How to Handle a Damaged Bumper

The answer to this age old automotive question can be elusive. We’re here to help.

To repair or replace? That is a question that often pops into our heads as soon as the dust has settled from a small accident. When it comes to your vehicle’s bumper, it can be hard to decide. The whole point of a bumper is to absorb impact from a small collision, and they are very good at doing so. It’s crucial that a damaged bumper is remedied after an accident so it can function properly in the future, but it can be tricky to decide on fixing vs. replacing. Let us help you.

At Island Color, we have decades of experience in bumper repair. Cracks, scratches, dings, dents… we’ve seen pretty much anything. But we are also the first to admit that we can’t fix anything. The good news is that our experienced staff are available to help you decide whether it’s best to let us fix the damage for you, or if you should start hunting down a new bumper. All you have to do is bring your vehicle in, and ask the experts.

How Do We Decide?

If the damage is minor; scratches, dents, dings, etcetera, we can probably fix it. In other words, if your bumper still looks like a bumper, we can take care of it for you. For this type of damage, all we’ll need to do is make the surface level (by pushing out the dent or sanding down the scratch), filling with putty, sanding until smooth, and painting. These repairs are quick, and because of our sophisticated paint-matching abilities, you won’t even be able to remember where the damage was.

More significant damage like cracks, large dents, or gouges can require more significant repairs. We will use the same basic principles as we do with minor repairs, but the process is more labour intensive. At the end of the day, you will still end up better off than if you had shelled out for a new bumper. Even significant damage like this is no problem for our experienced technicians. Don’t worry, after decades on the job, we are confident in assessing whether or not the damage to your car falls within the realms of our repair capabilities.

Red flags that would tell us that your bumper is beyond repair would be significantly damaged internal components, such as various types of sensors, if large portions of the bumper is altogether missing, or if we think the repair would take so much labour that you would actually save money by buying a new one.