Whats a Possible cause of fender fitment issue?

-Original owner bumped a snow bank damaging the front bumper headlight and the affected fender ( got background info from someone that was there, considered cosmetic damage) owner says fender was replaced but appears to be battered around the edges.

-checked wheelbase, same on both sides

-took cross measurements from both sides of the strut towers no differences

-the door on the affected side opens and closes like new

-hood opens and closes fine

-looked under car no rails bent or anything

-car was 4 wheel aligned

-even took the car to a body shop and had them take some measurements, checked out good.

Can a tab be bent where the fender attaches? its kind of annoying now that i look at it more. The only difference is where the fender lines with the door everything else looks fine. It looks like a "stanced" cars fender would, poking a bit. Smart answers only please.

Normal side:

Affected side:

 

looks like an EvoDave fender mod. I say yank the fender and see what's going on under there.

maybe both sides have the mod, and the normal looking one came loose or something.

 

Yea i need to take my fender off i was doing it yesterday but couldent open my door to get the last bolt off because i was in the garage. What am i looking for when i take it off and could i see it through the gap???

 

I looked through the gap and found that the affected side has a rusty tab which means it was probably bent. The damage looks no furthur then that. The fender is bent around the edges and cut in a small spot where the wheel well liner meets the fender, the wheel liners is ripped up, and the oil cooler got bumped too from the look of it. Are some tabs and the fender probably just messed up? Is this just a lazy half *** repair? From what i know the car puffed into a snow bank that has a small tree in it.

Good side:

Bad side:

 

bump, anyone else have an idea why the fender is like this? i really dont feel like pulling the whole fender because im afraid it wont even go back on.

 

looks like that tab was crushed and they tried to make it straight again. It's probably not as to spec as the stock undamaged side. try to either make that side smaller or add a washer to the other side to match the damaged side.

 

ehh. maybe i will try playing with the tab or adding a washer, i hate this look because it makes my car look like its twisted.

 

i pulled the fender nothing really looks damaged or bent. one of the tabs is rusted but even without using that tab i cannot stretch the fender to fit properly. now im wondering is it the fender or the car... The damn fender looks beat up like its been pulled and sprayed. it is in fact a mitsubishi fender because it has the rdot sticker on the inside. if its the original i dont know because the vins missing. i feel like this is making the value of my car go down and when i go to sell it someday someone will not want it even though i have all the paperwork in the world.

heres some pics:

 

The tab was slightly bent, but it's no big deal... The fender was just slid far too forward when they bolted the top and bottom bolts...

When installing the fender:

Measure the gap of the other door.

Place the fender on the fender rails.

gently install the bolt on the top rail closest to the door and at the bottom closest to the door.

Slide the fender back till the gap is the same of the other door

Snug down the top and bottom bolts, checking the gap at the door edge.

Make sure the door opens and closes withtout contacting the door.

When the gap is good, mark the fender on the back edge of the top rail bolt (you can use a wax china marker and it will wipe off when done, or any felt marker if you don't mind the small dot) and TIGHTEN the bottom bolt.

gently install the bolt at the front of the fender rail.

close the hood.

Slide the fender in and out till the gap is equal to the other side, and consistent front to back. (use the mark you made at the back of the top bolt to ensure your door gap doesn't change

Install and tighten all the top rail bolts.

Install the bottom front bolt (below the a pillar)

Now, using the back edge bolt (visable through the door gap) move the middle of the fender in and out till it matches the door contour... This may be perfect if your fender is perfect, but may take some trial and error constantly opening and closing the door.



And that's how you align your fender.

Just be glad you didn't replace the whole front end, as this is a complete pain in the *** constantly adjusting 30 different adjustment points.

 

BTW, neutralize that car cancer before it spreads.... spray some silver rustoleum over it.

 

when i unbolted it i took every bolt out except the last one my rally armour was bolted into closest to the inside of the wheel. the fender felt like it could not be stretched any furthur even with the bolts all off. im guessing that means the fenders jacked up? the fenders sorta popping out towards the bottom where the line in the body is

 

Without all the bolts in, the fender should be able to slide all the way back and smack into the door.

I am not sure how your mud flaps attach, so I can't tell if it's the cause

as for it sticking out at the bottom, it's not a big deal... just elongate the holes in the fender and slide it all back. Everything needs massaging to make it perfect. Shipping and handling of parts even from the dealer slightly warp fenders. As long as there's no crease in the metal, everything can be pushed/massaged into place.

 

Is the bottom of the fender bolted to the body? There's 2 bolts that are bolted to the pinch welds around the cars jacking point. That could possibly be why the bottom sticks out.

 

the bolts i took out were the two closest to each other the last on is in the back im pretty sure thats one of the pinch weld locations because the fender would not detach. most of the seperation is towards the bottom which makes me wonder if its the fender or not. I just once again hope theres not damage around that area from this bs. if im have to modify my fender to fit it im assuming theres something out of place? but then again i still dont know if this fender was replaced with a brand new one, used, or if it was pulled, thats why im trying to contact the owner

 

UPDATED: fixed the gap as best i could had to make the hole on the fender a little bigger. The fender is probably messed up because you can tell where its stretched and dosent fit right but overall 100%s better than before

BEFORE:

AFTER: