Ok so I just picked up a 96 A4 from a police auction for $900, its in excellent condition.

Anyways, there is a large dent in the front passenger side door, so I am looking to replace it. Audi is telling me I cannot interchange the 96 with 98.5+ doors. A slight body change was made. Does anyone know if this is true or will a newer door bolt up ok. If its just a styling issue and wont be noticable unless looking very closely I think it would be ok, I dont want to have sealage issues though. I am asking because I found on at ayard in jersey which is the same color (pearl white) so I would rather bolt that on than paint another.

This brings me to my second question. When I went to the dealership to ask how much it would be to spray one door they quoted me $1000. Saying that they would have to paint the entire side of the car so it would match. Does anyone have experience with the Pearl White paint? I know its tough to do, but are they BSing me on having to do the entire side. It seems hard to me that with paint technology what it is, they cannot match the door without doing the whole car. I dont know if I should trust a side paint shop either because of the color. Let me know what your experience has been, if any..... Thanks guys.

 

bump, common guys I know someone here can help me out.....i already got 4 responses on AZ (im a little dissapointed since AF is my go to)

I really need to know if I will be able to swap the newer B5 door with the older 96 B5 door....

 

I'm not sure about if you can put a newer B5 door on a 96, but about the pearl white paint... It is a lot harder to match etc however that quote is probably a bit high.Obviously the paint does change over the years so paiting the entire side would make it look the best but it may not be necessary if they people know what theyre doing.
Try to find a reputable shop that can do it. I used to have a pearl white a4 and a side shop was able to match it perfectly and they didnt paint an entire side, you just got to make sure youre at a place that knows what theyre doing.

 

thanks buddy, my faith in AF is coming back..