Repairing The Bumper On Your Car Or Light Truck
Posted on: 22 September 2020
The bumpers on your car or truck are designed to protect your vehicle in the event of a collision with another vehicle or object. Bumper repair can sometimes mean replacing the out cover on modern bumpers, or it may involve replacing the entire structural parts of the system. In either case, it is critical that it is done correctly and should be done by a bumper repair service or qualified repair shop.
Bumper Evolution
Older cars and trucks often came with steel bumpers bolted to the vehicle's frame, but when the car was in a collision, the pumper was often so rigid that the frame bent instead of damaging the bumper. Bumper repair was typically only needed if the bumper bent from the impact.
New cars now use a system with a solid impact bar mounted to the vehicle's frame and has a cover over the bumper that is made from plastic. When these bumpers are hit, they have a shock-absorbing system on them that helps to absorb the impact, but they are often destroyed in the crash and need a bumper repair service to replace them after the crash. The cover is often also damaged and may need repair or replacement before it is put back on the car.
Cracked Bumper Covers
Often the bumper cover on your car will crack if you hit something at low speed. The bumper may be fine and not need work, but the cover may need to come off the car or truck to be repaired and repainted. If the damage is severe enough, the bumper repair service may need to take the old cover off, discard it, replace it with a new part, and paint it to match.
If the cover is only scratched, it can often be sanded and painted to match the car, and if it is done well, the bumper repair may be impossible to see.
Checking the Bumper Structure
It is crucial that the cover is removed and the components behind it checked to ensure there is no damage after any impact. If the bar is bent or the energy absorbers are compressed, then the entire assembly will need to come out of the car, and a replacement will need to be installed.
The car should also go on a frame machine to assess the frame and ensure there is no damage to it before a new bumper and cover are installed in the car. If the frame is bent, straightening, it is critical. A bent frame is not safe and can affect the way the car drives or handles on the road.
For more information about bumper repair, contact a local auto body shop.
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