Fender flares (pilot)

[Toddster]

Yeh these fender flares SUCK ! I parked next to a grey 02 last weekend (with painted from the factory flares) and was ****ED at how cheezy mine looked next to his ! Just another 03 GM cost cut on top of the 4% sticker price increase I guess !

[Paintdude]

The flat-matte colored flares do look best on the black trucks..A Bright Red truck is not to bad..Other than that painted to match looks best IMO..

[MikeT]

You can always buy the paintable ones at $190 each and have them painted for another $200. Me, I can't see spending a grand to have color matched fender flares.

Black flares on a summit white cc.

Mike .T.

[Professor]

Take them off. Put the thinner small aftermarket chrome/stainless wheel opening moldings on them. I've seen a couple that looked great! The factory flares are too big anyway. I

[Steve Cornell]

Guys,

There are a bunch of "take off" smooth fender flares on e-bay right now going for $125 for the set, you could then have them painted to match your truck, do a search on e-bay under 2003 Silverado.

[ 11-18-2002: Message edited by: Steve Cornell ]</p>

[Professor]

Pics of the stainless moldings on my GMC

http://members.cox.net/rhowell2/gmc/99_2a.JPG

[Drive a mile, walk the rest]

METALLIC PAINT TIP

If you use metallic paint, spray the fenders in the position that they will be mounted. Hang the fenders vertically and then paint. Don't paint them laying horizontally on a bench.

I had fender flares painted to match my 1997 GMC pickup. It was a light metallic silver. The paint shop laid the fenders flat on sawhorses and sprayed them. When they where mounted on the truck, they looked several shades lighter. If you laid the fenders on the hood, it looked like a good match. More experienced painters told me that it has to do with the way that the metal flakes lay down.

Good luck!

[Paintdude]

In my experiance method of spraying only makes minor changes in the finished color...

The paint just matches or it doesn`t...It all gets down to the paint formula..

To many people blame the paint application when it is the paint manufactures problem..I see it everyday..The new vindicatur system from Dupont works pretty well..You put in the paint code, vehicle vin number and it produces the best matching paint formula..Value shades help also..

Also the fender flares are a plastic material and most shops will put flex agent in the clearcoat..the flex usually makes the color look dark-saturates the color..

[srubrn]

I got a white Chevy with black flares and I had them painted on about day three to match the rest of the truck. I also took off that wide black molding and put on GMC molding.

[glclary]

Professor

Where'd ya get the chrome moldings and how much?

Is it difficult to get the factory black ones off?

I think they look good on your white truck.

Thanks,

[ 11-20-2002: Message edited by: glclary ]</p>

[Professor]

These were on the truck when I bought them. They came from a accessory shop in OKC. They are sold in most accessory shops. Major auto parts chains usually have a catalog they can order from. Here is a web site http://www.tfpusa.com. Oreilly