The bumper of your car is most prone to damage during accidents. If you recently had an accident and the damage to your car is too severe, you can think about selling your car, but you can easily fix minor bumps and bruises on bumpers. Here is a step by step guide for fixing a caved-in or cracked bumper.
Repair your caved in bumper
Step 1 – For safety purposes, make sure that you are wearing your safety goggles as well as your work gloves. Once, you’ve taken these precautions, carefully raise the bumper using a jack. Make sure the jack is placed on a solid surface and the inner weld is set properly onto it.
Step 2 – If necessary, remove the splash guard under you used car to access the affected area on the rest of the bumper. It is usually held by bolts and plastic clips so make sure you have the required tools and materials.
Step 3 – Warm the affected area using a hair dryer or heat gun to bring the section to a luke warm state. Keep your heat gun at a safe distance of about 4 to 5 feet to avoid overheating. It might take up to 5 minutes till the part is malleable enough to be moulded back to its original shape. Use a crowbar to make sure that the area is flexible and ready.
Step 4 – After the caved-in bumper is warm enough, push it inside out with a crowbar. If the portion does not budge, you might need to heat it a little more but remain cautious of not overheating it. It is recommended that you ask a friend to help you conduct this process. Don’t forget to push it out evenly.
Lastly, do not forget to get your car waxed as it can be very helpful in repairing minor dents and bruises.
Repair a cracked bumper
To complete this process, you will need a bumper repair kit.
Step 1 – Make sure you have the material for repairing your bumper, whether its fiberglass or plastic. The best way is to look inside and if you see hair inside, it’s made of fiberglass. Though, before looking inside make sure you’re wearing a safety mask to avoid any chemical intake.
Step 2 – The best idea would be to remove the bumper before taking any further steps as it will make the process easier. Though, if it seems harmful, do not attempt doing it. Lifting your car with a car jack might be sufficient in this scenario.
Step 3 – Take a microfiber cloth and remove any dirt or sludge from around the affected portion of the crack. After that’s done, cut out any pieces sticking out to make the area smooth. For bigger cracks, use a razor blade to cut off the excessive chunks. As for minor bruises, use a sandpaper to smooth them out.
Once again clean the area with a grease remover.
Step 4 – According to the bumper kit manual, mix the appropriate amount of paste and catalyst. When the color changes, it means you’ve done it right. Then, use a paint brush to apply the mixture to the affected area.
Step 6 – Use the fiberglass sheets by cutting them about 30-5-mm larger than the damaged portion. Apply these sheets on the resin while applying more resin between layers of the fiberglass sheet. Make sure that area has been thoroughly covered. You can also add additional layers for more strength. Let it dry for approximately 10 minutes.
Step 7 – Once again, cover the area with resin and let it set for about 30 minutes. Following that, use an 80 mm sandpaper to remove any grit formations from the mixture. Once it’s smooth, clean the refurbished area with a grease remover or wax.
Step 8 – Now, its pretty easy. Read the manual of the bumper kit and blend the mixture accordingly. Before applying the mixture, tape the repairable area to keep it together. Then, apply the repair mix using a spatula to the area. Verify that you cover a little more than just the affected area. Also, make sure the product is squeezed outwards the crack to fill it up. Afterwards, let it dry.
Step 9 – To confirm that the whole area is covered, apply more layers. While doing that, keep the shape or contour of your bumper intact. Again, let it dry.
Step 10 – Remove the tape by peeling it off and use a sandpaper to ensure that it is going back to its even and smooth texture.
Step 11 – Cover the unaffected area with tape and put on 4 -5 layers of primer after small intervals, allowing the previous layer to dry.
Finally, the job is done but remember to give it a paint job to make it as good as new. Even though, there are many car repairs that you shouldn’t do yourself, this is a particularly easy one.
Nonetheless, if your car is extremely high-end and you don’t want any mishaps to occur ,then it’s perfectly okay to seek professional help. After all, you don’t want to reduce your car’s resale value just because of a minor bruise or crack. Talking about resale value, CarSwitch offers great offers for both buyers and sellers and can easily help you evaluate the price of your car!
