3 Common Types Of Fender Repair After A Collision
If you've had a collision or auto accident, then your fender might have some damage. While the fender might not look in great shape, some of this damage might be more cosmetic than anything. An experienced auto collision repair shop might be able to restore the fender without replacing it.
What kind of fender damage can you fix?
1. Scratches
Scratches are usually the easiest fix on a damaged fender. If they aren't too big or too deep, then you can often simply buff them off.
If you have deeper scratches that actually go down into the fender's material, then buffing won't work on its own. Here, you have to clean out the scratch and fill it. You can then sand and buff it to restore the fender.
2. Cracks
While you can't buff out a crack on a fender, you can use a similar filling process to repair some cracks and even some breaks. So, you can fill the gap with a reinforcing material before sanding and buffing it.
While this solution works well on smaller cracks and breaks which haven't gone through the whole fender, it might not give you a feasible fix if the damage is more extensive. If a crack goes through most of the fender, or if the fender has a complete break, then filling the damage won't work in the long term.
A filler can't hold a fender together if it is close to breaking point or actually broken. Eventually, driving movements and bumps in the road will make the fender break. So, if you have a significant crack or break, then your technician is likely to recommend that you put on a new fender rather than wasting time and money trying to fix the damage.
3. Dents
Fender dents can often be pulled out to make the surface good again. For example, you can put a vacuum suction device on top of the damaged area. The device uses high levels of targeted suction to force a dent or ding back into place.
However, if you have a dent or ding in a more inaccessible part of the fender, then you might not get enough suction traction to pull it out again. Sometimes, this fix also doesn't work on deeper dents. If you can't use suction on a dent, you might need to replace the fender.
To find out more about whether your fender is fixable, contact local auto accident repair shops.
Share
