Car scratches on the bumper are common, but sometimes it can be hard to tell what caused them, you just wake up with them there, either you caused them and forgot or other drivers have done that and they didn’t think that a tiny scratch can be that much trouble.
The costs of fixing car bumper scratches can vary a lot because you will have to take into account how many scratches there are, how big they are, how deep they are. Moreover, an important factor is the car’s paint that can raise the total costs of repairs.
In general, the cost of repairing scratches on a car bumper is the following:
- $50-$150 for a minor scratch on the car bumper;
- $250-$600 for medium deep car bumper scratches;
- $300-$700 for major car bumper scratches;
- Heavy scratches: >$500 because of the more labor that is needed to fix it.
The labor for fixing these scratches can be around 1-3 hours long. You will need to take the vehicle to the car repair shop and ask for a quote. If the scratches are too deep or the repair won’t help, then consider changing the bumper and paint as the next best option.
You should also know that if there are multiple scratches, it could be hard to match your car bumper paint color. If there is a deep scratch you can fill it with Bondo filler to get a smooth surface and paint over it. It’s recommended not to mix colors because if they don’t match you will have to sand the area and start all over again.
If there are rust marks on your car bumper, you should consider repairing them as well, because they can spread and cause bigger damage in the future.
The repairs of each of these types of scratches are different, but you can see that the costs are not that high and most of them can be done yourself rather than going to a shop and paying someone more money for doing it, but this operation requires some skills, patience, and tools that will help you.
Contents
What do you need to fix a scratch on your car bumper?
There are different ways to fix these kinds of problems depending on the depth of the car bumper scratches and how much skill you have.
The first thing you need to check is what type of damage was caused to the car bumper. The most common thing that causes scratches are nails and screws, these small parts can fly off the road and hit anything in their way.
Also, there are metal pieces that can get stuck into your car when you run over them or when they fall off from other cars in traffic. Every type of scratch has its own solution that might do the job or not.
How much paint is needed to fix scratches on a car bumper?
For small scratches, you only need a few layers of paint to cover the scratch. Depending on the depth of the scratch, you might need at least 3-4 layers of paint; otherwise, it won’t look as good as it should.
If you have a scratch that needs more paint to be fixed, then use it, but if you have doubts about the amount of paint or the final result, then go and consult a professional mechanic or an auto body repair shop near your area.
If you opt for a professional auto body repair shop to fix your scratches then expect to pay a higher price.
Fixing car bumper scratches in a professional auto body repair shop
The process of repairing the scratches on your car bumper consists of four stages: inspecting, repair, sanding, and primer. The last three stages take up most of the time, of course. The duration of the whole process is entirely on how deep and big the damage was. But, if you are doing it yourself then it will not take more than a day to complete
The auto body shop will first get rid of all the parts of your old paint with a sander. Don’t worry, they have lots of experience with this type of job so you don’t have to think about them damaging your car or scratching it.
This will make your work easier because now all you have to do is apply some primer and paint over it again. After that, all you have to do is wait for the paint to dry and it’s ready for the road.
Paint and primer will likely cost a few hundred dollars. If your bumper has many scratches, you will probably spend around $200-$400 on parts. The cheaper way of getting these costs down would be to buy some good-quality primer and paint at some local stores.
However, if you are not skillful at this type of job or are simply not interested in doing manual labor yourself. Also, there is a high chance that these “local” repair shops don’t do a good job for a cheaper price.
These costs may remain the same because professional auto body shops often have discount schemes available so don’t hesitate in asking them about that before paying. Even if they have higher costs the job will be done correctly.
Another costly part is a complete repaint of the car bumper. The average costs of painting a car bumper are around $500-$600. If you are not satisfied with the cheaper price you could always go to a professional auto body shop which will probably charge around $1,000 for the job.
If there is a part, like a big scratch or dent, that requires a new piece of metal to be added to your car bumper additional costs of $300-$500 can be added for the repair.
Conclusion
Fixing car scratches can be tricky, for a job well done you need to spend a lot of money on the paint and the repair. These costs can be lowered down to a few hundred dollars if you buy some cheap materials and do the job yourself. The costs are much higher if you have a car bumper that requires a repaint.
Costs can vary depending on the size, depth, and location of damage, as well as whether it needs an entire repaint or not. You should also consider how much you are willing to spend on your car in order to determine how much of the damages will need repair and how serious it is for you to fix them.
When hiring someone to fix your car bumper scratches make sure that they can guarantee that they do not need more than one visit and that no other problems will appear after their work. Also, make sure that they hold full responsibility if something happens from their work on your car.
