What Can Be Done To Repair A Damaged Bumper?

Damaging a beautiful shiny car can be heartbreaking for anyone. Every year, over a million cars suffer minor damage or completely wrecked by automobile accidents. The most susceptible areas of an automobile to damage are the front and rear bumpers. Bumper damage can include scratches, rock chip, dents, cracks and breakage. The job of a car bumper is to absorb the brunt of impact and it can be heavily damaged or destroyed in car collisions. In the event of damage, it is important for the car owner to determine if repair is an option versus getting a complete replacement. If you decide to have it fixed, the first step is receiving an estimate for the cost of bumper repair. The cost involves several factors such as the year, make and model of the vehicle, the extent of the damage, the kind or type of damage and the type of paint and color-matching must be done to complete the bumper repair.

How does an auto body shop handle bumper repair jobs? For the most part, it involves removing the dent, fixing the damage (this may involve methods like sanding, sculpting and grinding to name a few), clear-coating the spot or spots, and applying a coat of paint to make the fixed bumper match the rest of the vehicle. Each stage of the process comes with several factors that affect the cost as well as the amount of time it requires to finish. The damage can be quite varied as it covers cracks, holes, scratches, etc. Also there are several kinds of paint and colors used for the finishing touch and the car owner can choose solid paint or metallic coating to name a few. The cost is effected most by the extent of the area damaged on the bumper. Simply put, the larger the area of damage, the greater the cost will be.

In some situations, the bumper damage is small and bumper repair can be straightforward. For example, the bumper may only have a few scratches that will take little time and cost to fix. Car owners can decide whether to still bring the car to the repair shop or do the repair themselves (in short, do-it-yourself or DIY). One of the increasingly popular products nowadays is bumper repair kits for car owners who prefer to do the fixing themselves. Such kits are widely available at any shop selling car accessories. The average price for these kits is at $10, and it already has the materials needed (sand papers, special liquids plus others). The disadvantage of the kits is that they are most effective on bumper scratches and do not address dents and holes. As long as the damaged bumper can still be salvaged, doing bumper repair is, in reality, a more economical solution as opposed to buying a brand new bumper for the car (which can cost over $400, with installation included). Last but not least, bumper repair jobs can be covered by car insurance and it is important for all car owners to approach their respective car insurance providers to determine coverage and file a claim.