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The most common casualty in a vehicle collision, whether it is with an object or another vehicle, is the bumper. Most bumpers are made of some kind of plastic today in order to keep the vehicle lightweight and give better mileage. That means, they are more prone to bruises and outright breakage. It doesn’t however mean you have to replace the bumper all the time.

Repairing vs. replacing

A lot of mechanics would rather replace the bumper outright rather than repair it. This is because:

• Replacing the bumper is much quicker for the mechanic
• It also makes them more money on the markup for a new bumper
• Most customers go with what their mechanic tells them

However, most dings on a bumper can be repaired, if only the mechanic is willing to put a little work into it. If your bumper is in a collision the next time around, insist on getting it repaired rather than replaced. Else, you can go to another professional. This will definitely help you save money.

How repair works  

The kind of repair your service professional will perform depends on the extend of the damage. If the bumper is cracked a lot and almost breaks into 2 large pieces, it takes a lot more effort. Here is how it usually works:

• If it is a few bruises here and some scratches there, a cleaning and repainting will do
• If there is a crack, the mechanic can use an adhesive in order to glue them back together and paint over it

Repairing a bumper is a lot about skill and art. A dedicated professional such as those from http://kingcollisioncenter.com/ will be able to make your bumper look just as good as new. Cracks require cleaning the bumper to ensure that there is no dirt stuck in between. Once this is done, adhesive is carefully applied in just enough quantity to fill the crack. If there is less or more, the glue will spill and stick out below the new paint job.

This can be a good opportunity for you to renew the look of your bumper. maybe you can make it a different color or a more graphic design. The most important thing to realize here is that repairing the bumper will always save you more money over replacing it.

How repair works  

The plastic used for making bumpers differs wildly between the brand and model you have. Typically, these plastics have a model number, which the mechanic can look up. They can then use the adhesive that works well with that particular plastic material. Using the wrong adhesive can result in weak bonding and your bumper will come apart much sooner.

If you would like, you can look up the model number yourself and identify the correct adhesive. This small step, which can be carried out on your mobile phone, will help you ensure that the mechanic is indeed using making the right choice for you. Once you know just a little about bumpers, you will never want to replace them, unless they are irreparably broken.