Finding an auto part

April 5, 2006 12:43 PM

How can I get a replacement hood (with the right color) for my 1995 Honda Accord?

By "hood" I'm talking about that big flap that opens and closes over the engine. The one I have got caved in by a tree limb last year and it just needs to be replaced. The issues:

(1) I'm aware I can go to a junkyard. However I live 100 miles away from a big city and have no idea how to conduct this goose chase in the most efficient and successful way possible. These places seem to get lots of phone calls and I'm guessing if they're swamped they're just going to say they don't have it to get me off the phone.

(2) I need some way to figure out part interchangeability between model years: i.e. if a 1996 or 1994 Accord hood will work.

So what's the ideal way to search for this part? Is there a junkyard parts network online where I can do it over the Internets? I don't mind paying extra as long as it's not like double rate.

posted by hodyoaten to travel & transportation (9 comments total)

Car-Part.com
Junk Yard Dog
Uneedapart.com (got an engine from them once)
They'll happily ship.
I think all of these have interchange data built in to the search, so if you look for a hood for a '95 Accord it will look for all the other years that fit.
Good luck!
posted by Floydd at 12:51 PM on April 5, 2006

Your cars hood will certainly have been faded by sun and other interactions with weather elements. Cars that have been garaged or in different weather conditions will fade differently. You may be signing up for a paint job one way or another. I suggest getting the cheapest hood in the wrong color and then going for a new coat of paint.
posted by bilabial at 12:54 PM on April 5, 2006

It will be very unlikely that you will find a hood that is "the right color."

You really need to get a new/used hood, install it, and then have it painted to match your existing color by a body shop.

Even if you find a hood that is the same color as yours, it's quite likely that it won't be an exact match. There are variations among paints that are not readily apparent -- unless you install two different mixes side by side. And there's also fading.

That said, if you can afford it, an auto body shop will take care of all of this for you -- they do it many times a week.
posted by teece at 1:02 PM on April 5, 2006

Discovery Automotive Parts has brand new ones, (in primer) for $125.
posted by Floydd at 1:05 PM on April 5, 2006

These places seem to get lots of phone calls and I'm guessing if they're swamped they're just going to say they don't have it to get me off the phone.

Not to be snarky, but have you tried calling them, or is this just how you talked yourself out of doing that?

Personally, I haven't been happy with the online junkyards. Their web inventory bears a very tenous connection to their actual one. So you buy something, give them your credit card details, and a week later they cancel the order because they don't really have one. Pain in the ass.
posted by smackfu at 1:20 PM on April 5, 2006

Thanks -- actually the paint tint is not that big a deal... I was just wanting to make sure I didn't get one that was mauve or had purple polka-dots.
posted by hodyoaten at 1:40 PM on April 5, 2006

It doesn't matter if it's lime green with spots. You're gonna need to get it painted if it's gonna match at all. If you're on a budget and have some space you can go to your local auto-parts store and pick up spray cans that theoretically match your car's color.

Theoretically because it will match what your car was when new... before all the sun damage or not-quite-exact repaint the prior owner did. I'd advise learning to love it if that's the case. I like my right-rear panel with the dent and marginally mismatched paint. It tells other rush-hour drivers "that's right, I have a 14 year old car worth one of your snazzy rims.... still think you ain't gonna let me merge in?"
posted by phearlez at 2:03 PM on April 5, 2006

I had a white 94 civic & I got a white junkyard hood & it matched just fine. Maybe I got really lucky. Actually I know I got really lucky because I was a poor student & if it hadn't been white I'd have been driving a much trashier ride for quite a while.
posted by Wood at 6:32 PM on April 5, 2006

I have, on two separate occasions found matching color bodywork.

This first time I shopped the local Pick N Pull until I found what I needed. Time consuming but I was a kid and had nothing but. Second time was a 94 Civic, the seller had modified his own and was selling OEM parts off.

That second time I simply shopped Craigslist until my parts came up. It took more than a year. You can set up an RSS feed to alert you to "Red Accord Hood." It would be worth your 100 mile drive to save the $300+ to paint a new hood. Also keep in mind--how would a newly painted hood look on a 11 year old paint job? Find a 11 year old hood!

Also- Used body parts show up on ebay. Shipping is a killer but possibly worthwhile.
posted by vaportrail at 7:20 PM on April 5, 2006