TIL my uncle the shade tree mechanic was right about using a hammer on a bumper, but wrong about the angle

Last summer my uncle Dave (retired bus driver, thinks he knows everything about cars) told me to just whack the corner of a dented Civic bumper with a 3 pound sledge at a 45 degree angle. Said it'd pop right out. I figured he was full of it because the bumper was plastic and cracked. Well I tried it on a junker I was practicing on and it actually worked perfect. But then I got cocky and tried it on a customer's 2018 Accord. Wrong angle. Bumper split clean in two. Had to buy a replacement out of my own pocket, cost me $240. Anyone else ever listen to a family member's old school trick and regret it?

3 comments

3 Comments

taylor_hayes2523d ago

$240 is a cheap lesson in angles.

the_jamie23d ago

Gotta learn somehow, right?

nancy52422d ago

Bet nobody's talking about how $240 couldve bought a used angle finder and a stack of lumber to practice on before touching the real stuff. My uncle taught cabinet making for years and always said the cheapest mistake is the one you make on scrap wood first. Those guys charging $240 to fix it probably learned on someone else's dime too, just earlier in the game.