Wheelarch shed repair

[anonymous-user]

Some lovely person hit and run on my old 1999 SLK a few weeks back, scraping along the wheelarch in the process.

The car is only worth a grand or so, but is in great mechanical condition and only has 85k miles or so on it, so I don't want to get rid.

Is there a cost efficient way/bodge to make it look presentable and protect it, or is it new pattern wing time?

[droopsnoot]

Is there a specialist breaker that could provide a good used wing? I've got rusty wheelarches on my TT, and have sourced replacement front wings for it at a reasonable cost - I think one was £40 and the other was £60. Both are the correct colour, the more expensive one had been previously repaired so I had to repair it properly and repaint it. The other one will just go on, when I get a minute to do it.

[paintman]

Looks like it's had work before - is that filler on the touched in area?
Any local back street type bodyshops who might do it for cash?

[anonymous-user]

The problem with a used wing is they tend to rust like buggery. I think I'm also stuck with a pre-facelift wing (side repeater is in the wingmirror rather than wing on facelifts), so they'll also be pre-2000 I think.

I haven't looked closely for filler but it's possible it's had work because it's certainly been crashed before and had paint.

Would a cash only garage be able to straighten the arch?

[paintman]

There's not that much damage.
Bit of hammering & a bit of filler plus paint.

Problem with new wings is that they are rarely undersealed properly.
I've lost count of the times I've looked at a rusty front wheelarch on one side with a non rusty other side & had a surprised 'How did you know that' when I've told the owner it's had a new wing.
Good used one would probably be a better bet - esp if you can find one in the right colour & shade.

[anonymous-user]

A friendly 'shop in Leeds it is then. Cheers.