LooseMarble

I searched the archives and the entire intarweb and could find no info about a porsche with this problem.

While detailing some months ago I noticed a tiny imperfection in the paint on the rear fender just above the rim of the wheel arch. I thought maybe it got hit with something and while unfortunate it was very minor so I didn't think too much about it at first. Unfortunately it got worse over time and not there is an OUTWARD dent that you can feel. It is somewhere in the circle in the picture below although it is hard to take a photo of it.





I thought perhaps the tire made contact inside the fender at some point and caused the damage but the plastic fender liner is untouched. If a spinning tire even touched it it would be very obvious. I thought somehow a rock got kicked up in some crazy manner to dent through the plastic liner and into the fender but seems unlikely. I didn't know how to explain it at all.

This is the kind of dent that would easy be repaired by a paintless dent repair dude although it is obviously more typical for them to fix an inward dent than a outward dent. I took it to the best PDR guy in town and he said he could fix it but I would have to figure out what is causing the problem and remove the problem first. He showed me by tapping on the fender that it is really "tight" where the dent it. He said he can't tap it down as there is an object on the other side pushing it out!?!

I did some research and learned that the fender is a double wall which forms a v-shaped valley about 1/5" above the very bottom lip of the wheel arch. I took the fender liner out and the tailight to see how I could access the area. Unfortunately there is very little access from what I can tell.

I do have a fiber optic camera which I was able to push through a 1/4" hole in the tail light cavity which put me inside the double walled fender. I was able to find the offending object. I also found a body plug inside the wheel well, forward side that could be removed and also gave access for the camera.









See pics below but it looks like a fastener of some kind with a head but when I tried to look at the very top I thought I would see a hex socket but it isn't really there. The fastener looks like it is(was) in a plastic piece that may have body colored paint on it?

The object looks like it moved or migrated inside the fender with a trail of damage behind it. Almost like it was strafed with a machine gun. I think what is happening is that the fender forms a v-shaped valley inside and the object is in the V. Due to changes in fender temperature the metal expands and lets the object fall a little deeper then the metal contracts and the object is tightly compressed in the V.












The camera has a very flexible stalk and with much patience and fiddling I was able to get the pictures. I tried a coat hanger to try to extract the item but it is really a long reach into there and you have little means to manipulate a makeshift tool and you are working blind and even if I hooked it all I could do is move it, not fully extract. I tried to tape the camera onto the coat hanger but it is is frustrating to control and I can't even get close. What I need is some medical grade arthroscopic gear.

So the questions for the forum 141 braintrust:

Have you ever seen anything like this before?

What the hell is it and where did it come from?

How do I get it out?

Is there any access to this space if I take the interior apart? I don't think so based on looking at photos of gutted cars and the rear seat install thread.

is there any chance there is more and it could happen again? I think I may see other debris in there too. I would like to gain access so I can go through both sides thoroughly to be sure there is nothing else there.

Ideas? Suggestions? ????

agentf1

Is the piece metal. They do sell long skinny telescoping magnets. You could possibly even try to grab it from the outside and move it similarly to those fish tank magnetic glass cleaners. I know I am grasping at straws...

Too bad you can't pick the car up and shake it upside down until the piece falls out. :-)

I feel for you. That is the craziest thing I have ever seen.

964TURBOCHAS

looks like a rivet?

zweebach

I have the same little outward dent. Actually on both rear fenders. Good detective work. I had convinced myself that it happened when the rear inner fender lip was rolled for tire clearance. Unfortunately, now it's going to bother me that it's likely that something is trapped in my fender.

Spyerx

Your car must have been made close to beer:30. Rush job.
That is bizarre. The only thing I can think of is one of those claw grabber things or a magnet tool.
Looking at the PET, doesn't seem like there is access in that area w/o removing a fender.
You 'could' drill a small access hole and plug it, and nobody but you would ever know since it would be covered by the fender liner... and a PDR guy can most likely make that dent disappear.

LooseMarble

This is interesting. I wonder if there are more of us? More importantly I wonder if anyone devised a good way to get in There.

LooseMarble

Standard claw grabber and even a medical type long flexible grabber are no use at all. Can't even get close and even then can't see what you are doing.

The hole idea is what keeps popping into my head but I want to exhaust every other possibility first.

LooseMarble

There is no removing this fender...it is the tub.

entityx

I have the exact same issue on my 7.1, on the passenger side of the car (in fact I have two small dents). I also know of one other car (997.2 GT3 RS) that has the same issue, so sounds like this a more common issue.

Shivatron

Wow. My guess is that if it's causing a dent, there's probably considerable clamping force (friction) between the inner panel, the object, and the outer panel. My guess is a magnet won't cut it. I'd cut a hole from the underside, as suggested by others.

LooseMarble

If this were an aluminum panel a magnet may be of some use once the object is dislodged. However this panel is steel so a magnet will not be able to work on the piece independent of the skin.

ngng

find something else oyu can feed in there, dab some silicone on it and make contact with the metal piece. let it dry, then try to remove it after it's dried. may not work if it's stuck in there

fusi23

Happens exactly the same on my 997.1 GT3.
It happens after removing the plastic black arch and rear window for paint.
In my opinon should be a part of the rivet that fell off when the paint shop remove it.

BeakerGT3

Holy crap...when the driver who was about to ship my car across country did his inspection, he discovered the exact same thing on the driver's side of my .1 GT3...

This is nuts...technology FTW

F1CrazyDriver

What if you put a magnet right to it- confirm w/ fiber optic camera. Hold the magnet device(and camera) next to rivet. Have your dent pro use a suction mount thing. As he releases pressure, fish the rivet out.