Expert: Octavio Torres - 9/2/2009

Question
2005 Chrysler Sebring Convertible. Rear bumper. My wife (not me), backed into a post and caused a big dent in the rear bumper. I pushed it from the inside and popped it out. However there is a long (9-inch) vertical crack in the bumper. Unfortunately we do not have the money to buy a new bumper. Is there a way for me to smooth out the crack, paint it (and get it to stick) and finish it so that it approximately matches the original bumper? This will hold it until we can afford to repair it right. Thanks, Al

Answer
Hi Al. Normally,Pushing a dent from the inside is the first thing you have to do. However this operation must be performed with the help of a heat gun and some massage. If you have made this in cold, may be we have missed a good chance to make a rather easy repair. Anyway your problem seems to be the crack. In order to help you, we need to know what plastic we are dealing with. So the bumper must be taken off and look in the inside surface for a polymer identification marking. Something like this: >pp< polypropylene, >pu< polyurethane and so on. Once you get this info. post again and I will give you directions. If possible, attach a photo of the affected area.