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I have a crack in the bumper cover of my car (photo below) that I would like to fix myself. This is my first car, and I have no prior experience of car body work. Because of this and financial constraints (don't want to spend too much on this), I am not aiming at perfection, but rather at a decent result. After having watched tons of youtube videos, I came up with the following plan:

  1. Remove the bumber cover. Use a heat gun to restore the shape of the edges of the hole.

  2. Reinforce the inside of the hole with a self-adhesive body patch (mesh).

  3. Clean the surface and apply a body filler to the outside of the hole. Sand down and clean.

  4. Apply glazing and spot putty. Sand down and clean.

  5. Appply a primer. Sand down and clean.

  6. Apply a base coat

  7. Apply a clear coat

  8. Polish

Is there anything that I should change in the plan? I think the critical steps are applying a primer and painting. How many coats of primer and paint should I apply? The more the better? What are common mistakes to avoid? I wasn't going to repaint the whole bumper, but instead blend the new paint with the existing paint. I appreciate your suggestions.

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  • Welcome :o) I'm not a body guy, but I do know body filler will harden hard, as in solid. Your bumper cover is soft. Sooner or later the two will separate. There's a thing called plastic welding. Works well and leaves the bumper flexible. You should look into it. – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2♦ Oct 1 '17 at 4:33
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    3M Bondo 806 Bumper and Flexible Part Repair is available at most auto parts stores. The quality of the repair is directly proportionate to the skill of the user. The same with blending the paint. There are mobile bumper repair companies you may want to see if there is one in your area. – mikes Oct 1 '17 at 13:30

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