Does anyone know a good way to repair a damaged rear bumper?

I was backing up the other day just as my wife was pulling in to the garage. The left corner of my rear bumper hit her van. No damage to the van, but there is a 6" rubbed area on my bumper. It seems to have taken away the "clear coat" finish on the bumper and left a scratch in the underlying paint. The bumper itself is not damaged.

Any recommendations on how to fix this?

Thanks

 

I've had good success getting little scuffs out with Meguiar's paste cleaner wax. This gets all the minor paint transfer/plastic transfer off. If your bumper has damage through the paint (and you can see the plastic beneath the paint) then you need to get some touch up paint and repair those areas as carefully as you can. One this is done it should minimize the appearance of the damage.

 

If it's a light scratch, you might be able to buff it away with some auto polish. If you can see the plastic, then the scratch is deep and will need to be painted. You can get touch-up paint from Paintscratch.com. Then you can clearcoat the area and blend it in.

 

Thanks, I'll give it a try the next free weekend I have.

 

Sorry to hear about your bumper. That is one of the few things I wish were different about this car. The bumpers don't seem to deserve being called that, as they will not take being bumped without showing every bump. Funny you should ask about repairing a scratch or scrape. The latest issue of Popular Mechanics, in addition to having a couple of interesting articles on electric and hybrid vehicles, also has an article on what to do for various kinds of scratch or scrape damage to one's car.

 

Meguiar's Scratch-X is an excellent product. Also, I've had superb results locally from dent/ding/bumper repair shops that do quick and minor repairs. Their work has been undetectable at far less cost than a standard bodyshop. Good luck.

 

After the Mequiars Scratch-X, throw on some Mothers Glaze and Sealer, Followed by a coat of Mothers Pure Carnuba Wax. Voila!

 

Thanks guys. I haven't tried to fix the scratch since I don't want to make it worse than it is. It's one of those type of scratches that annoys you because you're aware of it, but most other people don't notice it.

You really think Scratch-X can do the trick on a plastic bumper?

 

It depends on how superficial your scratch is. I haven't seen a scratched or marred area it hasn't helped. I used it to completely eliminate a superficial scratch on my TCH's door.

It will cost you less than $10 to find out if it works.

 

Thanks again. Hopefully this weekend I'll get a chance to try it out. I was also concerned that it might rub out the finish on the non-scratched portion of the bumper.