Out of all the panels on your vehicle no other will receive as much damage over its lifetime than the humble bumpers. Whether it’s the front or rear bumpers they are both in the firing line. Car manufactures have always known this and as a result produce more bumpers as spare parts than any other vehicle panel. This is the main reason they are produced in formed plastic, they’re cheap to reproduce and are less costly to repair than their metal counterparts. The first plastic bumpers were manufactured in the early 1980’s by Pontiac and progressively from then all car manufactures followed suit with their version of plastic bumpers until the late 1990,s when metal bumpers were phased out.

There are multiple ways in which a cars bumper can be damaged (see below for listed damage types) When it comes to car bumper repairs there are 2 main ways to correct them (1) Local Car Bumper Repair (2) Replacement Part. In this article we are discussing the repair of only light cosmetic collision damage and not structural repairs from heavier impacts.

Replacement Part

This type of repair is not actually a repair of sorts it a replacement of a panel. No actual repair of the bumper is carried out just a simple bumper off bumper on scenario. The only actual bodywork undertaken is the spraying of the part and sometimes that is not even necessary for they might even come supplied in the required colour. This method of repair is favoured by most body shops and accident repair centres it’s a simple process but can be quite costly with prices ranging from £400 all the way up to and over £1000 depending on car type. If you’ve ever had to go through your insurance for a Car Bumper Repair this is the process your car would have been through to correct the issue. Average repair time 1 week.

Local Car Bumper Repair

This type of repair is basically a localized repair and blend. It involves repairing the bumper damage then blending in the paint. Not the entire panel is sprayed only the damaged area and once the paint has been blended in you would never notice it was ever there in the first place. This method requires a higher degree of skill then just replacing the part with the main emphasis on the ability to recreate the body shape and the blending in of the paint. Unlike the replacement method where costs can vary massively depending on the car manufacturer, the costs for the repairs are pretty much the same no matter the car make. Below are some examples of Car Bumper Repairs and average costs for that type of damage. Average repair time 2-3 hours.

Bumper Scratch/Scuff

The photo shows a pretty standard type of scratch/scuff damage. To fix this with a local repair would cost £120 – £150 no matter what type of car it is the only reason not to have a fixed price would be due to what colour the car is.

Bumper Dent

The photo shows a typical bumper dent from a slow impact with a large object. Costs can be £120 – £180 (depending on colour and dent severity)

Bumper chips

Standard stone chips from motorway use. Cost for repair would be anywhere from £95 – £135 (depending on car colour and amount of chips)

Bumper Crack

The photo shows a standard type of bumper crack, to fix the damage would cost between £180 – £240 (depending on colour and crack severity)

As you can see the Local Car Bumper Repair wins hands down on all light collision damage both on price as well as time.

Moving on

With the rapid development of sensor technology on new cars in the automotive industry, the likely hood of there being a collision at all is getting less and less likely as the years roll on. The sensors will not only alert you to the possibility of an impact but also divert your car from colliding as well. This can only be good news for the motorists and the environment, let alone insurance costs, which should get reduced as a result. This is not to say that in the future body shops, accident repair centres and Smart Repair survives will all be out of business, and that light collisions will and could never happen. As long as there are shopping trolleys, windy days and drivers that don’t pay attention I’m sure we will still be in business for now and in the future.