It happens to even the best drivers. You walk back to your vehicle after a day of shopping and discover someone has nicked your bumper while you were happily filling your cart. But don't start dialing the local repair place yet, as you may be able to fix the blemish yourself. Depending on how extensive the damage is, repairing the damage may be as easy as some buffing, or as intensive as a repainting.
Some bumper scrapes aren't as bad as they look, and they could be buffed out if the damage only affects the top layer of the paint -- otherwise known as the clear-coat. Use some rubbing compound to buff the mark away, then switch to a polishing compound to remove any minute scratches the rubbing compound may have left. Follow up with some car wax to seal the surface.
For scrapes or scratches that go through the clear-coat and into the paint, you may need to use some touch up to fill in. Touch-up paint is a small bottle of perfectly matched paint for your car, and it can be obtained from your dealer or an auto parts store, depending upon its availability. Sand the edges of the scratch smooth and apply the touch-up paint to fill in the scratch. Once dry, apply a coat of clear topcoat and sand it smooth.
For larger scratches or spots where the damage goes through to the metal, repair becomes a little more involved. Fixing this damage involves sanding the edges of the scrape until it is smooth, applying a coat of primer, and finally applying your color. An auto parts store or your dealer should carry a spray can version of your car's color, which makes application to larger sections easier. Once the color is cured, you may apply a clear-coat to finish it off.
