Fender Rolling Concerns

[STEVE36]

Alright so I've got a few questions regarding rolling my fenders.

I'm rubbing slightly on turns so I need to get it done, especially with coilovers on the way (as long as I can work this situation out). So I was originally quoted by a guy for approx. $100 to roll the fenders. When I call back to make an appointment I'm told that its not only $60 per fender but there is a 50/50 chance that the paint will crack on my fenders resulting in a $1500 job to repaint all the panels and that can take ~one week. :confused

I was sorta blown away by this I thought this was simply pushing up the black fender 'lining' (not sure of the actual term) so my tires won't rub. I understand they have to heat it up but a 50/50 chance of paying $1500?!

I talked to a friend and he suggested maybe the shop thought I was referring to "pulling fenders" which apparently is something different. As you can tell, I don't know a lot about this except that I'm rubbing and need to have my fenders rolled for future suspension mods.

Can you guys post your experiences with fender rolling, etc? I was also told that a certain amount of negative camber could eliminate the need to roll but I'm thinking that I would still rub..? Thanks in advance.

Steve

[heifetz17]

Always get a quote in writing. Find the guy that gave you the first quote and work with him. It seems to me that if a shop is any good, they shouldn't have to give you "what ifs" and "maybes" about their work. I would stay away from them if they're not confident in their work.

[bellavus]

there is always a chance that your paint will crack when rolling the fenders, most body shops will not do it because of that fact, they don't want to be liable for repainting your car for a risky procedure. I suggest you get another quote in writing from them, as well as a quote from another place.

[hc1001]

if u decide to take the chance, tell them to use a heat gun to harm up the paint b4 rolling. im sure they already know this but, u neva know...

[STEVE36]

Yeah they told me about heating up the fenders. I had no idea that fender rolling could run into this much cash..

[salvia.D]

yeah my friend had a miata and did his own, one cracked his paint but the rest were ok....he used a baseball bat but thats REALLY risky. I wish bf.com had an online shop where u could rent tools cuz i've seen people on here offering others to use thier fender rolling tool.

[CABimmer]

are you rubbing on the edge of the rear fender or the inside of the top liner.

The walls on your fender are double wall. Ive had to go in with a 5lb hammer and move things around a little in there. I messaged the inner wheel well as well as the top of the outer fender (up inside.) I also rolled the lips with the proper tool.

Its not easy getting 255 track tires in there.

[salvia.D]

was the fender rolling tool easy to use? any cracks? i also need advice on where i can find one of these to use cuz i dont feel like spending out of pocket.

[CABimmer]

You can rent one from TireRack but its about a 6 month wait. Thats what I did. Problem is that I got it in Jan last year when it was cold and I cracked one fender. Do it in the summer and you should be fine. The crack was small, I put some clearcoat on it and was done with it.

[salvia.D]

good stuff, if ya dont mind me asking how much was it to rent? i think i have a few places i can look in the meantime.

[CABimmer]

Its free you pay shipping

[e36]

sorry..o/t why would coilovers make you have to roll fenderS?

[CABimmer]

They dont. Only the front uses a real coilover. The rear does not. You dont roll your front fenders.

[dmurray14]

I'm renting a fender rolling tool to do it myself. I already tried the baseball bat method and it helped a little bit, but the rubbing is still very much there. Hopefully the tool will fix it. In the process of rolling it with the baseball bat, I got a little crack about an inch long. I'm just going to get some touch up paint and put that on top - no big deal - remember the cracking occurs inside the fender anyway, where you can't see it...

Dan

[salvia.D]

CAbimmer: i know this is OT but i see you have camber plates, did you find it necessary bc of the acessive tire wear to get them or just bc you track your car? cuz i'ma slam mine with the coilovers and am thinking about some camber plates to correct something like 1.5 degrees or so.

[salvia.D]

dmurray14 where did u rent ur fender rolling tool?

[STEVE36]

They dont. Only the front uses a real coilover. The rear does not. You dont roll your front fenders.

I thought I was rubbing on the black fender lining crap on my fronts when I turned too much? This isn't the case? I thought the rears didn't need to get rolled as often since they have more clearance around there?

Steve

[CABimmer]

If your rubbing in the front you have the wrong offset on your wheels or your tires are to big. I fit 255 track tires in the front with no issues. They run around 265. That is with -3.5deg of camber though.

My bet is that your wheel liners are shot. get new ones they are around $20

[NYCBIMMIN]

I Cut My Inner Lip On My E36 ....im Runnin 19s 265 30s 9.5 In The Rear ....fender Rolling Wouldnt Make A Difference....they Say That Lip Is There For A Reason And Shouldnt Be Cut But,its Been A While And Had No Problems Whatso Ever!!!!!!!! Even The Inside ,no Crackin Rust Etc....!

[STEVE36]

If your rubbing in the front you have the wrong offset on your wheels or your tires are to big. I fit 255 track tires in the front with no issues. They run around 265. That is with -3.5deg of camber though.

My bet is that your wheel liners are shot. get new ones they are around $20

I have 235/40/18 tires.

[Daved]

I Cut My Inner Lip On My E36 ....im Runnin 19s 265 30s 9.5 In The Rear ....fender Rolling Wouldnt Make A Difference....they Say That Lip Is There For A Reason And Shouldnt Be Cut But,its Been A While And Had No Problems Whatso Ever!!!!!!!! Even The Inside ,no Crackin Rust Etc....!
Yes, I have said it to you :)

I've talked to the guys at the body shop I use to go which is VERY reputable and they told me not to cut the lip because of the rigidity.

Also they told me that the paint could crack from the rolling because even if they heat it up, there can be some bondo under the pant and that would make it crack so they gave me a quote that included a respay for those sections so there was no "maybe's" or "if's".