| However, even though most people are familiar with | | | | that go over the part of the car's structure known |
| the term and may consider plastic bumper repair for | | | | as the bumper. The plastic portion is meant to |
| their own vehicle, it remains one of the most | | | | deflect small impacts, theoretically bouncing back into |
| misunderstood problems a car or truck may have. | | | | place and saving the driver from needing repairs at all. |
| The Myths | | | | However, plastic - like any material - can only give so |
| 1. Replacing an entire bumper plastic bumper is | | | | much. If an impact is strong enough, it will dent just |
| cheaper than getting an existing one fixed. | | | | as much as metal. Plastic bumpers are also more |
| In some cases, this may be true. For example, if you | | | | susceptible to scrapes and tears, which may need |
| have a bumper in fairly bad condition and you turn to | | | | repairs. |
| a traditional auto body repair shop for getting the | | | | 3. It's cheaper and easier to do plastic bumper repair |
| work done, you may find that their estimate for | | | | yourself. |
| repairs is greater than your insurance deductible for | | | | The process of repairing a plastic bumper is actually |
| entire bumper replacement. However, specialty plastic | | | | fairly involved and complicated. It involves using fillers, |
| bumper repair shops focus solely on providing | | | | repair adhesives, sanders, and paint (which must be |
| low-cost, quality solutions for the scrapes and nicks | | | | matched exactly to the existing color). It requires a |
| that plague cars going over today's roads. Their | | | | certain temperature, and quite a bit of skill, time, and |
| prices may drop by as much as 50 percent of what | | | | patience. In most cases, those who attempt to repair |
| you can expect to pay elsewhere. | | | | a bumper on their own are required to get |
| 2. Plastic bumpers shouldn't need as many repairs as | | | | professional work done at a later date anyway, and |
| metal bumpers. | | | | these repairs can end up costing more than the |
| Most "plastic bumpers" are actually just plastic covers | | | | original repair work would have. |