Should the entire bumper be repainted if there is partial scratching?
2 Answers
Bumper scratches require a full repaint. Below are relevant details: 1. Main difference: The primary distinction between a full bumper repaint and a partial repaint lies in color matching. A partially repainted bumper struggles to maintain the original factory paint color (resulting in color discrepancy), whereas a fully repainted bumper, though still differing slightly from factory paint, achieves uniform coverage. 2. Additional note: Partial repaint color differences are barely noticeable except under strong lighting. 3. About bumpers: Automobile bumpers are safety devices designed to absorb and mitigate external impacts, protecting the front and rear of the vehicle body. Decades ago, car bumpers were made from steel plates pressed into channel steel, riveted or welded to the frame longitudinal beams with significant gaps from the vehicle body.
When I took my car in to fix the bumper scratches, I specifically consulted the experienced mechanics at the repair shop. They demonstrated on the spot: scratches the size of a fingernail don't require a full respray—just some putty and a few dabs with a touch-up pen. However, if the scratch spans the bumper seam or involves a palm-sized area of paint loss, spot repairs will leave noticeable patch marks. It's even trickier with metallic or pearl finish cars, as achieving a consistent reflection between new and old paint is difficult. The mechanic mentioned that nowadays, 90% of repair shops use digital color-matching machines to identify the original paint code, but even the most accurate machine can't compensate for the fading and aging of plastic parts. Unless your bumper was recently replaced, a full respray is the truly hassle-free option. Last time, I opted for a partial spray and noticed color discrepancies within three months, ending up spending an extra 600 yuan for a redo.
