[risherwood]

Hi all,

We have a transit medium roof 2018 cargo passenger van for the filmmaking company I work at. We were driving it this morning with the doors open so we could film out the back, and unfortunately swiped the rear door and am trying to determine how bad this damage is. At first, the door wouldn't close (it was stuck halfway) and crumpled a bit along the bottom. We were able to get it closed by taking off the panel, and then taking off the 3 bolts that connect lower part of door. The damage is contained to just door itself (and maybe the hinge, which is removable).

I was quoted just under $4,000 from a local auto body place, the guy said the whole door needs replaced, painted, installed etc. I'm really hoping there is some option I can take that will be cheaper, even if I have to install the new door myself.

Anyone have any ideas? Am I doomed to paying 4 grand for this and replacing the whole door?

Here is a downloadable video of the damage: Untitled.mov

Pictures below

 

[phil]

Get a door from a salvage yard.

 

[theron]

Looks like you can get a junkyard door for around $900-1000, after poking on www.car-part.com for half a second

Its a good resource to find out if a yard even has your vehicle before calling. The better yards even have a direct chat feature you can ask if a specific bit is available still

 

[OLV1071571]

I have had good luck with finding parts from salvage yards online. For example the same model and color transit as you have got into a front end accident and the rear is perfectly fine but they end up calling it a total loss. You can get the door for cheap and in my case in the past you weren't obligated to buy the part once it came in and for some reason you didn't like the quality. LKQ is the company and you can find the parts here. LKQOnline

 

[surly Bill]

$4k is ridiculous. They are probably getting the door for less than $1k, and spending a whole hour removing the old one and bolting the new one on.

get a door from a scrap yard, MAYBE have a local autobody place paint it to match (does it NEED to match?)

 

[risherwood]

I have had good luck with finding parts from salvage yards online. For example the same model and color transit as you have got into a front end accident and the rear is perfectly fine but they end up calling it a total loss. You can get the door for cheap and in my case in the past you weren't obligated to buy the part once it came in and for some reason you didn't like the quality. LKQ is the company and you can find the parts here. LKQOnline

This is incredibly helpful. Thanks for your reply. Assuming that most junkyards will ship it as well?

Also - which doors will fit on my van model? I have a 2018 350 XLT...it seems like any of the rear doors from cargo/passenger vans from 2015 onward will work. Is that correct?

Then the next step is to have an autobody shop paint it so it matches rest of car.

 

[risherwood]

$4k is ridiculous. They are probably getting the door for less than $1k, and spending a whole hour removing the old one and bolting the new one on.

get a door from a scrap yard, MAYBE have a local autobody place paint it to match (does it NEED to match?)

Thanks for the reply. Yes it definitely needs to match perfectly, as this is a company vehicle with decals installed throughout vehicle. Will any doors from last few years of cargo/passenger vans work? Or do I need to find a 2018 transit from a junkyard?

Also - is it easy enough to install myself? Looks like it can be bolted on easily. I guess worst case scenario I hire an autobody place after I try it myself....since they'd need to source the part anyways.

 

[surly Bill]

I would assume any year from 2015-2019 would be exactly the same. You'd also want to get the hinges since you think your's are damaged. Maybe check the body to see if the hinge attachment points are bent.

You'll want to save as many bits and pieces from your door as possible, including the gasket. The salvage door you find may have pieces missing. It should NOT cost more than $500 to have a door painted. Maybe check with national chain like Maaco or Earl Sheib, who do a great job on regular vehicles (but not showcar quality; which you do not need).

 

[Michael Ophus]

If the Boron Steel Hinge attachment points are damaged the vehicle could be considered to be Totaled, Because very few bodyshops will attempt to repair damaged Boron Steel.
This may be why the repair price is so high.

 

[bajafrenzy]

I just went through this process on my own van to replace the rear door. In my area in California, it cost me $800 to get it painted, mounted, window and all hardware transferred over. The door I bought new off eBay for $250 and it needed a bit of body work after getting manhandled by UPS for $150. The window is glued in, so you have to get it cut out of the old door and glued back into the new door (which was included in the $800 for me). They didn't transfer the Transit logo, said they would but it would cost more because they don't reuse those bits and have to buy them new. I wouldn't have been able to transfer the window over on my own or paint it. And with how little they charged me, it only made sense to just let them do it all. I had another shop quote me $2000, and they quoted $900 on top of that for a new door and one more quote me $3400 (they wouldn't let me get my own door). There are little nuances in part numbers on the doors, so pay attention if you order it yourself. Fair or not, the doors can get expensive but you can find them for cheaper if you shop for them yourself. You're going to have to get online and do some of your own leg work though to save some cash. $4000 sounds like a higher end body shop price, but sounds par for the course after my experience.

 

[surly Bill]

baja, you should of had them put Ferrari lettering on it to confuse people. Personally, I remove all that free advertising lettering and placards asap. Wish I could find an aftermarket grill with the stupid FORD logo in the middle.

On my SF Bay Area Craigslist, there are several wrecking yards with full size Transits, mostly in Sacto. I don't think it would be hard to find a used door locally if someone lives in a major urban area. As for the Boron Steel, I suspect if it's bent it can be "cold set" (bent) back into place and wouldn't need to be cut out and rewelded.

Another idea: Maybe that banged-up door can be straightened enough to open and close easily, and some aftermarket attachment can cover up the dents? Like a rack or gascan holder or something, with a diamond plate panel behind it covering the dent.

 

[risherwood]

I just went through this process on my own van to replace the rear door. In my area in California, it cost me $800 to get it painted, mounted, window and all hardware transferred over. The door I bought new off eBay for $250 and it needed a bit of body work after getting manhandled by UPS for $150. The window is glued in, so you have to get it cut out of the old door and glued back into the new door (which was included in the $800 for me). They didn't transfer the Transit logo, said they would but it would cost more because they don't reuse those bits and have to buy them new. I wouldn't have been able to transfer the window over on my own or paint it. And with how little they charged me, it only made sense to just let them do it all. I had another shop quote me $2000, and they quoted $900 on top of that for a new door and one more quote me $3400 (they wouldn't let me get my own door). There are little nuances in part numbers on the doors, so pay attention if you order it yourself. Fair or not, the doors can get expensive but you can find them for cheaper if you shop for them yourself. You're going to have to get online and do some of your own leg work though to save some cash. $4000 sounds like a higher end body shop price, but sounds par for the course after my experience.

Wow this is so helpful! For more context, having the window transferred to the new door would be super helpful! Because we have a vinyl decal and tinting on the window...so I'd have to pay to get that redone as well. Would the auto body ship be able to take the window off?

 

[turbodave]

Would not your comprehensive insurance take care of it?
Dave

 

[bajafrenzy]

Wow this is so helpful! For more context, having the window transferred to the new door would be super helpful! Because we have a vinyl decal and tinting on the window...so I'd have to pay to get that redone as well. Would the auto body ship be able to take the window off?

Yes, the body shop should be able to take the window off and transfer that window to the new door no problem.

 

[bajafrenzy]

baja, you should of had them put Ferrari lettering on it to confuse people. Personally, I remove all that free advertising lettering and placards asap. Wish I could find an aftermarket grill with the stupid FORD logo in the middle.

On my SF Bay Area Craigslist, there are several wrecking yards with full size Transits, mostly in Sacto. I don't think it would be hard to find a used door locally if someone lives in a major urban area. As for the Boron Steel, I suspect if it's bent it can be "cold set" (bent) back into place and wouldn't need to be cut out and rewelded.

Another idea: Maybe that banged-up door can be straightened enough to open and close easily, and some aftermarket attachment can cover up the dents? Like a rack or gascan holder or something, with a diamond plate panel behind it covering the dent.

I did not have them put new Transit lettering on the new door. It's all covered by the spare tire anyway and I'm with you on that one. It's fun to keep people guessing.

 

[risherwood]

I would assume any year from 2015-2019 would be exactly the same. You'd also want to get the hinges since you think your's are damaged. Maybe check the body to see if the hinge attachment points are bent.

You'll want to save as many bits and pieces from your door as possible, including the gasket. The salvage door you find may have pieces missing. It should NOT cost more than $500 to have a door painted. Maybe check with national chain like Maaco or Earl Sheib, who do a great job on regular vehicles (but not showcar quality; which you do not need).

So you said that you'd assume 2015-2019 parts would work fine, but how do I verify this is definitely the case? I found a junkyard door near me that looks perfect...only $600. But it's for a 2016 transit (mine is a 2018). Is there some sort of online resource that I can use to verify?

 

[surly Bill]

So you said that you'd assume 2015-2019 parts would work fine, but how do I verify this is definitely the case? I found a junkyard door near me that looks perfect...only $600. But it's for a 2016 transit (mine is a 2018). Is there some sort of online resource that I can use to verify?

You can ask a Ford dealer, they MIGHT know. There have been no body changes that I know of except the grill between 2015-2019. Maybe take a close look at the overhead latch system to see if it's the same.

 

[1x1_Speed_Craig]

So you said that you'd assume 2015-2019 parts would work fine, but how do I verify this is definitely the case? I found a junkyard door near me that looks perfect...only $600. But it's for a 2016 transit (mine is a 2018). Is there some sort of online resource that I can use to verify?

Car-part.com (mentioned above) shows crossover years for parts. That said, I'd verify with another source to be certain. For example, a 2016 door may physically fit the vehicle, but there may be subtle differences.

I've used car-part.com in the past for various projects, and it's a good resource...a network of essentially all salvage yards, filterable (is that a word?!?) by geography.

Good luck!

 

[surly Bill]

I mentioned the overhead latches because I recall a picture of a newer Transit, maybe it was the 2020 redesign, that didn't have the skull openers in the center of the rear opening.

 

[USMC Vet]

Ask Ford for the part # for your 2018 and compare it with the doors you find.

Semper Fi