Our History
2001
Bumper Buddies co-owner Ralph Bertel visited his local body shop to receive an estimate for minor damage to his car. Despite the minimal amount of damage, the shop quoted him over $500 and required him to leave his vehicle for up to seven days. Unable to be without his car for that long, he chose not to have the dent repaired.
During an appointment, Ralph’s dentist mentioned to him that he wanted to get his car repaired. Ralph called a bumper repair mechanic friend of his who came to the dentist’s office and repaired his dentist’s BMW on-site. Inspired by this and dissatisfied with his previous dent repair experiences, Ralph studied under his friend with the goal of one day providing the same convenient on-site bumper repair services.
2018
Bumper Buddies co-owner Victor Lanfranco first met Ralph as a repair customer. A marketer and salesman, Victor was so excited by the business’ potential that he decided to invest in Ralph’s venture. The two fine-tuned the business model to ensure that it was as convenient for customers as possible, and thus, Bumper Buddies was born.
Today
After almost 20 years and thousands of repairs, Bumper Buddies has proven to be the premier choice for bumper repair. Bumper Buddies prides itself on being people-centric, whether that’s empowering its self-sustaining franchisees or personalizing the customer experience from beginning to end.
Bumper Buddies is comprised of a team of hard-working individuals who understand the frustrations of the typical body shop repair experience and strive to provide top-tier, hassle-free dent repairs for all. Our customer-first mentality is reflected in the quick and convenient estimate process, prompt and hard-working technicians, competitive prices, unparalleled customer service, and 3-year quality guarantee.
Our Team
Ralph Bertel
Ralph has been in the bumper and dent repair industry for 20 years. Prior to starting Bumper Buddies, he sold life insurance, utilizing his degree in finance. After years of cold calling and fighting for customers’ business, he wanted to start a business where the customers would find him. Inspired by a friend’s mobile dent repair service, Ralph founded Bumper Buddies with the goal of providing hassle-free bumper repair to car owners throughout Southern California. When not out on a repair job, Ralph loves spending time with his wife of 17 years and their four kids.
Victor Lanfranco
Victor has been in the marketing industry since 2001, after completing four years in the Marine Corps. With a background in service and sales, Victor wanted to disrupt the bumper repair industry and saw great potential in Ralph’s customer-centric mobile dent repair business. He now owns Bumper Buddies alongside Ralph and operates an award-winning digital marketing agency. When not working, he can be found spending time with his wife of 16 years, three kids, and dog, Rocky.
Mike
When Mike is not out repairing vehicles you can find him shooting pool. He is our resident pool shark and has competed in many national competitions.
He’s out and about servicing the Southern California area and our clients love him!
Sam
Sam has over 30 years of experience in auto body repairs and is a very knowledgeable. When Sam isn’t repairing cars for Bumper Buddies, you can still find him working on projects restoring old vehicles or enjoying the outdoors. He enjoys anything with 2 or 4 wheels.
Alex
Alex is our youngest technician but that doesn’t discount his skills. He is a master painter with a light touch and has been doing this for over 5 years. When Alex isn’t out working on repairs, he is enjoying time with his new baby, or you may find him gaming.
Mark
Mark is our newest hire at Bumper Buddies and comes to us with over 20 years of experience. Clients are impressed with his work, and he has been a great addition to the team. When he is not doing repairs, you can find him enjoy time with his family.
Dave
Luis
The Bumper Buddies Difference
We’ve all been there: you call your local body shop after a fender bender, only for the phone to be answered by a gruff man with no patience and a high estimate. You have to drop off your car for days on end, you can only pay in person, and you can’t get any answers between those two steps.
We’ve been there too. Bumper Buddies was created to disrupt this cycle and provide a superior alternative to traditional bumper and dent repair. Our convenient mobile bumper repair service was created with customer service at the forefront, and we pride ourselves on the 5-star Bumper Buddies difference.
Premier Craftsmanship
All of our repair technicians are fully certified and have extensive experience working in auto body shops performing a wide variety of repairs. With years of experience completing high-quality dent repairs, our technicians will ensure that each job is finished to a sublime standard. Our dent repair technicians all receive specialized training in bumper repair and repainting procedures, so you’re guaranteed to receive the same quality of service as you would at an auto body repair shop. We’ll give you a seamless finish every time, so you’ll never know the damage was there in the first place.
Environmentally Friendly Materials
Bumper Buddies takes great pride in its bumper paint repair process, which is why we only use top-of-the-line, environmentally-friendly PPG paints. Not only do they result in a flawless paint job, but thanks to their sustainable formulation, they also allow us to safely paint your vehicle in an open environment without exposure to harsh chemicals. PPG paints have little to no VOC emissions, so they impact the local air quality very minimally. This makes them safer to use in public and residential areas, thereby being more conducive to our mobile repair business model.
Commitment to Customer Satisfaction
Every step of the Bumper Buddies dent repair experience has been designed to create the most convenient customer experience possible. You can contact us via phone, text or website contact form, and each time you’ll receive personalized assistance and a repair estimate in minutes. Our team of coordinators is always available to provide quotes, answer any questions, schedule appointments and send reminders.
