated with the painting that we're trying to avoid. You won't find too many faded Porsches around here as most of them reside in garages, or at least around here they do. Maybe not down in those Sunny areas. This is now the 5th car I will have done with factory painted panels and you can't tell that any of them were ever hit, but yes as the cars age, the chances of finding Factory painted, undented, unfaded panels decreases. But it is after all only a 996. I've advised the IMs fix for my friend's car but he doesn't seem to think it's an issue so, in the future if anybody else is looking for really nice Factory black panels, I may know where there's a bunch of them.

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Originally Posted by Gearby

I totally get what you're saying. And yes I know I'm looking for the needle in the haystack. But it's really more about the cost and hassle associated with the painting that we're trying to avoid. You won't find too many faded Porsches around here as most of them reside in garages, or at least around here they do. Maybe not down in those Sunny areas. This is now the 5th car I will have done with factory painted panels and you can't tell that any of them were ever hit, but yes as the cars age, the chances of finding Factory painted, undented, unfaded panels decreases. But it is after all only a 996. I've advised the IMs fix for my friend's car but he doesn't seem to think it's an issue so, in the future if anybody else is looking for really nice Factory black panels, I may know where there's a bunch of them.

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Now THAT'S funny!

Here's the line I always give our M96 cheapskates: "Sure it may only be 10% of the engines that fail but what if you happen to be one of those poor slugs who owns the car if it does fail?" (Your buddy should talk to one of our customers who lost the bet.)
We're doing a Boxster today; well over 200 IMS updates in the last 4 years.

It's an easy decision; Spend the $2k now and sleep well or take the $2k hit when you sell. It's a big enough issue that buyers won't pay top dollar for a car that hasn't been updated.

Another thing to bear in mind is that late model fenders all have the VIN on them. You may have factory original paint, but anyone who cares to look will be able to see that the fender was not original to that car. Kinda negates the value of this tactic to me.

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Originally Posted by Frank Beck

Now THAT'S funny!

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I know it's crazy isn't it? One would think the discussion I had with him when I use words like "not rebuildable" and "boat anchor", would have triggered something in his mind but I guess you can't save everybody from themselves.

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Originally Posted by Gearby

I know it's crazy isn't it? One would think the discussion I had with him when I use words like "not rebuildable" and "boat anchor", would have triggered something in his mind but I guess you can't save everybody from themselves.

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If he doesn't believe you point him to Hagerty's valuation guide. THEY even deduct 15% on M96 cars that don't have a documented IMS upgrade.

Frank, I am sure you do a autopsy of the oil filter before you replace the IMS. How many cars are already on death row when you check them?

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Originally Posted by Rick Cabell

Frank, I am sure you do a autopsy of the oil filter before you replace the IMS. How many cars are already on death row when you check them?

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Rick,
I can't think of one that was terminal prior to the update. I suppose if we had one with LOTS of debris in the filter and huge cam deviation we would be very upfront and tell them they're probably wasting their money. Or not take the job at all.

My understanding of the IMS failure, is that it happens very quickly, usually giving no forewarning at all. That's what makes the whole thing so scary.
I guess with all these free bumps, and the fact that I haven't had any responses from anyone, means I better pick up that fender I've already found.

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Originally Posted by Gearby

My understanding of the IMS failure, is that it happens very quickly, usually giving no forewarning at all. That's what makes the whole thing so scary.
I guess with all these free bumps, and the fact that I haven't had any responses from anyone, means I better pick up that fender I've already found.

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Ya think?

Please post before and after pics.




Funny story about an IMS: 7-8 years ago we had an '02 996 come in on the hook because the owner thought he heard a noise. It definitely had a very slight rattle but since I had never heard one that actually failed I wasn't sure. Car had an extended warranty so we told the company it would be smart to do the upgrade. "Nope" was their stern answer. "If a part hasn't actually failed we can't warranty it." I warned them about the fallout but they stuck to their guns. So we removed the transmission and ran the engine in the car at 3000 RPM. (ONLY good thing about those motors: The starter is mounted on engine, not the trans.)

20 minutes later... KABOOM.
It was pretty awesome.

So instead of spending $2k they paid us $20k for a factory reman engine from Porsche.

Stupid is as stupid does.

Another free bump.
Frank, about once a year I would take in trade a 325Xi or a A4, and it would have just a crunched fender or hood with no other damage. I would call LKQ and tell our salesman I need a silver left front fender for a 2007 A4 with no damage, clean. They would check there computer and say, "yup", got one . $175 delivered by our truck.
Bolt it on, great match. Just turned a $4000 car into a $6500 car for a couple hundred bucks.
Don't know if I would do it to a Porsche, but a 996....yup.

Attachment 481013Attachment 481014
Here you go. Looks gorgeous. Can't tell it was ever hit. The owner is laughing at how good it looks. I will say, finding a fender for a Porsche was harder than finding a fender for a BMW. And it cost me $675 to buy the fender and have it shipped to me from Mississippi. Took me about 6 hours to put it on as I've never done a fender on one of these before. The owner got paid $3,000 for the damage. I charged him $1,000 so he ended up pocketing $1,300.
Not sure why the pictures came out sideways this time

Gatta love it. A Porsche body shop would have been 3-5K for that job.

What really made the situation unacceptable was The Body Shop wanted to try to straighten the fender and use plastic which the owner didn't want. Even finding a used Fender that's straight and then repainting it in black would have been preferable to that. Coincidentally the damage was caused by his neighbor who recently graduated college. He was texting and backing up at the same time.

Of course, fool! Hopefully the kid had his lesson.

Looks good.
At that price I hope the owner treated you to a wonderful dinner as well.

Sounds like the young start up graduated without common sense. Shocking.

And of all cars he could have backed into.

At least it was a 996 and not an Accord.

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Originally Posted by Gearby

Coincidentally the damage was caused by his neighbor who recently graduated college. He was texting and backing up at the same time.

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Exact reason why I don't have my 914-6 any longer, too paranoid to drive locally. Long cross country trips were ok and I took several of those.

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Originally Posted by mfitton

Exact reason why I don't have my 914-6 any longer, too paranoid to drive locally. Long cross country trips were ok and I took several of those.

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Can't imagine a car owning me like that.

Good thing you guys don't race...
EZ to watch $50-100k go bye-bye in a matter of seconds.