3 Reasons You Still Need Professional Repairs For Minor Bumper Damage

Your bumper's role is to absorb the impact of a collision, which means your front and rear bumpers are the two locations most likely to suffer damage following relatively minor accidents. In the past, chromed steel bumpers could withstand significant impacts with hardly any damage, but these unsafe bumpers would transfer that force to vehicle occupants. Modern bumpers work much differently. 

Unfortunately, it's easy to mistake a few scratches or scrapes on your bumper as a minor problem that you can easily ignore. If you've recently experienced a low-speed impact, it's worth carefully considering these four reasons why your blemished bumper may still require professional evaluation and repairs.

1. Beauty Is Skin Deep

Modern bumpers are drastically more attractive than the chrome bumpers of the past, but this beauty is only skin deep. What you see on your car is simply a cosmetic cover hiding impact-resistant foam and a much tougher steel or aluminum carrier frame. The scratches or cracks on the plastic cover might look minor, but you won't be able to tell if there's more severe damage underneath.

Unfortunately, these less attractive and well-hidden elements make your bumper so effective at absorbing damage from a collision. If these functional components receive damage from an accident, there's a high likelihood that your car may perform worse in future collisions. Only an experienced auto body shop can fully evaluate this damage and determine if your car requires more extensive repairs.

2. Bumper Replacement Is Complex

If you see a small crack or dent on your bumper, you might think the most cost-effective approach is to repair the existing cover. After all, you don't typically replace the body panels on your car for small dents, scratches, and dings. However, most manufacturers use plastic or fiberglass for their bumper covers, and these materials are substantially more difficult to repair.

Removing and replacing the entire bumper cover is typically more cost-effective. Surprisingly, this approach produces better results and often costs less than attempting to repair the plastic. Removing the bumper also allows a shop to inspect the carrier frame underneath. Since replacing a bumper cover can be challenging, it's best left to a professional collision repair shop.

3. Bumpers Protect Others

Your bumper doesn't just absorb impacts and protect your vehicle's occupants. Bumper designs also help to minimize damage to pedestrians, other vehicles, and property. A damaged bumper will likely no longer meet its original manufacturer specifications, potentially leaving your vehicle with sharp edges or other dangerous features that can be hazardous to others.

At a minimum, allowing a collision repair shop to investigate your vehicle's damage is important. If trained technicians feel the damage will not affect the functionality of the bumper, you can choose to avoid the repair. However, it's crucial to always fix any bumper with damage that makes your vehicle more dangerous for yourself, your occupants, or others on the road.

Reach out to a local auto collision repair shop to learn more.

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