Aftermarket guards

[au350hp]

Anyone used the All Crash Guards? I have a dent on the crease that runs along the front guard. I can go wreckers for $70 with good paint in my colour, or pay a paintless dent tech a lot of money or buy one of these aftermarket guards, paint it myself and hopefully find it fits as well as a factory job. I want my car to look the very best it can. Anybody had any experience with non genuine guards?

[provked]

So you want the best you can but are gunna paint an after market guard your self, either save up and do it properly or just bang on that second hand one for now till you can afford to do it properly

[Tassie f100]

If it was my decision I would go with the $70 second hand.It will have factory paint and hopefully will buff up to a pretty good match.Most of the aftermarket panels don't fit very well and you have the cost of painting which almost certainly will not match.At least the S.H panel will fit properly.

[au350hp]

Originally Posted by provked

So you want the best you can but are gunna paint an after market guard your self, either save up and do it properly or just bang on that second hand one for now till you can afford to do it properly

I used to be a spray painter so the paint isn't the issue. The question is if the aftermarket guards are any good.

[solarite_guy]

I used to own a panel beater and spray shop. When it came to aftermarket parts, the oddest thing I discovered the cheap *** parts usually fit better than the certified parts.

Also, don't let them just drop off the box and leave. Open the box and inspect the part for any damage. You would be surprised how many come through with a tweak here, a dent there or a bent corner somewhere.

Then, since you were a painter you know you know you need to cut it in first by painting the back side to match the back side of the rest of the car.

After installation, when you paint the new part you should blend in the adjoining panels as you will never get a dead color match unless your car is a true black.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by Roostercam

I used to be a spray painter so the paint isn't the issue. The question is if the aftermarket guards are any good.

Am I missing something? If you're a spray-painter, then just buy the cleanest 2nd-hand guard you can find, and paint it to match.
How much cheaper is an after-market guard? and is it worth the risk?
You're going to invest a lot of time and effort into it.

[solarite_guy]

The OP is still in decision mode. I just gave him a little background on aftermarket parts if he decides to go that way.

For used parts I used to work with an outfit called LKQ (Like Kind Quality). It is true you will get a factory piece, but sometimes you have a ding here or there you need to repair.

You still have to do a cut in, and when you paint you really should blend the adjoining panels. Unless you have a true black there is no way you will get a dead match. Blending fools the eye into seeing a match.