Best Way To Fix A Dented Bumper?

[truck]

I usually just let autopark park for me while I unbuckle and grab my stuff. Didn’t think it’ll dent my bumper, it always yells at me whenever I put my bumper over a curb!

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[not_elon_]

Use a heat gun to warm it up and a block of wood to push down on the top bulging plastic. It will take away the stress discoloration and flatten it out. Just be cautious about over heating and glossing the surface of the plastic.

 

[fishtek]

darn that sucks, was it a narrow pole or something that the system didn't see? I did something similar to mine a few months ago prior to getting the parking assist, so I'm curious if you come up with any solution to remold or flatten back out that part.

 

[truck]

darn that sucks, was it a narrow pole or something that the system didn't see? I did something similar to mine a few months ago prior to getting the parking assist, so I'm curious if you come up with any solution to remold or flatten back out that part.

It was a narrow pole you usually see in a parking spot. Gonna try not_elon_’s solution.

 

[CarMan ElecTruck]

How did the vision system not see this pole?!

 

[truck]

How did the vision system not see this pole?!

I lied, I backed into the pole on accident.

 

[LuvOrH8]

It’s plastic, heat it slightly with a propane torch and use something flat to compress it flat. It’ll never look new/normal but you can get it to look better than it does currently

 

[AO-Pete]

We did something similar (scuffed a garage opening). It'll never look the same, but if you can at least reshape it, you could always cover it with something like this. Yes, it's a plug, but it's what I did, and half the reason I took the time to develop the product in the first place I'm working on the pattern for the rest of the rear bumper this weekend.

 

[Roger@CYBERTRUCKco]

Boil a large part of water and then pour the water over the plastic slowly for 5 seconds once you’re done then use a block of wood with towel over it to straighten it out.

 

[YukonJack]

If those methods work to get the plastic back to original form but the color is still off you could alway get the bumper protector to try and cover it up.

 

[HaulingAss]

If you wanted to go to the trouble of removing the bumper cover so you can heat it from both sides, you can repair it so you probably wouldn't even notice it was ever damaged. A top side repair would be much easier, and the results could be almost as good, but more care would be needed with applying the heat to just the correct spots.

Use a heat gun, not a propane torch, the heat is more controllable, and propane gives off a lot of water vapor that might discolor the heated plastic. Even most of the white color will go away when done correctly. It's all about the location and temperature of the heating, and then how you work the softened material. I like using motorcycle tire irons like these because they have different curves and points that I can work the material with:

A closed-end box wrench, appropriately sized for the repair, will work well too because you can adjust the angle of the wrench to the repair to apply a flatter pressure or a more pointed pressure. I wear leather work gloves so I don't burn myself.

If you melt the plastic, or it gets a glossy surface, you have over-heated it. I heat gently for 3-4 minutes, being careful not to get the undamaged areas too warm. It's better to use less heat and more deformation pressure (but you do need to get it to a plastic enough state). When it's the right temperature, a few pounds of pressure, maybe around 5-10 lbs. for a typical sized repair, should be enough to affect repair.

 

[HaulingAss]

If those methods work to get the plastic back to original form but the color is still off you could alway get the bumper protector to try and cover it up.

Or rub a little trim restorer onto it.

 

[HaulingAss]

Boil a large part of water and then pour the water over the plastic slowly for 5 seconds once you’re done then use a block of wood with towel over it to straighten it out.

That can work, but it's difficult to get the heat where it needs to go with water. It runs everywhere. The most controllable repair will only heat the area required.

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