Hi,
I'm after some advice. My beloved bingo has been has had a small shunt to the rear which has put a hole in the black plastic bumper and pressed in the tailgate slightly. As it was a friend who did it, I don't want to resort to claiming insurance etc., but after speaking to my mechanic it all sounds like it will be expensive to sort professionally.
What I'd like to know is, firstly, is it a palaver to change rear bumpers? As I'm thinking of buying a new one and sticking it on myself. And the other thing is, has anyone had any joy in getting a ding out of the tailgate. My mechanic said as it's double skinned it can't be knocked out, but I'm thinking of trying the dent repair kits you can buy online to pull it out - I' rather use a professional if they could do this job for a reasonable price, but it's all sounding like it will be expensive to do it that way!
Any help or tips offered will be appreciated.
Ta.
I believe there are also kits that use a glue which you can disolve after you have pulled the dent out, also inflatable bags that can be placed between panels if access is available and inflated pushing the dent out from the inside.
However I'm inclined to agree that if you can find a second hand boot in the correct colour that its probably the easiest way to get a good result.
I think your colour code is on the sticker on the drivers door b post.
Mark
Sent from my VFD 710 using Tapatalk
The tailgate is only partially double-skinned, and often the right tool will help dress out any damage.
If you can upload a photo of the tailgate damage, that would be useful - otherwise the helpful guys on here are just guessing. Did your mechanic remove the plastic inner tailgate moulding to check before giving you his opinion?
As for bumper removal - it's a relatively easy job, but that would depend on your level of skill. Even bumpers with dents and holes can be repaired. Check out Youtube under 'bumper repairs'.
Thanks both. Yeah, it's the kit that gravity describes. The sucker glues on and the kit pulls it out. It gets very mixed reviews. There's also the paintless dent removal repairers. It's only slightly pressed in on the tailgate, that's why I was going down the repair route, it's not too terrible, and I'm wondering whether it's livable with. The bumper took the brunt of it.
I've attached some pictures of what I'm talking about to give you a better idea.
I don't think my mechanic did check whether it could be pushed out if the inner trim of the tailgate was removed. He seemed to be erring on the expensive side, he said it'll be over £600 - which I could do without - hence trying to sort it myself. I'm considering buying and sticking on a new back bumper myself if it's relatively straight forward.
Should be a straight forward job to put new parts on, a scrap yard should easily have the parts you need including the correct colour
From your photos, the tailgate damage will not pull out completely because the creases are around the seam. Obviously it will repair - any bodyshop could do it, by dressing, filling and spraying.
As the bumper is virgin plastic, without paint, it would make sense to source another one. Fortunately you will not need the complete bumper assembly - just the central bumper moulding. If you don't want to do that, it is possible to repair and then paint your existing bumper.
Sourcing a replacement bumper and correct colour tailgate from breakers yards might work, but it could also be a right hassle. Personally I would go the repair route.
Thanks everyone. I’m thinking of changing the centre part of the bumper and living with the dent for now as I’ve seen one on eBay for £100. Does the rear bumper easily separate? I’ve done some googling but can’t see how they go together, I know it’s in two parts, just can’t see how it connects.