Strange fender shape, damage?

[David N.]

I've just noticed the oddest thing and was hoping it wasn't just me. Take a look at the fenders around your wheels (specially 986 owners). I've noticed that where it curls in to the wheel wells, at the top part, there's a sudden sharper curl. At first I thought it was damage, as if someone tried to do that baseball bat fender-widening trick. But it's on all four wheels, and it seems too perfect to be something home-made.

Is it just me or is this part of the painted fender trim for the wheels? If so, anyone know why? Doesn't seem like it would really add any room for the wheels in any significant way (and it would only work if the wheels were fully planted into the suspension...).

-David

[Jeph]

I noticed that on my car after my first autocross. I thought I did something that caused that. But it turns out that's how the fenders are.

Why? I don't have that answer. Maybe it is for that extra smidgen of clearance.

[David N.]

Yeah, I kinda figured it had to be built like that. The scary part was I guess the wax wasn't wiped off well, so the curled metal had white wax smears that look exactly like scraped paint. Polished and realized it was just wax

[boxs2000]

My guess is because our cars are very commonly used and driven for its performance and with the different variations of suspension options, the factory did this to allow us to use wider tires and also allow more camber/alignment options. It is bred from a race line after all

[AUDIOGUY]

This is true. The fenders and quarter panels usually are rolled to allow larger tires and lowered suspensions. I first noticed this when comparing a regular BMW 3 series to the M3...

Unless you specifically hit something, this is normal.