Bruised bumpers require unique repair products. If you’re unsure how to fix it at home, follow the below guide.
Pick an adhesive and prepare the fascia
Remove the plastic from the car bumper. The screws connected with the plastic cover can be difficult to locate. So, you can see underneath the taillights, below the latch or behind the wheels. After removing it, you should work in a warm and dry place in order for the fixing adhesive to fix properly.
But the type of adhesive needed depends on which plastic the bumper is made of. Therefore, the first step is to choose a stamp on the inside of the bumper labeled as PPO, PP, PUR, TPE, or TPUR.
While you are buying the repair products, make sure to ask the counterman in the auto parts store to guarantee what is necessary for your specific bumper plastic. Remember to choose the same brand for all the products in order to maximize compatibility.
To start the preparation, initiate by lightly scuffing the harmed part and cleaning it by a plastic surface cleaner. In case the bumper is cut or ripped apart totally, you have to scrub the inside and outside surfaces. Wash and allow the surface to dry. Then, wipe the area with a prep solvent and only move in a single direction.
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Grind a “V”
When the solvent is dried up, you have to sand the area by hand and the product you should be using is a 80-grit paper. Afterwards, you need to make a “V” groove in the harmed part on the front and back sides of the fascia. The V groove lets you align the 2 edges easily.
The grooves also offer more surface area for the fixing products to adhere to. For the plastic bumpers which powder when sanded (for instance, TPUR or PUR), cut the grooves by a 24-grit disc on a sander. The plastic bumpers which smear through sanding (TPE, PPO, or PP), form the grooves by utilizing a cordless drill and a rotary file.
Blend the adhesive and fix tears
Fix cuts and tears from the back side of the fascia. In case the cuts or tears are big, you may need to align and hold the edges of the repair by masking tape on the front of the fascia. Utilize a self-stick fiberglass repair tape to incorporate structure at the cut or tear.
Afterwards, properly blend equal quantities of repair adhesive and hardener on a piece of paper or cardboard and apply it on the tape by using a body-filler squeegee. After the initial layer of tape is in place, apply the second layer to make the threads run at a 90° angle to the first layer.
Spread the plastic filler
When this material is hardened (it will take approximately 20 minutes), go to the front of the fascia and remove any remaining tape. Then, by utilizing a 80-grit sandpaper, remove any remaining material which is squeezed through and sand any parts that are above the completed level of the fascia. Fill the cut or tear or any low spots in the front of the fascia by using the correct fixing material. Squeegee it level.
Sand and contour
After this has hardened, sand everything to make the levels equal. First, use an 80-grit sandpaper for this purpose, then an 120-grit sandpaper, and then apply a light skim layer of fixing material for filling the pits and surface imperfections. This step will restore the original contour. Now, finish sand with a wet 400-grit sandpaper.
Paint
When the fixing is done, apply 2 wet layers of flexible part sealer. Afterwards, dry this for 30 minutes. Now, the fascia is prepared for priming and painting. You have to prime the fender with 2 layers of any two-part primer surfacer. Make sure to allow the primer dry between each coat.
When the primer is hard, dry sand the fixed parts by using a 400-grit sandpaper in order to level it and remove any imperfections. Prior to spraying the bumper with the basecoat, wetsand it and lightly wipe the part with a tack rag to remove the dust.
Afterwards, spray by following the company’s guidelines. You might have to repeat this procedure a few times to fix it thoroughly. After the basecoat is dry, mix the clearcoat with hardener. Apply 2 medium clearcoats, dry them overnight and your fascia will be ready to reinstall.
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