Bumper Repair on 2013 Mazda 3

The bumper on this poor Mazda 3 had a big dent & some scrapes. We replaced the bumper and painted it with original factory paint.

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Collision Repair on Dodge Dakota Pickup

Today's Dodge Dakota required collision repair after a fender bender. Allstate Insurance paid to replace the bumper, fender, lamp and wheel flare and match the original factory paint.

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Rear Ended Camry with Bumper Damage

This Toyota Camry was hit from the rear and is our Car of the Day. We disassembled the bumper to check for hidden damage and managed the process with Travelers Insurance to ensure that everything was repaired properly.

Often in a minor accident, if people don't see a big dent they think there is no significant damage. As these photos show, there was little obvious damage at the impact point because the plastic bumper was able to flex then pop back into shape. However when you look around the edges the bumper no longer fits properly and inside the trunk there are broken fasteners. There could be even more damage underneath the panel. So it is a great idea to exchange insurance information even in the most minor accidents.

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Collision Repair on Toyota Avalon

Almost Everything's Car of the Day is a 1996 Toyota Avalon. This was a case where the shop advised the customer that it was probably more economical to buy another used car than to repair this one. But many people think this version of the Avalon is nicer that similar Lexuses and the engine has a well deserved reputation for durability. So the customer decided to repair his car instead of taking chances with a used car of unknown reliability and less luxury.

We replaced the hood, bumper, grill, radiator support, lights, hood latch, A/C condenser and radiator and repainted the front end with factory paint.

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Body Repairs and Complete Paint Job on Rav4

A little 1997 RAV4 in great running condition (only 300,000 miles so far!) came in the delaminating (peeling) paint and dents in the right rear door and rear bumper and a bunch of dings. The lights in the bumper were broken too. The customer opted for an inexpensive upgrade. She has us paint the faded and splotchy original grey body cladding the same color as the rest of the vehicle. We replaced the door and got an aftermarket (reproduction) bumper and lights and fixed the dents. The paint is our enamel single stage technology with a 1 year warranty.

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Yes, we can paint just parts

Almost Everything's Car of the Day is. . . a bumper, no car, just the bumper. A customer asked us to paint a junk yard part so he could install it himself. We were happy to oblige. He also supplied the color code. We caution customers that color codes do not insure exact color matches. Different factories, different paint suppliers, different batches, humidity, temperature, paint application technique, settling of paint ingredients can all contribute to startling differences in a single paint color from the manufacturer. So it is always best to have the car present during painting so we can compare the computer generated formula with the actual color on the car. Even then, it is impossible to match things like fading that can vary from the top to the bottom of the car.

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Things to Look for After an Accident

Bumpers are designed to take minor hits without showing much damage. Generally it's a good thing. But when the bumpers pop back into shape, they can hide damage. Almost Everything's Car of the Day is a good example. This 2000 Civic was hit from behind in the center of the bumper. There's a dent on the corner but that is actually from a previous accident. The photos below show some telltale signs that there may be more damage than is obvious on the surface.

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This is where the impact occurred. The dent is almost unnoticeable.

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Panel gaps up to 1/4" and sometimes even 1/2" can be normal but this one is approx. 1" and is uneven.

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Gaps on the side of the car are bigger than at the front bumper and the bumper is pushed forward.

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When we take the bumper cover off, you can see more significant damage.

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The bumper reinforcement has a big crease and the energy absorber is cracked.

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Flange where bumper attaches is bent.

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Large, irregular panel gap indicates damage under the bumper cover.

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Panel gaps are back to normal after the bumper and components are replaced.

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Large, irregular panel gap indicates damage under the bumper cover.

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Panel gaps are back to normal after the bumper and components are replaced.