Your car bumper is bound to pick up a few dents and dings over the years. Most small dents on your bumper won't be worth having professionally fixed. However, if you leave them alone for too long, the paint can start to chip and it can compromise the structural integrity of your bumper. If you have a fiberglass bumper, you should learn to fix these blemishes as soon as they pop up. You can use a simple fiberglass patch kit to fix small dents in your bumper. This article explains how to use a fiberglass patch kit and what other supplies are necessary for auto repairs.

Using a Fiberglass Kit

Is important to note that most fiberglass patch kits won't include everything you need for auto repairs. Most kits will include the fiberglass cloth, resin, liquid hardener, a mixing stick and tray. In addition to this, you also will need some painters tape, latex gloves, autobody sandpaper and a plastic putty knife. Prepping the Dent First, you need to do a little bit prep work. If the edge of your dent has peeling paint, you should lightly sand. You don't want to remove any more paint than is necessary, but you do want to knock away any loose edges that are already separated from the actual fiberglass. The sanding is also important because it will actually slightly rough up the fiberglass surface, allowing the resin to stick to it better and more evenly. Next, you need to cut the fiberglass cloth to the appropriate size, do you want your clock to be slightly larger than the dent you are patching. Then, you can use the tape to hold it in place.

Applying the Resin

Once all this prep work is done, you can prepare the resin. When you mix the liquid hardener in with the fiberglass resin, it dries very quickly. So, make sure you are fully prepared for this step, with your gloves on, before you begin. Once you mix the recommended amounts together, you should immediately apply the resin on to the fiberglass cloth. As you spread it over the cloth, it will hold it in place, so you can remove the painter's tape. If you are patching a larger hole, you might need to do two coats of resin, allowing it to fully dry between each coat.

Now that your patch is complete, you can either sand it down for a smoother finish or just leave it until you have your bumper professionally painted (at shops like Ohs' Body Shop's Inc).