Bumper repair in Birmingham
The most common job that comes through the door, and the one most often quoted as a full replacement when it does not need to be.
Bumpers take the first hit in almost every low-speed incident: a bollard in a car park, a kerb on a tight turn, someone reversing into you at a set of lights. Because they are plastic rather than steel, they behave differently to the rest of the car, and that is good news for the cost of the repair.
Plastic can be welded, filled and reprofiled. In most cases the bumper on the car can be saved, which is cheaper than a replacement and avoids the colour-match problem a new panel brings.
What we repair
Scuffs and scrapes where the paint has been taken off but the bumper is otherwise sound.
Cracks and splits, which are plastic-welded from behind, reinforced, then filled and reprofiled on the face.
Dents and deformation, where the plastic has been pushed in but not torn.
Broken mounting tabs and clips, which are what cause a bumper to sag or sit proud at one corner after an impact.
Parking sensor and grille cut-outs that need to line up properly after a repair.
Why bumpers are harder to colour match than panels
A bumper is plastic and the wings either side of it are steel. The two absorb and reflect light differently even when they carry the same paint code from the factory, which is why a badly matched bumper reads as slightly off rather than obviously wrong.
Bumpers also sit at the front and rear of the car where they catch the most sun and the most road grime, so they fade at a different rate to the doors and roof. Matching to the code alone will not get you there.
We mix to the code and then adjust against the actual bumper, and blend out into the wings where the repair reaches the edge of the panel.
Repair or replace
Replacement makes sense when the bumper is torn beyond a weldable repair, when mounting structure behind it is damaged, or when the car is a newer lease vehicle and an original part is required.
For everything else, a repair is usually the better answer on cost and on finish. We will tell you honestly which one your bumper needs after seeing photos, including when a repair is not the right call.
Bumper repair, answered.
Can a cracked bumper be repaired or does it need replacing?
Most cracks and splits can be plastic-welded from behind, reinforced, then filled and reprofiled on the face. Replacement is usually only necessary when the bumper is torn beyond a weldable repair or the mounting structure behind it is damaged.
How much does bumper repair cost in Birmingham?
It depends on the size of the damage, whether the bumper needs removing, and how far the paint has to be blended into the surrounding panels. Send photos and we will give you a fixed price, and we will match a like-for-like written quote from another body shop.
Will the repaired bumper match the rest of the car?
Bumpers are plastic while the wings either side are steel, and they fade at a different rate, so matching to the paint code alone is not enough. We mix to the code, adjust against the actual bumper, and blend into the neighbouring panels.
Do I need to leave the car with you?
For most bumper work, yes, because the paint needs time in the booth and then to cure before it is polished. We will tell you how long when we quote.
Other things we do.
Car body repair
Panel damage repaired and refinished so the repair disappears into the car. Fifteen years in the trade, working out of a spray booth on St Paul's Road, ten minutes from Birmingham city centre.
Read moreScratch & dent repair
Key scratches, car-park dents and trolley damage. Some of it polishes out, some needs paint, and the honest answer usually comes from a photo.
Read moreCar respray & paint
Colour mixed to your car's code on a scale, laid down in a controlled booth, and blended into the panels either side so the repair has no edge.
Read more