Replacement door - paint/finish match

[caseyjay]

Hi, a friend reversed into my driver door - 30cm diameter damage along the trim line.

A body shop said it was costly and difficult to repair to regain the right lines/finish so they recommend a replacement door.

I found one local, but it has some scratches - body shop will respray it but want to blend in down the fenders too so cost is going up.

Here's my question - if I find a really good used door, would the paint finish match or does it vary according to age/wear/mileage on the donor vehicle?

Happy to do a friend a favour but also want my X5 looking as smart as it was...

[SlickGT1]

The answer is maybe. What color are we talking about here? If it's black, you are going to be lucky as it usually doesn't fade much, and hard to tell if it is slighly off. If it's white, and gets baked in the sun, you will need to blend.

[caseyjay]

thanks, it's Titan Silver, am in Europe so not the hottest of climate but cars/exposure can vary. I guess hard to tell without fitting it first?

[OptimusPriM5]

So I presume theres paint loss and PDR (paintless dent removal) is out of the question to repair the damage?

And to do it right youll need a lot of blending with a door, it needs to be blended with all adjacent panels. Obtaining a used example is an option but on silver it will likely not match and whose to say it hasnt been repainted too or in worse shape. Silver is a challenge IMHO with an existing painted door to match well.

Dont try too hard to help your friend its HIS mistake and if you try and help him by cutting corners or being efficient YOU wont be happy.

[caseyjay]

it might be too large/complex for modern PDR but not an expert there - see damage pics below...thanks for the tip re. used door, I'm thinking already that an insurance claim/professional job is the way to go...all other routes put the risk on me...will visit another body shop to get their view...

[OptimusPriM5]

While that damage is medium and doesnt appear to be paint loss it might be worth it to have a competent PDR guy look at it. Body shop will always choose the easiest route and that which makes them the most money.

My suggestion would be to get a new skin and have it blended correctly, youll also have to likely replacve the belt line moulding too. Please ensure they dont try and paint just the door that will guarantee a fail on match for sure.

GL