Do-it-yourself bumper repair cracks

In detail: do-it-yourself bumper crack repair from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

Often in the road stream you can meet a car with a cracked or deformed buffer. What can you do, no one is immune from an unsuccessful parking or a light accident. However, this is not a reason to continue to drive a car that has lost its "brilliant" appearance - there is practical experience in restoring the original state of this element.

External plastic structural elements are mainly made of thermoplastic plastics. The technology for the restoration of such products is based on welding, which allows you to get rid of through cracks and even recreate broken fasteners. Actually, the procedure is not much more complicated than preparing and spray paint damaged section of the car body.

Some motorists assure us that we repair the bumper with our own hands using metal brackets. But an experienced car owner knows that similar things are treated with similar ones, that is, repair plastic rods are used for soldering. Their composition, color and profile are different, the desired rod is selected according to the marking on the buffer.

Making the right choice means guaranteeing a quality repair, because the mismatch of materials will significantly shorten the life of the automotive element. To find out what a cracked bumper is made of, just carefully examine the inside of the part. Depending on the marking, the following conclusions are drawn:

  1. PP - polypropylene base.
  2. ABS (GF, PAG 6) are hard plastics.
  3. PUR - polyurethane.

Plastic welding requires high temperatures, for example, 400-450°C is suitable for propylene, and 500°C is indispensable for the restoration of an ABS structure. Many car owners will learn how to repair a bumper with their own hands in a video where craftsmen use an ordinary 100 W soldering iron.

Video (click to play).

You can also restore a damaged part using pieces from a bumper with a similar marking. They are cut into strips 8 mm wide for PUR, and 4-5 mm for polypropylene.

Almost any breakdowns are treated by welding, even broken parts are reanimated. However, no one has canceled the economic feasibility of such work, because the restoration of numerous defects can hardly be called justified. The cost of a complete restoration and staining will cost more than a new buffer.

To perform repairs, you will need certain tools. It can be both ordinary household appliances and professional tools. The perfect kit includes the following:

  • Orbital sander or sanding block.
  • Grinding wheels of various grain sizes.
  • Dremel type mini drill or drill.
  • Clamps and rubber spatula.
  • Soldering iron and building hair dryer.
  • Metal tape.

Of the materials to restore a cracked buffer, you may need:

  • Putty and primer.
  • Brass mesh for crack reinforcement.
  • A can of paint or a can of paint.
  • Plastic repair rods of the desired configuration and composition.

The damaged part must be dismantled in order to eliminate, firstly, excessive stress in the area of ​​cracks. Those who have already done such work will say that now we clean the bumper and only then repair it with our own hands.

Cracked parts fit together. For reliability, they are fixed with metal tape on the outside of the part. If the gaps are quite significant, then you will need clamps that clamp the edges of the cracks. Their number depends on the complexity of the repair.

When restoring parts on a PP base, reinforcing mesh is not used. The process begins with the fact that a nozzle with a nozzle with a diameter of 5-7 mm is installed on the hair dryer. Further work is carried out according to the points:

  • On the inside of the buffer, along the junction of cracks, make a groove for the plastic rod with a Dremel mini-drill.
  • Using a hair dryer, melt and place the repair rod into the prepared groove.
  • Clean the front part of the bumper with an orbital sander with a P240 attachment and repeat the welding procedure in the same way as for the inside.
  • Grind the cooled seam from the outside with a nozzle with the same grit P240, then remove dust from the surface.
  • Smooth out irregularities with a special putty for plastic, try to make sure that the layer is minimal.
  • Dilute the primer with a solvent 3:1 and apply two coats to the degreased surface. The drying time of the first layer is 15 minutes.
  • Apply a developing layer in a contrasting color, followed by sanding with a wheel or sandpaper with a grit of P800 and P1000.
  • Eliminate the detected defects with the help of nitro putty, followed by polishing with P1000 sandpaper.
  • Remove dust with a damp cloth and degrease the part, after which paint plastic decorative paint with a border overlap of 50-100 mm. Apply paint in 3-4 layers with intermediate drying cycles.

Anyone who is interested in how to properly repair a bumper on a video with their own hands should take into account an important detail. 30-40 minutes after applying the last coat of paint, the part should be varnished. Thus, we get an impeccable appearance of the repaired part. Don't forget to follow a few simple rules:

  • It is necessary to try to apply a minimum layer of putty.
  • Maintain a temporary pause for the complete hardening of the putty layer.
  • Treat the puttied place with a grinding wheel or sandpaper with a grit of P800, and after - P1000.
  • It is desirable to apply a developing layer of primer.

In the case of a polyurethane buffer, the preparatory stage in the form of grooving is excluded. A reinforcing mesh of brass is superimposed on the crack; steel is not recommended for use, because it is susceptible to corrosion. As an alternative, staplers can be used every 10-20 mm. They are recessed into the body of the part across the seam, it is imperative to ensure that the bracket does not pass through the part.

Further, the repair technology does not differ from the restoration of a polypropylene part. Metal mesh or staplers must be recessed into the plastic layer. Only after that the seam is filled with repair plastic and soldered from the opposite side. Some important points of technology should be taken into account:

  • You need to solder the mesh or staples carefully so as not to overheat the plastic, otherwise it may deform on the opposite side.
  • For a complete do-it-yourself repair of a polyurethane bumper, the width of the reinforcing mesh should be 15-20 mm.
  • It is better to press the mesh or staples with a flat object.
  • If the legs of the staples pierce through the plastic, then they should be shortened with side cutters.
  • For the convenience of working with metal elements, you can use tweezers.
  • To prevent the new enamel from peeling off, it is necessary to sand the paint on the entire plane of the part.

The puttying stage and painting are carried out in the same way as described above - according to the traditional scheme. Repair work on the restoration of the buffer can be combined with car painting , so the consumption of materials will be more rational. It is important to determine in advance the feasibility of carrying out restoration work. If significant costs are visible in the future, then it is better to buy a new part.

If the bumper on your car is cracked, there is no money to buy a new one, and the appearance of the repaired plastic part may differ from the new one in the presence of visible traces of repair, then the following life hack will definitely come in handy for you.

This repair option is really not accurate in the understanding of most car owners, but at the same time, it has its own special charm and attractiveness for young people, especially for those who adhere to the automotive sports subculture: drifting and motorsport in general.It is unlikely that it will be a discovery for anyone that car racing often turns out to be a tough contact sport, dents and cracks in bumpers are common here, so in near professional racing circles, young athletes prefer to deal with breakdowns on their own.

Of course, there are some of the most popular ways to join several pieces of a broken bumper together (using resin, using an epoxy mesh, and even using a soldering iron), but we will look at mechanical fastening using plastic ties. To make the process clearer, first watch the video in English (you can turn on subtitles and translation):

Looked? Is the structure of work clear? Then, you can start laying out the most important stages of work.

For repairs you will need:

Repair actually does not take much time and does not require special preparation. As they say: "If the arms were straight".

I. First, connect the two parts of the bumper crack together. The gap in this case should be minimal, all parts and sides of the bumper should lie in a single plane. Then you will need to tape these parts together so that you can proceed to the next step of the repair. At 2.50 minutes, the video shows how to tighten a cracked bumper.

As you can see, it is better to repair with two people. An assistant can insure when you run out of hands.

II. Now it's time for drilling. But before that, one more life hack - apply duct tape along the crack. This will prevent the paint on the ends from cracking when drilling. 4.20 minute video. You need to drill at a distance as thick as a finger. In this way, you will not damage the bumper even more if the drill jumps off to the side, and the plastic screed will not wipe a too narrow wall over time and the structure will not fall apart.

The pitch between the holes is as thick as a finger. A crack line is visible under the adhesive tape. Follow her line. The more accurately you can drill holes, the stronger the structure will be.

III. 6.00 minute video. Quilted bumper. There are two contraction patterns: parallel and criss-cross. The first is easier to do, the second option holds the bumper pieces together better.

First stitch type: Parallel

In order to get to the inside of the bumper, "crazy hands" remove the fender liner. The workflow is shown at 6.55 minutes of the educational video. A couple of minutes and the bumper is ready!

Attention! The flat surface of the plastic fastener should be on top.

You need to tighten the ties strongly until the characteristic clicks stop.

Ready! It looks stylish, and most importantly, it really works. The bumper again received rigidity and lost functionality.

None of the motorists is immune from the fact that his bumper will last all the time without damage. Therefore, when chips and scratches appear on it, many people think that nothing can be done, and begin to look at the new one. But there is a way out, since you can make repairs with your own hands. How to repair a crack in the bumper will be discussed below.

Image - Do-it-yourself bumper crack repair

How to repair a cracked plastic bumper - in our new article

Before you talk about how to remove a crack on the bumper, you need to figure out what materials these structures are made of. You need to make a reservation right away that if the part is metal, then it will have to be repaired in a specialized workshop if the motorist does not have the skills of a professional welder.

But on modern cars, these parts are made of two types of plastic:

  • thermoactive material, its cracks are sealed with a hair dryer or soldering iron, as well as the formation of a special metal frame, its characteristic feature is that it melts under the influence of a certain temperature;
  • thermosetting material, it is better to close cracks on it using special fiberglass or reinforcing plastic mesh, which must be impregnated with epoxy resin, since when exposed to high temperature this plastic will not melt.

The labeling of thermosetting plastic is usually as follows: PP, PPTV and other analogues. Typically, such designations are placed on the inside of the bumper.

Image - Do-it-yourself bumper crack repair

The marking will tell you what material the part is made of.

The marking of thermosetting plastic is PUR, which refers it to the class of polyurethane materials, as well as PAG 6, GF, ABS, which refers it to the class of solid plastic masses.

Based on these parameters, it will be necessary to select materials for repair.

It is important to understand that if there is no reliable information about the material from which the bumper is made, it is better to find out, since repairs can turn into buying a new one. This can be done at the service station or refer to the technical documentation for the car.

Before repairing a crack in a bumper made of thermosetting materials, you need to prepare the necessary tools.

  • a powerful soldering iron or a special machine hair dryer, which will be needed to soften and solder the plastic;
  • primer, which is needed for the treatment of soldered surfaces;
  • paint in a special spray can, for painting a repaired area or the entire bumper;
  • putty;
  • small diameter drill for drilling holes along the edges of the crack;
  • gasoline for degreasing treated surfaces;
  • metal fine mesh or staples of a furniture stapler;
  • sandpaper, preferably zero, as well as one and two, for thorough rubbing and grinding of surfaces.

Image - Do-it-yourself bumper crack repair

With everything you need at hand, you can repair cracks yourself.

Here is a list of tools you will need to make the repaired bumper look like new.

Before sealing a crack on a bumper, which is made of thermosetting material, you must also prepare the necessary materials and tools:

  • a small diameter drill so that holes can be drilled along the edges of the crack;
  • glue needed for gluing joints, or simple adhesive tape;
  • epoxy resin;
  • sandpaper zero, one and two;
  • putty.

This list of materials and tools will help you repair a cracked thermoset bumper.

How to repair a crack on a bumper made of such material will be described below, since you first need to find out how to carry out the preparatory work. They will consist of the following steps.

  1. This part must be removed, as it will work better and better with it when it is separate from the car. To do this, you need to unscrew it and put it on a separate stand or other elevated surface.
  2. The next step is to clean the bumper from dirt and other deposits. First, it must be washed with water, and stubborn dirt and other layers should be removed with a spatula or coarse sandpaper. Everything must be cleaned carefully.
  3. Next, you should carefully examine the crack. This is an important step, because before you close the crack, you need to mark its edges.
  4. After all this, it is better to carefully re-examine the product for the presence of imperceptible cracks, chips and dents in order to carry out a complete and high-quality repair at a time. If nothing else is found, you can proceed with the repair.

Immediately you need to make a reservation that the restoration of the bumper from a thermosetting material will occur without surface heating. How to seal a crack will be described in the following algorithm:

  • first you need to clean the surfaces of the crack well with sandpaper until the paint surface is removed, and degrease everything with a rag soaked in gasoline;
  • then the edges of the crack must be connected with glue or tightly tightened with adhesive tape, it is better to give preference to the first option, and for this you need to choose a special glue that acts instantly, the adhesive is applied evenly with a brush;
  • stick fiberglass or its substitute on the inside of the bumper in the place of damage;

Image - Do-it-yourself bumper crack repair

Stick fiberglass on the inside of the damaged part
  • then the fiberglass is impregnated with epoxy resin and glued to the outer surface of the bumper at the site of damage, after such actions the surface in the damaged area should be leveled;
  • then you need to wait about an hour for the surface to dry well, and start cleaning it, for this you need sandpaper, this happens with strong pressure and circular movements;
  • then putty is prepared, as written in the instructions, and applied with a spatula to the damaged surface, after which it is smoothed out;
  • after the putty dries, a primer is taken and applied to the crack in vertical stripes, in two or three layers;
  • then the primer is rubbed with sandpaper, all this is wiped with a rag soaked in water, and after everything dries, a paint and varnish coating from a spray can is applied to the surface.
  • The repair has been made, and the sealed bumper can be put back in place.

    If a bumper made of such plastic is cracked, then its repair will be carried out according to the following algorithm, while the preparatory work will be the same as for thermosetting plastic.

    Image - Do-it-yourself bumper crack repair

    Use a special hair dryer to solder the edges of the damage

    The algorithm is the following.