Well, a tree limb pretty much destroyed my hood last March and I am looking to replace it. Have any of you had any luck the the non-OEM hoods? I am seeing one on eBay and it lists for 85-88. I know the front end on the 85-86 are different than the 87-88's, so I was wondering if the hood is also. I would hate to spend 119 on shipping and have the thing not fit. Anyone know? I have found a pretty nice one for $30, but it has some rust on the back side under the hood and I really don't want to deal with the trouble of trying to fix it. My car is so nice, it would be a shame to put a piece of crap with old or fixed rust on it. Am I wasting my time with this non-OEM as far as quality?

 

AFAIK, the hoods are different. As for jobber body panels, they tend to be made from slightly thinner guage sheetmetal than OE, and fit can sometimes be a bit hit and miss.

 

What wylie-c said

 

Hoods are the same, fenders, valence, bumpers and air dams are not.

S

 

You learn something new everyday.... But I know the trunk lids are definately different!

 

why dont you check a junk yard?

last time i was at a yard the hoods were in great shape other than some paint problems, but i would assume it wouldnt match up and you'd repaint it any way (since it would already be off the car and a whole lot easier

 

Yeah, that may be my best bet. The one I picked up looked good until I got it home and washed all of the crud off of it. I am just afraid that on any used one that the small imperfections would eat a bodyman's time (ultimately my time as far as $$ goes). If I knew the non-OEM one was decent, it would be my ticket. But like you guys have said, they may be inferior for fit and quality. I would hate to think what the dealer would want for one, if they are even available....with all of the little things going wrong with my poor Maxine these days, it may be time to part ways. But darn, it is a So. Cal. car and I am only the second owner. I have a STACK of dealership receipts that the school teacher lady owner had. I cannot believe some of the $$ she spent on trivial BS that us enthusiasts do ourselves ($445 for a radiator replacment, as an example!!). The worst thing is, I can remember drooling over these cars (I had a friend with an 86 SE) when they were new. I couldn't come up with $210 for rent, much less $17K for my dream car....Ha!
Another thing is this car doesn't have the auto seatbelts, a plus in my book! Just a pain in the a$$ and more complicated things to go wrong. But now my list of pains on this car have grown, especially since the tree limb incident. I have a wheel bearing sound from the front left (I think), the tranny could go at any time (155K from a salvage yard as I had to replace it when I got the car. Bummer.), My sunroof whistles to beat the band and is starting to leak if water puddles around it. It was also cracked by the tree limb. In the winter, the car hardly warms up (a common Maxima problem), the trip odometer is broken, the loud button on the radio does not work. That being said......not a speck of dirt or rust anywhere. Garage kept, paint like new! Sux.....What would you guys do? To give you some perspective, I also have a 94 BMW 325i. That car sort of steals the show now. Sort of like a 22 year old compared to a 80 year old lady. Hot and flashy....and FAST!

 

I just checked with my local dealer and the OEM hood is only $260!!

Now my luck it will be on a 6 month backorder!

This is less than the repop one with shipping....duh!

I am so used to being "shell-shocked" by the "stealer" as far as $$ goes, I didn't even bother to check.

Glad I did!

Thanks all!

 

You were absolutely right about the gauge metal. The salesman sheepishly admitted that they were thinner (but "they meet all OEM standards"). If it is thinner, how the heck can it meet OEM standards? This ain't hand grenades!

 

i would go to the junk yard and get it for 37 bucks??

 

37 bucks for the hood.....200 to straighten out the imperfections, however minute...

 

well down here the hoods are pretty clean not too much in deed i would take some pics but cams are not allowed in the yard.....

 

Yeah, you AZ, CA, AL, MS, TX, GA, NC, SC, NM, guys get all the rust free car parts, although the sun wrecks havoc on your paint and interiors....

 

This is why I like WA. There usually rust out here....and usually not tons of sun.

S

 

thats why i paint my own stuff...usually its just little things and computer cases

they are fine here too other than possible paint problems but no dent or bends or any thing, i assume the dealer hood would be just primer any way too but i would still junk yard one

 

Found a really nice rust free one today for $75. Small 4 inch place on the front edge that will have to be rolled out slightly, but not like the other one I have where there are small pings and dips from aggressive closings in the past. It is rust free, for sure. Now I have to be rid of the other one. I guess it will go to the scrap heap (the Maxima gods are crying!).