I recently got into a fender bender. My back left rear bumper is dented and the paint is scratched off. I am a starving college student and therefore have put this off. What is the cheapest way to go about this repair?
The cheapest way is to ignore it. The bumper cover is plastic, so it won’t rust. You could drive it this way for a long time if you choose to.
The other option is to take the car to a body shop and have it repaired.
Won’t your insurance, or the insurance of the other driver, cover the repair? That’s what insurance is for.
If it is a plastic bumper cover, and you can get access to the back of it, heat the area of the dent up really well. Use a heat lamp, trouble light, or something to get it hot and pliable. Then push out the dent from the back. A lot of times they will pop back out with little or no creasing in it. Cost-zero.
If there is any damage yet, you can sand and fill the area with bumper a bumper filler kit from Duro or someone like that for about $20. Then you’ll have to refinish if you need to restor the paint. A couple cans of Dupli Color for $10, or professional refinish for $150.
I think if you pop the dent out though it might be acceptable. If the paint is just transfered from the other car you can try solvent or rubbing compound to remove it or if scratched, you’d have to add new paint to it.
Bing Is Correct.
My wifes’ car’s rear bumper had the corner caved-in (and taillight cracked) in a parking lot by a co-worker. When I got back from the salvage yard with a new “light” assembly, I set to work with a hair drier.
I kept the drier moving to evenly distibute the heat and then used a wooden stick wrapped with a rag on the end to cover any sharp corners or edges. I pushed the dent out from behind. I worked it a little more with the heat so that it could get the rest of its " shape memory" back.
Aside from a couple little scratches (through the paint), it was looking good. A couple dabs of factory touch-up later, it looked great.
CSA