Different Types of Bumper Damage Explained
Bumpers often get damaged in a car accident, especially considering that fender benders are the most common type of car accident. In these accidents, the bumpers generally will sustain most of the damage. Bumpers can sustain various types of damages that need to be addressed by a professional auto body shop. This article will take a closer look at the different types of damages and how the professionals repair these damages.
Types of Bumper Damage
There are 5 common types of bumper damage that you need to be concerned with:
Scratches
Scuffs, scrapes, and scratches can happen even if you weren’t in a car accident. This can be caused by hitting a curb, even lightly, or by a shopping cart in a parking lot. The good news is that this is usually just surface damage that can be easily repaired. Small scracthes can usually just be buffed out with the proper tools.
Dents
Dents are more serious and aren’t something that you typically want to drive around with if you can avoid it. This can be caused by car accidents, whether it’s with another car or you hit an obstacle. Dents can be pulled or filled by a body shop technician.
Cracks/Puncture Damage
These are also more cosmetic damage like scratches are, but they are more severe. For punctures or cracks, you will want an auto body professional to fix it as these cannot simply be repaired. In come cases the body part itself may need to be replaced.
Sensor Damage
Newer cars have sensors in the bumper, which can be damaged if the bumper is damaged. These sensors are responsible for activating airbags, among other things. A reputable body shop will verify and trouble shoot to make sure that any sensors affected by the accident will be functioning properly following the repair.
Shock Compression
Lastly, bumpers have materials that were made for shock absorption. If an accident damages the shock compression, then you won’t be as protected in the case of another accident. When repairing a bumper the shock compression components should be replaced if damaged.
How Bumper Damage is Repaired
The way that bumper damage is repaied can depend on the type of damage it has experienced. For many damages to modern car bumpers, the bumper will need to be entirely replaced, especially in the case of newer vehicles. For surface damage, the auto body technician will not need to take the bumper off. They will just buff out the light damage, use filler, then paint over the scratch. This will make the bumper look brand new.
For other types of bumper damage, the bumper will need to come off to be repaired. The auto body technician will carefully disconnect the components that are attached to the bumper, then remove the bumper. From there, they will do what they can to repair the bumper, or they will find a replacement bumper. The goal is to make your car look as good as new.
Conclusion
Bumper damage can not only be visually unappealing, but it can have an impact on your car. This is why you should make sure that you get your car to an auto body shop as soon as you can after any bumper damage has occurred. Don’t let bumper damage impact how you feel driving your car. A good auto body shop can make sure that your car looks brand new again after your accident.
Read what People are Saying
I took my car in for an estimate on my loose rear passenger bumper. I failed to get the gentleman’s name at the front desk but he was the one that checked out my car. He informed me that my bumper was in good shape and all I needed was a bracket from a nissan dealer to reattach the side of the bumper, which he estimated to be like $50. He also told me the shop could attach a whole new bumper and paint job for roughly $800. The way I see it, he didn’t have to tell me about the affordable option, but he did. Good and genuine shops with people like this gentleman deserve business and I will go back if I need an estimate or work done to my car.
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