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Bent plastic inside of wheel well.

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Old 11-18-2012 | 08:12 AM
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Default Bent plastic inside of wheel well.

Hey everybody, thanks for reading.

I was driving home from work during hurricane Sandy, and there was a bunch of fallen sticks in the roads. Apparently I ran over one of the sticks (it was maybe 12 inches long), and it reacted in such a way that demolished the corner of my front left wheel well.

I have no idea how this is physically possible; how a 12 inch 1.5in diameter stick could hit my wheel well at the perfect angle to do this damage.

But, now it's just a big hole that collects dirt and pine needles. The plastic is tough, and I can't bend it back by hand. Not because it's too tough, but because the side skirt prevents my hand from getting a good grip on it. I fear that I may need to take the entire side skirt off of my car.

Is this damage repairable, or is the entire wheel well toast? Will it need to be replaced entirely? Plastic is always tough to bend back into place perfectly.

Thanks!! Images below..


Old 11-18-2012 | 09:19 AM
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youre kidding right?
Old 11-18-2012 | 10:01 AM
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Originally Posted by bmccann101
youre kidding right?
No, I'm not kidding. Is the answer that obvious? I must be missing it then. I'm not a mechanic by any means. I fix computers; that's it. Sorry if this is a stupid question.
Old 11-18-2012 | 10:05 AM
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get a flat head screw driver and just pry/pop the plastic back out?
Old 11-18-2012 | 10:09 AM
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Originally Posted by Voboy
get a flat head screw driver and just pry/pop the plastic back out?
Thanks! But, if you look closely, the side skirt is ABOVE the wheel well, and without having access to behind the bent piece of plastic (which would involve taking the skirt off), I'm not sure how I could get it lay flat again. If the plastic was above the skirt, this would be a piece of cake.

It's plastic, so if I bent it back into place somehow, it'd spring back to it's current position.

Sorry if I'm just being stupid!
Old 11-18-2012 | 10:23 AM
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Not sure if srs.
Old 11-18-2012 | 10:34 AM
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Ok, maybe I didn't explain it in a way that made sense. I tried. Thanks ayways.
Old 11-18-2012 | 10:41 AM
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Originally Posted by EnkeiRC5
Thanks! But, if you look closely, the side skirt is ABOVE the wheel well, and without having access to behind the bent piece of plastic (which would involve taking the skirt off), I'm not sure how I could get it lay flat again. If the plastic was above the skirt, this would be a piece of cake.

It's plastic, so if I bent it back into place somehow, it'd spring back to it's current position.

Sorry if I'm just being stupid!
you mean below? use an "L" shaped tool then.
Old 11-18-2012 | 11:44 AM
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that car is totaled.
Old 11-18-2012 | 11:59 AM
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Originally Posted by Cux350z
that car is totaled.
I was thinking the same thing
Old 11-18-2012 | 03:34 PM
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Best way is to take the sideskirt off. That way you can get it right and also be able to clean out the entire mess in there




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