The other day is was parking in a grass lot and the car hit a ditch, slightly dislodging the bumper and creating a small crack on the side of the bumper.
I managed to pop the bumper back into place and put duct tape over the crack, though I think the bumper could use a few fasteners to keep it in place.
Does anyone has any thoughts on how to proceed or the get an idea on the repair costs?
I saw a car with this exact problem the other day. And I was wondering what the best method to fix it would be? I was thinking maybe a high strength epoxy and butt-join it for 48 hours, then some scraping, sanding, and touch up paint. But don’t go by what I say, I’m just speculating. A well recommended body shop is who to ask. I expect they see this sort of problem all the time.
Unless you want to try to fix it yourself, just have a body shop replace the cover. You can use a bumper repair kit for $20 to repair the crack, try to restore the broken tabs that hold it in place, and repaint the thing, but otherwise just see a local body shop. Not rocket science but paint is expensive.
Many bumper covers use plastic clips. Sometimes a bolt Or screw can be used to replace the clip. But that varies with design and location.
Chances are the paint will start flaking off in the area of the crack.
Plastic fusion welding is the technique most professional bodyshops use today to repair cracks in bumpers.For the clips,your dealer is the best place to go.
Well you could go all Fast and Furious on it and drill holes across the crack and the body and put it back on with ty-wraps
I would go to a junk yard and find a matching Civic bumper. This will save you money because you won’t have to get it painted. Then I would put it on myself, because bumpers are easy to install as long as the structure they attach to hasn’t been bent.
You may need to go to the dealership or Rockauto to get any clips/plastic tabs that broke in the incident or that you will most likely break removing the old bumper.
Be sure to get the tie-wraps that dissolve after the wound heals.
I would have gone with black ties, then maybe a skull and crossbones.
You can buy a bumper skin to replace the plastic cover you have. It will come in primer. maybe white, maybe black. Front or rear. They cost between $45 and $75.
Could you provide a link for the skins, google did not provide any hits for what you describe.
Bumper cover is the name, IIRC.
OEM will be considerably higher, more in the $300 range. No comment on the after-market fit although I did use one on a Lincoln from the General or someone that fit fine. You can also get them painted to match. My son bought an Acura spoiler pre-painted once and it matched perfect. On your own though.
Bumper covers I can find—surprised how cheap for civics.
