S4 Fender Removal
 

Hey, I was wondering if anyone knew how to remove the front passenger side fender of the S4 FC3S. I have a 10thAE which I'm trying to replace the fender of. i found the bolts under the car for it and the rest underneath the hood, something is still holding it, does anyone know what I'm missing?

They're also bolts that connect it to the front bumper and another that connects it beside the door. Open the door up to see the connection.

There are three bolts that hold the fender to the bumper skin. You can access them by removing the wheel lining. Use plenty of penetrating oil and you will need a socket extension and deep sockets.

There are 4 bolts that hold the bottom of the fender to the bottom of the car. Most likely you will break at least 2 of them.

Finally, there are 2 (or 3?) bolts that hold the fender to the door jam. Wrap the edge of the door in tape to prevent chips.

If you have any shims under the panel, keep track of them upon removal since it makes lining up the panel during installation much easier.

I can't find the ones near the door and the ones on the bumper skin, are they underneath the car as well, near the bumper?

Oh and on a side note, how much would it cost to get a new fender painted the same color, approximately?

open the door and follow the end of the fender that meets the windshield and the door, the bolt is juuuust under the fender. you cant miss the bolt. the ones on the bumper skin you dont have to go underneath but you have to take out the plastic lining to get to them. they're in the front of the car. here's a pic i just drew up. just follow it. i believe it's a 10mm nut but you will need an extension to get in there. good luck man

Wow, I see it... now how the hell do I get to that? Lol.

open the door fully, get a 14mm ratchet and unscrew it. it's that easy

The ones at the bumper skin are inside the fender as I mentioned. Stick your head in the wheel well and look towards the front of the car. Where the fender meets the bumper skin you should see 3 10MM bolts. Hose them down with penetrating oil and then use a deep socket and extension to remove.

Well, I found a bolt near there (the door one), but I don't think it's for the fender, there are many bolts in that area and I'm confused which one it it, I would greatly appreciate it if you could maybe point me towards the bolt in that picture? That would be awesome.

wow. someone go to his house and show him how to do it.. at the front of the fender where it meets the bumper theres 3 bolts vertical to each other, as stated take of the plastic fender liner stick your head in there and have a looksy. there is also one more noone mentioned. its in the center of the fender youll need to take off the rest of the bolts first,then slightly lift the rear of the fender away from the car look under the fender and youll see it...

I've found all those bolts (except the one in the center, but you said I'll have to take all the other bolts off first and that isn't done), except for the one near the door, there are a lot of bolts in that gap, don't know which is for the fender.

Sorry, I don't mean to irritate any of you.

i feel his pain. I have to say the fc's fenders are the most difficult to remove in my experience. I spent two hours dicking around when i first removed them from my old s4 to part out. I felt so stupid after I finally found the hiding bolts. What's funny is I actually ended up removing the door and front bumper just to figure it out. I felt like slamming my head against a wall a few times.

seriously... its not rocket science.. look around it shouldnt take longer than an hour for your first time ever using a wrench to remove the fender. :pat:


theres 3 on the inside of the fender connecting it to the bumper, 1 holding it by the door, and like 8 on top in the engine bay.

get a flashlight, peel the fender liner back, squeeze inside, and look for ANYTHING you can stick a rachet on. undo bolts. pull fender. done.


Aaron Cake already explained it. including the penitrating oil (wich really isnt needed too much, ive removed 6 fenders, and never had a problem) theres not much else to do/say. if it wasnt almost 3am id go take pictures for you..

Go buy a haynes/chiltons manual...its gunna be your best friend!

In an environment where the car was driven in the winter, the penetrating oil is absolutely necessary. :)

The bolts that connect the fender to the door jam are very easy to find. Looking between the door and fender, you will see that there are two tabs which come off the fender and then are bolted to the door jam. Remove those bolts.

As predicted, the bolts on the bottom of the car snapped. Most of them infact.
Are there any successful ways to remove these bolt shafts to secure the bottom of the fender.

if referring to the bumper remove the bumper entirely, buy new stud strips are like $25 each side
if under the car easy out, weld a nut to the end and while still hot back it out. Drill, get creative

I'm having a problem with the ones under the car. Those bolt heads popped off, seemingly bellow the surface.
I'm guessing I'll need to drill them out, hopefully I won't need to rethread them as I don't have a kit yet.