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Dented bumper--fix it myself?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Blansten, Jun 27, 2008.

  1. Blansten

    Blansten New Member

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    I swear I barely brushed that minivan! I got out to look at my bumper, expecting a tiny scratch (which I found--about 1/4-inch long) and to my horror found a 6-inch wide dent on my beautiful 2007!

    The damage is on the passenger side front bumper, right on the outermost corner. Impact was nowhere near enough to actually crumple the bumper; I think it put just enough pressure to pop the plastic in. So I figure if I can get behind it, I can pop it back out!

    But to do so means removing the front lower spoiler, or passenger-side wheel well enclosure, or both. Has anyone done this? Anyone recommend this? Any advice on how to do it?
     
    #1 Blansten, Jun 27, 2008
  2. jdenenberg

    jdenenberg EE Professor

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    You should gently warm the plastic with a hot air gun (preferably from the inside to not risk bubbling the paint). This will soften the plastic to make popping out the dent easier. I got lucky and a local dealer had a special to introduce me to their body work division - $250 to remove, fix (scratches and a depression) and paint the front bumper.

    JeffD
     
    #2 jdenenberg, Jun 27, 2008
  3. leftie1277

    leftie1277 New Member

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    heat the bumper up with a hairdryer...and get a strong suction cup to pull the dent out, I had a pretty big ding on my front bumper and it came out pretty good.
    Not 100% back to normal but about 90%

    -Matt
     
    #3 leftie1277, Jul 7, 2008
  4. Blansten

    Blansten New Member

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    Thanks to both of you--I will attempt to pull the dent out with a suction cup, heating the bumper first as suggested. If I can't do it from the outside, anybody know how to get the lower spoiler off to access the bumper from the inside?
     
    #4 Blansten, Jul 8, 2008
  5. leftie1277

    leftie1277 New Member

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    I tried that but wasn't successful in getting the bumper off :(

    let us know how you make out
     
    #5 leftie1277, Jul 8, 2008
  6. fed123

    fed123 Member

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    Matt:

    Think this will work with a dent on the rear passenger door? My wife was belted with a shopping cart at the supermarket.
     
    #6 fed123, Jul 8, 2008
  7. johnfried

    johnfried New Member

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    I just got hit by a suv just above my driver side back tire. how much will this cost to pop out?
     
    #7 johnfried, Jul 9, 2008
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