hood is cracking on 94 HELP

[FRANK]

First of all the bodyshop that wants to charge you that amount are thieves. That bodyshop quote made me laugh out loud...Just buy a nice used hood for under $3,000 and have it repainted emerald green. Forget Chrysler altogether.

 

[Matt M PA]

When fitting the replacement..or repaired hood be sure that it is only resting on the latches. It HAS to float or it can cause cracking problems. When I had my '94..the hood was against the HVAC box. It's easy to check...just put a thin piece of paint cleaning clay on the hood where it would come close to anything underneath. Close the hood and re-open. You will see dents in the clay. The HVAC box is easy to lower.

 

[FUSCUCLA1]

Chrysler will pay 5000 to have your hood fixed? Do you have an extended warranty or anything?

 

[GR8_ASP]

Is your hood cracking or is it the more familiar shrinkage cracks? This has been discussed many times over here. Hoods are susceptible to cracks emanating from the vicinity of the hood latches. If this is where the cracks are the cracks are deep into the base material and I believe are very difficult to completely eliminate for the long term. If your cracks are relatively short and sporadically located around the surface of the hood then you have shrinkage cracks. These are areas where the filler used has shrunk in small depressions beyond the flexibility os the paint. These can be fixed by removing the filler and refilling then repainting.

My hood has the second type (shrinkage type) which were prevalent in 94 and early 95. I tried unsuccesfully to have Chrysler repair them. I am very interested if you have success with your dealership or zone representative.