3 Forms Of Minor Auto Body Damage You Need To Know About
Posted on: 8 November 2021
It's rare to escape any accident without at least some damage to your car. Even minor collisions with stationary objects often cause some cosmetic damage. These issues can make your vehicle look unattractive, reduce its resale value, and eventually lead to more severe problems, such as rust. Unless your car is already in relatively poor condition, it's usually worth repairing even minor damage.
While every accident is a little different, most damage falls into a few common categories. This article will discuss three typical forms of minor collision damage you might find on your car following a low-speed accident.
1. Paint Damage
You'll usually read that automotive paint consists of three layers: clearcoat, base coat, and primer. While this is broadly true, high-end and modern paint jobs may have some additional layers, as well. These paint styles often use a solid color coat with a thin metallic layer applied above. Layering paint in this way can create varied effects or an appearance of deeper color.
Since automotive paint can be complex, automotive paint damage can be equally tricky to understand. Scratches can penetrate multiple layers, or they may sit on the clear coat. You may be able to buff minor scratches away, while deeper ones will need professional treatment to avoid creating an opening for rust. If you aren't sure, it's best to have an experienced auto body shop evaluate the damage.
2. Dents
Dents on your body panel typically come in two forms: those you can repair with paintless dent repair (PDR) and those you can't. If the dent didn't crease the metal and didn't cause any damage to the paint, then most auto body shops can use a variety of paintless methods to "pull" the dent back out. This approach is cheaper, faster, and usually produces a clean, smooth result.
On the other hand, more severe dents may require alternative methods. Some shops can still use PDR for minor creasing, but more severe damage may require filling or panel replacement. In either case, the shop will need to repaint the area once they fix the dent.
3. Bumper Cover Damage
Bumper damage is somewhat different on modern cars from older vehicles since most new bumpers are nothing more than plastic covers. Paint damage to a bumper may be relatively easy to repair, but cracks and other issues typically require you to replace the entire bumper. Since bumpers don't arrive pre-painted, the shop will need to prep and paint the new piece.
It's also worth considering that seemingly minor damage to a bumper cover may obscure more severe damage to the underlying structure. Always have a professional shop evaluate any bumper damage, no matter how minor, to ensure it hasn't compromised your vehicle's safety in future accidents.
Contact a local auto body repair service to learn more.
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