Short version: at Waxman Collision in Jersey City, repairing and repainting a scuffed, scraped or cracked bumper cover starts at $450 and takes two to three days. A replacement cover — when the mounting tabs are shattered or the absorber behind it is crushed — is priced as the part, looked up by your VIN, plus paint. If the bumper carries parking sensors, radar or a camera, recalibration adds $250–$450 for one system or $500–$1,200 when several need it, done in-house in the same visit. And if someone rear-ended you, their insurance pays the repair and your deductible does not apply.
Bumper repair prices at our shop
These are our own prices for work done in our own shop on Bayview Ave — the same as on our bumper repair page, not national averages. The photo estimate prices the damage a camera can see; anything found behind the cover goes on a documented supplement, never on a quietly grown invoice.
| Job | Price | Time in the shop |
|---|---|---|
| Scuff, scrape or clean crack — repair and paint | from $450 | 2–3 days |
| Blending the color into the fender or quarter panel | added per panel | same visit |
| Cover replacement — tabs shattered or absorber crushed | part price by VIN + paint | 2–3 days + part availability |
| Camera or radar calibration after the work | $250–$450 one system · $500–$1,200 several | same visit, in-house |
| Hidden damage found behind the cover | documented supplement to the insurer | — |
Repair or replace: the call that sets the price
Most bumper covers that come through our door are repaired, not replaced — and that is the cheaper side of the line. Nobody can make the call honestly from across a parking lot, because it lives behind the cover. The cover comes off, and then:
- Repair wins when the damage is a scuff, a scrape or a clean crack in the plastic and the mounting points still hold. Cracks are plastic-welded from the back so the repair carries load, broken tabs are rebuilt, and the cover is sanded, primed and painted in our booth. That is the job that starts at $450.
- Replacement wins when the tabs are shattered in several places, the energy absorber or the reinforcement bar behind the cover is crushed, or an old repair is already stacked under the paint. Then the part price drives the number, and it depends on the car — which is why it is quoted by VIN, not guessed.
A shop that quotes a new bumper for every scuff is selling parts. One that promises a repair without looking behind the cover is guessing. If the hit went past the bumper into the body, that becomes collision repair, and if the rails behind the absorber moved, structural measurement comes first. We say which before any work starts.
What moves a bumper price above $450
The $450 is the starting point for a cover that can be repaired. Four things move it, and each one shows up as its own line on a written estimate:
- How much of the cover is damaged. A scraped corner and a crack that runs across the face are both repairs, but not the same amount of plastic welding, filling and sanding.
- The color. Silver, white pearl and most metallics cannot be painted on the bumper alone without the eye finding an edge against the fender, so the color is blended into the neighboring panel, added per panel. Solid colors are more forgiving; a sprayed test card decides, not an assumption. Why this is honest work rather than padding is explained in what it costs to paint a car.
- What lives behind the cover. Parking sensors, blind-spot radar and cameras sit in or behind the bumper on most cars built in the last decade. When the carmaker's procedure calls for recalibration after the work, it is $250–$450 for one system or $500–$1,200 for several.
- What teardown finds. Broken clips, a cracked bracket or a crushed absorber are invisible in a photo. If an insurer is paying, they are added on an insurance supplement; if you are paying, we show you the part before anything changes.
Sensors and calibration: the line people do not expect
A parking sensor a few millimeters off still beeps. It just measures wrong — and a blind-spot radar aimed a degree off can stay silent exactly when a car is beside you. That is why the calibration line exists: after a cover is repaired or replaced, or a sensor bracket is disturbed, the manufacturer's repair procedure decides whether the system must be recalibrated, not the shop's mood.
We do camera and radar calibration in-house, in the same visit: $250–$450 for one system, $500–$1,200 when several need it. When a shop sends the car out for it, that is an extra trip and usually an extra day. On an insurance claim, calibration the procedure requires is part of the covered repair.
Tesla and other EV bumpers
We repair a lot of EVs, Teslas among them, and the bumper logic is the same: the cover comes off, what is behind it decides repair or replacement, and the cameras and sensors are checked against the procedure afterward. What differs is the car around it — battery-safe handling, aluminum structure on some models and part availability. We are not on Tesla's approved list and say so plainly; what that label means, and when you actually need it, is in Tesla certified body shops. Our Tesla repair page covers how we handle them.
Who pays: insurance and the deductible
- You were rear-ended. A hit from behind is the classic other-driver-at-fault claim: the repair belongs on their liability policy, not on your record, and your deductible does not apply. In New Jersey the choice of shop is still yours — an adjuster can recommend a network shop but cannot require one, as explained in choosing your own body shop.
- You backed into a pole, or nobody left a note. That runs through your own collision coverage, minus your deductible.
- The scuff costs less than the deductible. A $450 bumper repair against a $500 deductible is not a claim — it is a phone call to us. The full decision math is in cosmetic damage and insurance.
On an insurance job we open the claim, write the estimate in the carrier's format, document what teardown finds and bill the insurer directly. If the out-of-pocket part does not fit this week's budget, you can ask about paying it over time through Affirm or American First Finance, arranged through the shop and subject to the provider's approval — details in paying a deductible in installments.
How long a bumper repair takes
A repaired and painted cover is two to three days. A replacement adds whatever the part takes to arrive — common covers are quick, some are backordered — and calibration happens in the same visit rather than at another shop. The full calendar for bigger jobs is in how long collision repair takes.
Why not a touch-up pen or PDR?
A bumper cover is plastic, so paintless dent repair does not apply — dents in plastic need heat, plastic repair and paint. A touch-up pen on a scraped corner is visible from across the lot, and dealer appraisers read brushed-on paint as hidden damage. If the scratch sits only in the clear coat, polishing may save it for less than paint; our scratch repair page shows how to tell.
Send 4–8 photos of the bumper — the whole car, a close-up and the corner at an angle — and a real estimator prices it the same business day, in writing, free: start the photo estimate. Waxman Collision, 18-24 Bayview Ave, Jersey City, NJ 07305, open daily 8am–8pm, (551) 325-3030. If the car is not drivable after a rear-end hit, call first: towing intake answers around the clock and the tow comes straight to the shop.