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Bumper dent repair
in Bellevue & Seattle

Plastic sets quickly. The sooner it comes in, the better it comes out.

A dent in the corner of a plastic bumper can usually come out without paint. Plastic has a very short memory and likes to set, so it is warmed until it is malleable and reshaped from behind with the bumper still on the car. Most take 30 to 60 minutes while you wait, and the sooner the dent comes in, the better the result.

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Free photo estimate

How to Get Your Estimate

  1. 1Send three photosThe whole panel, one at an angle and one up close.
  2. 2Get a preliminary rangeBy text, within the hour during business hours.
  3. 3Bring it to the Bellevue shop13421 NE 20th St. The final price is confirmed in person.
Short answer

A dent in the corner of a plastic bumper can usually come out without paint. Plastic has a very short memory and likes to set, so it is warmed until it is malleable and reshaped from behind with the bumper still on the car. Most take 30 to 60 minutes while you wait, and the sooner the dent comes in, the better the result.

30 to 60 minutesTypical time
While you waitYour car
$0To find out
Within the hourAnswer on photos
Before and after

A corner bumper dent,
brought back to shape

One photograph over the other. Drag the divider across to see the same corner before and after.

Sharp dent in the painted rear bumper corner of a blue MINI Cooper before repair
Before
The same MINI Cooper rear bumper corner after the dent was reshaped
After

The same bumper corner, before and after. A dent on the corner like this is the kind that reshapes without paint, which is why corners are the candidates.

What actually decides it

What moves the result on a bumper

01

Plastic likes to set

Plastic has a very short memory. Once it has held a new shape it keeps it, and unlike sheet metal it does not reform easily. Heat makes it malleable again, so it can be reshaped.

02

The window is short

Plastic bumpers have a very short window for a best result. Once a dent has set, it takes a lot of force and manipulation to bring it back to 80% or better. Bring it in as soon as you can.

03

Corners are the candidates

The corners of a bumper are where this works. Small, sharp dents in the middle are a different case: smaller areas are sharper, and they very rarely save the way a corner does. Those need body work and paint.

04

The bumper stays on the car

Keeping it on keeps it stabilized and gives us access to the corner from behind. In most cases nothing has to be taken off. A tool with a rounded dome tip brings the dent out cleanly, without jeopardizing the paint or the contours of the bumper.

Before you drive over

What you collect,
and when the answer is no

Shape first, paint second

Dent Solutions reshapes plastic. We do not paint, and we tell you that before we start rather than after. If your bumper corner has a scuff or a chip as well as the dent, it is usually still worth doing. We bring the shape back and leave the paint exactly as we found it, so you collect a corner that is back in shape, carrying the mark it already had. If you want that mark gone too, ask us. Doug has painters he recommends, and we will point you to the right one.

When the answer is no

If the paint is already cracked or flaking, or the plastic is split, reshaping cannot fix what is wrong, and the bumper needs to be repainted or replaced. The same goes for small, sharp dents in the middle of the bumper. Metal truck bumpers are not a candidate either, because the metal is too thick a gauge. We will tell you which one you have from your photos, before you drive over.

Asked before every drop off

Questions about bumper dents

How long does bumper dent repair take?

Most bumper dent removals take 30 to 60 minutes, and sometimes a little longer. You are told roughly how long before the work starts, and most customers wait while it is done.

Can a dent in a plastic bumper be fixed without painting?

Often, when the dent is on a corner. Plastic has a very short memory, so it is warmed until it is malleable and then reshaped from behind, without jeopardizing the paint or the contours of the bumper. Small, sharp dents in the middle of the bumper rarely save that way and need body work and paint.

Can you fix a bumper dent if the paint is scratched?

Often, when the dent is on a corner. We reshape the plastic without touching the paint, so the dent comes out and any existing scratch or chip stays as it was. Dent Solutions does not do paint repair, but Doug has painters he recommends, so ask us. If the paint is cracked or flaking, or the plastic is split, the bumper needs to be repainted or replaced instead.

Does a bumper dent get harder to fix the longer it sits?

Yes. Plastic likes to set, and once it has held a new shape it does not reform the way sheet metal does. Plastic bumpers have a very short window for a best result. After a dent has set, it takes a lot of force and manipulation to bring it back to 80% or better, so bring it in as soon as you can.

Does the bumper have to come off?

Usually not. The bumper stays on the vehicle, which keeps it stabilized while it is worked, and the corner is reached from behind. In most cases nothing has to be taken off.

Do you repair dents in metal truck bumpers?

No. Metal truck bumpers are not a candidate for this repair, because the metal is too thick a gauge to reshape this way.

Related
No charge to find out

Three photos.
One straight answer.

One straight on, one at an angle, one close, plus the year, make and model. You get a real answer within the hour during business hours, including when the answer is that the bumper needs paint instead.

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