I have a 1996 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi. There'* a small plastic piece of trim just before the driver'* door. Here'* a photo of the part and surrounding area:

http://pic7.picturetrail.com/VOL204/...5/32024023.jpg

If you zoom in a couple times, you will see that on this part there is a crack in the lower left-hand corner and an ugly gouge about 1/3 up on the right:

http://pic7.picturetrail.com/VOL204/...5/32023997.jpg

Here is a photo of the part in relative isolation:

http://pic7.picturetrail.com/VOL204/...5/32024009.jpg

1. What is the name of this part? :?:
2. Where can I get it cheaply? :?:
3. Do you think it would make more sense to have a body shop patch it or simply replace it? :?: My guess is that the cost of replacing will be nearly the same as patching.

FWIW, I took the car to the dealer'* repair shop. Their advice: leave it the way it is, because, as you can see in the first photo, the painted plastic trim now has a different color than the painted metal, and a bodyshop that paints the plastic wouldn't match it. :( I suppose that would be true if they used the original factory specified paint (which would no longer match 7 years of oxidation), but can't a body shop match paint colors exactly using computers or something? :?: I don't want to have to paint the whole car--just this one piece--but I don't want my car looking like a patchwork quilt either! Surely someone here has already faced this or a similar problem.

Left front fender lower body moulding is what I would use to describe it. I would get it done at a dealer. They can order the part and paint it for you. Then they will call you into the service dept when painted and have someone snap it on.. It will take no more than 10 minutes to replace. So no need to drop the car off or anything like that. usually it takes 2 weeks to order the part, paint it, and then replace it.

I just did an hour of hunting online. I think it might be "door moulding". Whatever it is, no one seems to sell it online. Any leads? No offense, but I'm on an extremely tight budget, and dealer prices are usually out of my reach.

Well I had a similar situation. When my brother backed into my car he cracked it. I got it replaced. But it costs $200!!!

As far as painting it, they should be able to match your color pretty exactly. I've heard some colors are more difficult, but there are machines that can do it. And they would blend the paint onto the fender at least, instead of just painting that piece, so it would match better.

Unless the paint is faded, I do not think that particular piece would warrant the need for blending. Most all of the pieces that I replaced at the dealer were painted off the car, and then installed at a later date after dried. Because blending the paint would cost much more money.

I thought so too about blending. I had to get my hood blended last time. They were trying to save me some money so they said they wouldn't blend it. But I wanted it done and I'm glad they did it. They said painting the hood was only $80 anyways.

What exactly does "blending" mean? Does it mean that if surface X abuts surface Y, and if X and Y are different shades, that the "blended" shade is half-way between the shade of X and the shade of Y? :?:

It means that they will paint that piece and an adjacent panel with the same color so that it will 'blend' together.

I had a new fender put on. They painted that, and had to blend the hood. One reason they did it because the metallic paint. The hood is more or less flat and the fender is at a different angle. He explained it to me as the "pitch" and how the metallic sits in the paint. Blending the paint is more or less continuing on an adjacent panel with the paint, but not repainting the whole adjacent piece. They didn't repaint the entire hood of mine, but blended and faded the edge of the new paint area. Used sand paper and rubbing cmopound to blend the new paint with the old.

Hope that helps a little. I kinda rambled.

Just to add a little. Blending is almost a must on big parts like a hood or fender, but for the piece mentioned here in this post, I do not think it is required. Most shops that I know of would not request blending such a small body moulding.

I agree. They'll paint that piece but blending it since it'* that low on the car anyway, may not be done. When they did mine I had a new fender and that trim replaced, and they didn't blend the adjacent lower 'ground effect' trim. It'* very noticeable that it'* new next to the faded original piece. It makes sense why they don't blend something like that, but it would be nice if they did. I can tell the difference.

If you wanted it blended though I'm sure they'd do it since you're paying for it. But if it were under insurance they may blend it anyway to get more $$ out of them. But if it was out-of -pocket a respected shop would try and save you some money. That'* how the one I go to estimates damage. Insurance claim is usually higher. So I ask for the out-of-pocket.