Expert: William Forster - 2/6/2007

Question
I damaged the rear wheel flare mouldings on my '99 4runner limited. I plan on replacing the moulding above the wheel, but there are deep scratches on the panel which is connected to the rear door and small cuts at the very top of the mudguard. 1) Is it better to just replace the door moulding vice trying to take it off and fix it? 2) Do I have to open up the door panel to take the door moulding off? 3) What would be the steps in repairing the fiberglass: Sand/Buff/Paint? Thanks

Answer
If the moldings are basically colored plastic, just replace them. You don't need to remove the door panel to remove the side molding. If there is damage on the body, or the moldings are the body color, they will need painted by a body shop. They usually don't come painted from the factory. I don't provide step by step tutorials on how to do body repair and refinishing start to finish. I help with problems along the way, or tell people how to replace a mirror, or something like that. I went to body school for 2 years, and I can't teach you all you need to know in an e-mail. Year one has a book in the literature section called how to repair and restore bodywork in the literature section. It will give you a much better idea what it takes tool wise, and how to go about many basic body repairs. Bill