I got side swiped by someone and did damage to the Front right fender. I think my car is a 2008 Cardinal REd Metallic, can you confirm this. I am gonna try to find a fender from a junkyard. Any other years have this same color?

 

79U, it's been talked about here before. Cardinal red, or merlot jewel, not sure if a definitive answer was reached. I wouldn't trust other years, look for another 2008 with the 79U, only way to be sure.

Try 79U in the search window.

 

Contrary to popular misinformation, what I am finding this time I search: 79U is the primer color.
This source says there was no red 2006-2007, 2008 only Victory red, 2009-2011 Victory red or Crystal Claret
Here are the color charts for 2008-2010 from: 2011 Chevrolet Color Codes - HHR Paint Cross-Reference

 

This too has me confused. This is why I posted my glovebox sticker. I do have a 2008. It is maroon, not fire engine red.

 

Looks like 2008 and 2009
https://www.paintscratch.com/cgi-bin/select-color.cgi
Color Code: 79/WA517Q Merlot Jewel Metallic

 

You may find that even if you get a fender the "same color" it won't be a perfect match... May be darn close, but not exact. A lot of these colors are like that.

 

I absolutely understand. Some cars sit in the sun their whole life, some sit in a garage their whole life. My door will bind if I try to open it, so driving it as-is is not an option. I will need to swap the fender. I just could not stand doing the work and putting a white/black/gold fender on it. I could get any $50 fender and have it painted, probably $100 in labor and it match perfect. I think if I can find one that is the correct 79U maroon and even if it is off a tad, I could live with it. This is my daily driver / work car.

 

Guppy- if you can take a part off your car to a auto-paint store, they can read the mix with their scan gun & mix a very good match, even factoring any fade from age. depending on their talents, of course. .

Well I remember there being a Cardinal Red metallic in 2008, cause I was looking at it to purchase, till I found my 2LT.

But I have nothing to back that up. Other than members here that had Cardinal Red HHRs'....

 

I don't know, just GoOgled. Gm seems to have made it as difficult as they could.
What is strange is that the only people that have a problem seem to have 79U. Some read that as color 79 upper; some read it as 79U which is primer color.

 

Pulled this off of ChevyMgr old thread of RPO codes. It did come from the 2009 listing but the 2007,2008 lists didn't show the exterior paints.

++++++17U Primary Color - Exterior, Switchblade Silver Met (09)
++++++37U Primary Color - Exterior, Imperial Blue (07)
++++++38U Primary Color - Mystique Blue Flash Met (08)
++++++41U Primary Color - Exterior, Black (02)
++++++50U Primary Color - Exterior, Olympic White (02)
++++++51U Primary Color - Exterior, Gold Mist Met (06)
++++++61U Primary Color - Exterior, Aqua Bluer Met (09)
++++++71U Primary Color - Exterior, Lunar Quartz Met (06)
++++++74U Primary Color - Exterior, Victory Red (02)
++++++75U Primary Color - Exterior, Techno Gray (07)
++++++79U Primary Color - Exterior, Merlot Jewel Met (08) ++++++++++++++++
++++++89U Primary Color - Exterior, Crystal Claret Tintcoat (08)