dented bumper!

[bwong2]

help! i was parked in a grocery store parking lot during a massive storm when a stray shopping cart flew out and smashed into my bumper. i know a lot of people have had success with popping it back out with little to no damage by heating it up with a hairdryer or something but i'm seeking advice on what i should do. someone at my work place said that i might as well get a new bumper as heating it and popping it back will crack the paint. also, if i was to try it, how is the whole procedure done? do i just heat it and it pops back out? do i need to take the bumper off? do i heat it and push it out?

thanks in advance!
Brian.

[Sir A.Y. Atoyot]

This is a job for a pro. There's a whole industry grown up around repairing these bumpers - you couldn't possibly do as good a job yourself. If you just want to scab it up and take the dent out, it would probably be best to try to get behind it, as echo_hrs said.

[eTiMaGo]

yeah the bumper is plastic so it should pretty much pop back into place, not like a metal panel...

[ricepower]

My 5 cents opinion..

Don't just push from behind as there's possibility to deform especially if you leave the dent for a week. Heat the dented part with a heat gun and do the push from behind. :thumbup:

This trick is what I have seen on the denters and applicable to plastic bumbers. :w00t:

IIT62

[nick.dollimount]

This exact thing happened to mine, even on the same side. Your picture gave me chills lol As du2efs said, heat it with a heat gun (I used a blow dryer with an extension cord) and lay down with your hand up in behind. Don't user any hard tool because you'll dent the plastic. Just close your fist and use your fingers or knuckles to push it out. Wearing gloves would be advised as to not hurt your hand =) Good luck!

[90tsi]

theres a sedan running around town here with one just like that. hopefully your paint wont chip or let go when you pop it back out. that happened to a buddies car. He ended up having to paint it.

[Liltoaster]

That is a easy fix, just don't rush it!

You want to take the cover off to gain access to the rear of the bumper grab a heat gun and warm up the back side of the bumper so that it is pliable and such. I usally heat up the paint side a little bit to so that they paint is more flexable to. Carefully message is back into place by pushing on the back side while keeping the heat on the cover.