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I got in a tiny accident today. Completely my fault. I was looking in my rear view mirror to see what was going on behind me for a split second, and when I look in front of me again, the car ahead was completely stopped. I slammed on my breaks (I always thought when I could react fast enough to avoid an accident).

Either way, apparently I didn't hit them hard enough for anything to happen to the other person's car...the 50 year old guy to be completely cool with the fact that his car had absolutely no damage. He was actually more concerned about me, as I was quite shaken up.

Here's the point of this thread:

My bumper has a tiny crack in it...about an inch, maybe 1.25 inches long. It's barely noticable except for the fact that the paint around this crack is missing.

Also, there's an area of about an inch by half an inch that has pain that's chipping off... Not a huge deal, but it's noticable if you inspect the bumper.

Finally, there's a spot where the paint is "creased."

I'm pretty much only concerned with the fact that the paint is chipping...the crack I guess I *could* live with if I had to. But how do I fix the paint before it chips off a bunch more? Is there anything I can do to "seal" the crack?

What about the crease in the paint...should I do something to fix it?

I am quite grateful that I was able to stop in time and I didn't harm the person in the other car. I guess God was smiling upon me today...

 
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you might be able to smooth down the edges of the place where the paint is chipping and use some touchup paint to go over it.

 
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yeah try hitting up the cracks with touchup paint...that should fix stuff up at least temporarily.

 
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Actually, the place where paint is chipping is quite smooth. I think the paint is just so dry that it cracked when the bumper had to move during the collision.

Should I just remove the chipped paint and then touch it up with the touch-up paint I have? (the touch-up paint is from the Honda dealer) How should I remove the chipped paint? Sand it down?

What about the crack and the creased paint?

 
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Well...how would you fix it "permanently?" I'm really not that interested in getting a new bumper...it will cost me an arm and a leg. I'm a "do it yourself" kinda guy anyways.

 
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I would say sand it down first, that way it'll look a little more seamless then just painting over the scratch. You could always just paint over it, see how it looks, and if it looks crappy then sand it down and do it the other way.

Look at it this way...if you ever planned on getting a body kit, then the bumper gets replaced anyway

 
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I shouldnt have said temporarily....there are a few spots on my car with touchup paint and it has been on since I got the car...so it is lasts for a while...

bad word choice, my bad

 
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Okay...so, sand it down, then paint over it. I can do that.

...the crack: is there any way to seal it? I would imagine that since it's plastic (and it's relatively strong) the crack won't matter...especially if I paint over the white border around the crack.

 
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good luck working with that touch up paint- ive never seen a half decent touch-up paint job.