Dings in your car bumper are obviously very annoying and unsightly. However, if they are left alone for too long, they can actually form into a legitimate structural issue. If water gets inside your bumper and starts to deteriorate the fiberglass, your car will not have the vital protection that it needs for bumper collisions. This is why it is so important to catch and repair even the smallest dings and dents as soon as you notice them. This article explains the best techniques for patching fiberglass bumpers.

What you Need for the Job

First of all, this job is much easier if you have a fiberglass repair kit. The sample kits include almost everything you need to patch your car bumper. Most will include the fiberglass resin, liquid hardener, cloth, mixing tray, mixing stick and plastic putty knife. Each and every one of those items is necessary, but you will also need sandpaper and painter's tape.

Masking Off and Sanding the Ding

First, you should mask off the damaged area with the tape. You want to mask off a few extra inches on each side of the ding. Then, you need to use the sandpaper to lightly rough up the surface. You don't need to sand off all of the paint, but you want the surface to be a little rougher so the fiberglass sticks better to it. Then, wipe down the area with a wet rag.

Next, cut the cloth to size. To make it easier when spreading the fiberglass onto the cloth, you can lightly tape the top two corners of the cloth in place. Just make sure you remove them before you spread the resin.

Mixing and Applying the Resin

At this point you should start to prepare the fiberglass by mixing the hardener in with the resin. Only do this once you are fully prepared to spread it on the bumper. The fiberglass dries very quickly once the hardener is mixed in, so you need to be ready to quickly apply it. Spreading the resin with the putty knife is very simple, but you probably won't be able to make the surface completely smooth. You might need to apply two coats and use steel wool to smooth out the patch between each coat.

At this point, you might want to use touch up paint to cover the patch. However, that is a process in itself. Regardless of whether or not you end up repainting the patch, you can rest assured that your bumper will be stronger and protected from the elements now that it is patched. For more information, contact a shop like Ohs' Body Shop's Inc.