How to Repair Your Plastic Bumper

By Matthew Wright, About.com Guide

If you're driving around with a big hole in your car's plastic bumper, you need to stop. There's no reason to disgrace your beloved car or truck by subjecting it to ridicule due to the gaping tear in its otherwise beautifully painted plastic bumper cover. Seriously though, even a minor accident can result in a damaged bumper. Sometimes you're lucky and you can get away with simply sanding and painting the damaged area. But an impact as low speed as 15 mph is more than enough to tear a big gash into your bumper cover, resulting in unsightly damage that you don't have to live with.

The professionals use expensive epoxies, heat, plastic welding and other techniques to repair these bumpers. Not to mention the cost of a professional repaint. If you want it to be perfect, you should take it to a professional and let them repair, or often replace, your bumper cover. But if you aren't obsessed with perfection, or the value of your vehicle doesn't support spending that much money on the repair, the steps we took on this car might appeal to you. We were able to repair this car's bumper -- including a custom mixed paint for a perfect color match -- for less than $100. That's real savings. If you've just got a chip in the paint, check out this easy repair.

Previous

• Can You Repair a Turn Bumper Cover?
• Clean Up the Bumper Damage
• Add Some Reinforcement to the Repair Area
• Adding Filler to the Repair Area
• Painting your Repaired Bumper

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