DIY bumper repair kit

Often in the traffic flow you can find a car with a cracked or deformed buffer. What can you do, no one is safe from unsuccessful parking or a minor accident. However, this is not a reason to continue driving a car that has lost its "shiny" appearance - there is a practical experience of restoring the original state of this element.

The external plastic components are mainly made of thermoplastic plastics. The technology for restoring such products is based on welding, it is this technology that 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 area of ​​the car body.

Some car enthusiasts assure us that we repair the bumper with our own hands using metal brackets. But the experienced car owner knows that like is treated like this, that is, repair plastic rods are used for soldering. Their composition, color and profile are different; the required core is selected according to the marking on the buffer.

Making the right choice means guaranteeing a high-quality repair, because the mismatch of materials will significantly reduce the life of the automotive element. To find out what the cracked bumper is made of, it is enough to 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 necessary to restore 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.

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 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 be more expensive than a new buffer.

Certain tools are required to complete the repair. These can be both ordinary household appliances and professional tools. The ideal kit includes the following items:

• Orbital sander or sanding block.
• Grinding wheels of various grain sizes.
• Mini drill like Dremel or drill.
• Clamps and rubber spatula.
• Soldering iron and hair dryer.
• Metallic tape.

Of the materials for restoring 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 required configuration and composition.

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

The cracked parts fit together. For reliability, they are fixed with metal tape from the outside of the part. If the breaks are quite significant, then clamps will be needed to clamp the edges of the cracks.Their number depends on the complexity of the repair.

When restoring PP-based parts, the 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. In the future, work is carried out according to the following points:

• On the inside of the buffer along the crack joint, use a Dremel mini-drill to make a groove for the plastic rod.
• 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 P240 attachment and repeat the welding procedure similarly to the operation on the inside.
• Grind the cooled seam from the outside with a nozzle with the same grit P240, then remove dust from the surface.

• Even out irregularities with a special putty for plastic, try to keep the layer as small as possible.
• Dilute the primer with solvent 3: 1 and apply two coats to the degreased surface. Drying time for the first layer is 15 minutes.
• Apply a developing layer in a contrasting color, followed by sanding with a disc or sandpaper with grit P800 and P1000.
• Eliminate the detected defects with a nitro putty followed by sanding with P1000 sandpaper.
• Remove dust with a damp cloth and degrease the part, then paint plastic decorative paint with overlapping borders 50-100 mm. Apply the paint in 3-4 coats with intermediate drying cycles.

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

• You should try to apply a minimum layer of putty.
• Take a temporary pause for complete hardening of the putty layer.
• To process the putty area with a grinding wheel or sandpaper with grit P800, and then - 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 work is excluded. A brass reinforcing mesh is applied to the crack; steel is not recommended for use, because it is prone to corrosion. Alternatively, stapling staples can be used every 10-20 mm. They are recessed into the body of the part across the seam, it is imperative to make sure that the bracket does not go through the part.

Further, the repair technology does not differ from the restoration of a polypropylene part. Wire mesh or staplers should be sunk into the plastic. 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:

• It is necessary to solder the mesh or staples carefully so as not to overheat the plastic, otherwise it may deform from the opposite side.
• For a complete DIY repair of a polyurethane bumper, the width of the reinforcing mesh should be 15-20 mm.
• It is better to press in the mesh or staples with a flat object.
• If the legs of the staples pierce the plastic through and through, then they should be shortened using 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 grind the paint over the entire plane of the part.

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

Many car owners have damaged their bumper during the operation of their car.This is what we will talk about in this post, we will give examples of kits for repairing bumpers, both front and rear - since they are both made of plastic, there is not much difference in the process of their restoration, and we will also show an interesting video on this topic ... Consider different adhesives and resins for bumper repair. It will be interesting and useful on this topic, so read on and absorb the knowledge.

First, consider a simple repair if you have a small crack on your bumper. As a rule, it can be eliminated on your own. To do this, you need a bumper repair kit, which consists of the following components:

1. A roll of fiberglass (usually no more than two meters)
2. Epoxy resin
3. Hardener

Such repairs are usually called bumper gluing, since, in fact, all these materials interact with each other and ultimately represent something similar to specialized glue for repairing your car's bumper.

So, having acquired such a set, we proceed to the following sequence of actions:

• We carefully sand the crack along its entire length with fine sandpaper
• We degrease the processing area - alcohol or gasoline, or a special degreaser
• Cut out the piece of fiberglass we need
• Impregnate fiberglass with epoxy
• Now glue this impregnated fiberglass cloth directly to the sanded and grease-free crack along its entire length on the bumper. The fiberglass should extend beyond the crack on average 3-5 cm on each side in order to adhere well and distribute the stress arising at the split, thereby preventing it from growing even more
• When all this has hardened, sand it well and sand it to such an extent that the surface is uniform in appearance and feel with the rest of the bumper surface.
• After that, treat with a putty and wipe again until the stage of readiness for spot painting in the place of the chip

Note - it is desirable to glue with epoxy fiberglass on both sides for greater reliability and strength of the structure.

In general, repairing plastic bumpers at home is more of a creative process than a professional solution, but, nevertheless, often such procedures with a bumper are not inferior in terms of reliability and durability and professional repair - unless, of course, you did everything correctly and overexposed all the tips and instructions repair kits that you have used.

In this method, the resin for repairing bumpers is a mixture of epoxy with fiberglass; the good thing is that you can not remove the bumper at all, and apply the repair compound only on one side. But for large chips and cracks, it is still better to use the method that we describe below.

In this method, we will use a metal mesh to repair the bumper and a metal hanger to attach the rails, this is how it looks.

1. Drill
2. Drill
3. Self-tapping screws diameter 4mm, length up to 15mm (but it is better to use bolts with a conical head for a screwdriver with a nut)
4. Hangers
5. Soldering iron
6. Construction hairdryer
7. Hammer
8. Metal scissors

• Using metal scissors, cut it into the necessary piece of the suspension as in the pictures below, its shape and length will depend on the nature of the crack on the bumper of the car
• We drill a hole along the diameter of the bolt, drill so that the bolts are at the edges as in the photo below - as if stretching a metal bus
• Then we countersink the hole (expand it) until the bolt head is completely behind the face from the outside of the bumper and even a little deeper, since we still have to put putty and paint
• We put on the inside (where it is not visible from the street) our piece of metal suspension and tighten the nuts, but without fanaticism, firmly, but not so as to split our bumper even more

I usually put such suspensions along the edges of the crack, and in the middle I roll up a special mesh for repairing the bumper.I warm the bumper from the inside with a construction hairdryer and smoothly roll the mesh straight into the plastic, it happens that I warm both the mesh and the bumper at the same time, that is, I direct a stream of hot air from the hair dryer through the mesh to the bumper - so the mesh is warmed up and plastic.

But here you need to be very careful not to overheat the plastic of the bumper, which in the end can lead a lot or it can become sunken or convex, and then it is very, very problematic to eliminate all this. Here it is better to first practice on old unnecessary pieces, and when you get your hand filled, you can already start real repairs.

Then I lay down the net and roll it in with a special device - a metal handle with a wheel at the end or a simple pin.

Also, in addition, on top of such a mesh recessed completely or partially in plastic, you can apply the so-called glue for repairing the bumper from the first described method in this article. It turns out that in such a repair we used three reinforcement systems at once - glue, mesh and suspension with bolts, which in the end, if everything is done carefully and wisely, will give just excellent reliability. Do not forget to also read about reliable and quick tire repair on the road, even without removing the wheel, it will help you out more than once, believe me.

If you also have a special soldering iron for plastic, and special plastic-glue rods to it (for each bumper they are selected separately depending on the composition of the bumper plastic, for better absorption and interaction of the components, since an incorrectly selected plastic-glue rod can simply do not enter into a reaction of merging and merging with the plastic from which the bumper of the car is made)

And having such equipment for repairing bumpers, plus the methods that we described above, you can safely repair bumpers of any complexity. Of course, if there is no piece of plastic on the bumper at all somewhere in the center, then all the skills will be required from the master, plus a plastic repair sheet that is very close in chemical composition to the material of the bumper itself. Well, then solder, fasten and remove under the face with putty and paint.

We will also mention the simple scratches that can occur randomly on the bumper of your car. Usually, shallow scratches are removed by various polishing methods, the degree of polishing depends on the depth of the scratch itself. Ideally, after such polishing, the place is treated with a special protective varnish or a special protective paste of the polishing points.

Of course, if you have a scratch on the bumper to a depth of iron or plastic, then it will be extremely difficult to do without spot painting, and in many cases you will have to apply a thin layer of putty paste.

Here we examined the repairs on our own, but I wonder how much it costs to repair a bumper in a professional workshop in your city, if anyone has come across such a service, describe the prices for the repairs carried out, I think many car owners will be interested in this fact.

Yes, I forgot to mention if, when cracks on the bumper appear, you were "lucky" to damage the bumper attachment itself - then either contact the service, or you have to do something on your own, usually cut out a similar part of the part from a sheet of iron or durable plastic and then by truth and by crook they are trying to attach it either to the body of the car or to the bumper itself - depending on whether you tore off the bumper mounts - on the car itself or on the bumper itself.

Nevertheless, when installing such a homemade mount, you can fully use all the bumper repair methods that we described here - that is, I use them to fix your homemade part.

In principle, everything, here we have described, considered that local repair of the bumper at home and with our own hands is completely possible, this only requires tools, materials and straight hands and there is nothing impossible in this.So as they say, go for it, but be careful - in the worst case, you will have to buy a new bumper for your iron horse, if you really overdo it there.

To top it all off, watch an excellent video do-it-yourself plastic bumper repair for a more complete understanding of the restoration process and elimination of chips and cracks

Even the most experienced driver cannot be insured against damage to your car's bumper. If not you, so you. If it is solved through the insurance company, it is good. If the insurance does not roll, then there are two options: trust the professionals (it often happens here too) and pay not a small amount, or do bumper repair yourself.
It all starts with a damage assessment. Usually the bumper is not very expensive, especially if you buy a Chinese equivalent. If the bumper has suffered quite seriously, then there can be no question of any restoration of it - it will be more expensive. It is advisable to carry out repair work on the restoration of a plastic bumper if there is a small crack or cracks, scratches, chips, dents, or if a replacement cannot be found at all.

Before repairing, it is advisable to remove the bumper, for convenience. The entire restoration process, up to painting, can be conveniently performed at a separate stand.

- Remove the damaged bumper;

- Remove the paintwork from the damaged area;

- To clean the outer and inner surfaces with a grip of 10-15 mm on the sides from damage. The layer of paint removed during cleaning should be at least 0.2 mm, since the top layer of the surface during operation often changes its properties, which may affect the quality of our repair joint;

- Drill out the ends of the cracks (this will prevent further growth). Here it is the same as when repairing cracks, chips on the windshield with your own hands;

- Make the actual repair - we will consider the methods below;

- Priming and painting - will be required in most cases.

– Car hair dryer... This is a special device that does not differ in appearance and principle of operation from a conventional hair dryer. The only difference is that the hot air flow from such a hair dryer has a higher temperature and can soften or melt the plastic.

– Soldering iron... You can use any soldering iron, preferably more powerful. Rosin and tin are not required, not the case.

– Metal mesh. These are sold in specialized stores. The mesh will allow you to hold the pieces of plastic together. Can be used from an old air filter.

– Priming. A regular spray can of automotive primer is fine. If you have a compressor and a spray gun, it's even better. Choose for yourself - it doesn't matter.

– Putty... Ideal as you solder the cracks, you still need a putty. An exception is if this place is not visible.

– Sandpaper. For grouting putty 40 and 80 numbers, and for grouting the soil already 800.

– Any rag. It will be needed when washing the bumper, and when working with a hairdryer, because straightening hot plastic with bare hands is not always comfortable. It is good to use gloves as well.

– A piece of an old bumper. It will be needed in exceptional cases when there is not enough plastic.

It may be advisable to buy a repair kit that includes elements such as sandpaper, various paint retouching, fillers. Such kits are not that expensive and may turn out to be cheaper than taking everything separately, since the kits use a small package - why do you need a whole cylinder of primer for a small crack? Also putty, etc.

To begin with, a quality inspection is performed in good lighting. Determine how many cracks, scratches, chips and dents there are on your bumper. We immediately calculate the amount of mesh, putty and other consumables. It is best to do this before purchasing consumables and missing tools.

Now let's take a closer look at the inner side of the bumper. There you need to find extruded (in some cases melted) information about the material of the product. Depending on the type of marking, the following conclusions can be drawn:
PP type designations (PPTV20 and analogues) - bumper made of propylene;
PUR mark - polyurethane bumper;
PAG 6 (GF, ABS) - designation of hard plastics.

But this is not a complete list of materials from which bumpers for cars are made. You can also find parts made of fiberglass and similar carbon fibers, but they are very rarely marked and the most that can be found is the manufacturer's data. But if your bumper is made of hard (thermosetting) plastic or carbon, then repairing this type of plastic bumper is different from repairing products made from other materials.

If there is a crack on the bumper, then we need a soldering iron and a mesh. Turn the bumper over with the wrong side facing us and cut the mesh. It is worth making oblong pieces 2-3 centimeters wide and a crack long in size. Bring the edges of the crack together and solder one end of the mesh. We need to drown it in plastic, but we are not very carried away, you can just make a hole. After that, the end of the mesh should be covered with melted plastic. Further, in this way, we solder the entire crack.

Let's evaluate the outside of the bumper. If everything is ideal there, then nothing needs to be done. Otherwise, we pass the mesh along the outside. Basically, you need to hide the ends of the mesh so that nothing sticks out. When you grind the filler with sandpaper, you will regret the protruding mesh hairs.

Small cracks, instead of mesh, can be reinforced with staples from a furniture stapler. Select the size of the staples so that their feet do not pierce through the body. If there are no suitable brackets, then you can take others and shorten to the required length. Use tweezers when soldering the fittings to prevent burns.

Place the staples perpendicular to the seam at a distance of 1-2 cm along the entire length of the fracture. Barely emerging cracks and branches are also alloyed. Otherwise, in the future, from vibration, they will develop into splits. In order to protect the staples from corrosion, completely cover them with heated plastic, pulling it from adjacent areas. After you melt the bumper along the inside, the face should return to its original shape.

If the cracks on the bumper are large or there are fasteners nearby (places where the bumper is attached to the body), since the nearby surface of the bumper often breaks, it is advisable to use screws to tighten the crack before soldering. A rather simple but very effective method is proposed.

We take a suspension - exactly it is called a "metal suspension for attaching guides", such are in any hardware store. We need it to tighten the crack with screws.

We cut it with a hacksaw or a "grinder" as shown in the photo, depending on the type of bumper crack. Typically parts 1 or 2 are used - the holes used are painted blue. Although it happens that when two cracks come together, piece No. 3 is used. Below is an example of the location of the plates on a bumper crack.

The figure - blue shows the working holes for the bolts. We drill holes in the bumper for screws, put a plate on the back side, insert a screw into the holes and fix the entire structure with nuts.

If you are repairing a bumper for the first time, then be sure to carry out this procedure from the inside (and not the first time it is better too).
Place a plate on the crack. Drill holes in the bumper through the holes in the plate with a drill with a diameter of 3.6 to 3.8 mm. Drill so that the drill is closer to the outside edge of the insert hole.
the drilled hole in the bumper must be countersunk so that the screw head “sinks” into the bumper.If there is no countersink, you can use a drill instead, slightly larger in diameter than the screw head. When countersinking, do not overdo it, do not cross through! But too small a hole does not need to be done either. And one more thing - you can countersink manually, just by hand, with a large drill in the hole drilled for the screw, make a couple of turns - and the desired angle for the head is ready.

We check the quality of the soldering. We stagger in the place of the crack after drying. If everything is flimsy, then you will have to re-solder. However, this cannot be allowed, everything should be done for sure. After splicing the crack, the bumper surface should also be degreased and covered with fiberglass and then putty.

If the dent is not scratched, that is, the paintwork remains intact, you are very lucky. You can straighten it in minutes. This completes the restoration of the bumper. All you need to do is wet a regular rag, turn on the hair dryer, and warm up the dent on the back. Warm up usually no more than thirty seconds. Then we wrap a damp cloth around our fist and begin to bend the plastic back. We do everything neatly and without using great force. The main thing is not to transfer everything out. You can do several approaches at a break of ten minutes, allowing the plastic to cool down.

In the case when, in addition to the dent, there is also a crack, we perform the same actions, but with the expectation of further filling and painting the surface.

Chips and scratches

You can deal with them with sandpaper. We take the largest one (number 40) and start rubbing. It is necessary to sharpen the pits, turning everything into a more or less flat surface. The pit, in fact, increases in diameter, but loses in depth. Then we will fill this depth with putty. It is advisable to use body blocks, if available, but you can rub it with the palm of your hand.

A good result is obtained using liquid plastic that matches your type of bumper plastic. Be sure to consult with your dealer after writing down the type of material for your bumper.
Apply masking tape (preferably self-adhesive fiberglass tape) to the face of the bumper. Stir the adhesive and the thickener on the cardboard. Apply the resulting mass to masking tape. This is to level the surface of the bumper. Then the masking tape is removed, and the surface is again cleaned and sanded. Liquid plastic is applied to this place. After the plastic has hardened, you need to sand the surface.

Let's prepare a putty by adding a hardener to it. After that, we will immediately apply dents (if the paintwork is damaged), cracks, scratches or chips in place. This is done naturally after the above-mentioned measures to eliminate breakdowns.

Wait ten minutes before starting work. We take sandpaper number 80. With the help of movements directed to the left and right edges of the bumper, begins to rub the putty. Sooner or later, you will come to the desired result. Of course, the geometry of the body should be observed if the breakdown appeared in some not very convenient place. Several additional coats of putty can be added to create a more even surface.

Take a rubber rag, wash the bumper and let it dry. We will check the result one last time. If everything suits you, then you can proceed to the primer. We take cans or turn on the compressor. It is necessary to apply the primer with movements directed, again, to the left and right edges of the bumper. Basically, you need to draw a horizontal line while spraying.

Let the soil dry completely. After that, you will need to take the eight hundredth sandpaper and wash it thoroughly. This is done with a bottle of water. No matter how local the breakdown was, the entire bumper is washed out completely. It should turn dull after drying.And the first layer of soil is completely washed off, leaving only gray dots in the risks and pores on the putty.
We will apply another layer of primer, which we will also wash. Check the flatness of the surface under the lamp. There should be no small pores or scars. The surface should be perfectly flat at this stage.

The bumper is now completely ready for painting. We advise you to paint everything as early as possible.

On the one hand, this method does not require great skills and abilities from you, but on the other hand, it is necessary to follow all instructions exactly. Only in this case can a good result be achieved.

Procedure for repairs:

we combine the cracked parts, fix them with any quick-drying glue;

we prepare the epoxy resin for further use;

take a brush and paint over the crack area within 5 cm wide from the inside of the bumper;

impregnate the fiberglass mat with epoxy resin and place it on the prepared area. In the absence of such material, the mesh used for sealing drywall joints may be suitable. In the latter case, you will have to apply another layer of epoxy.

Please note that in this procedure, the fiberglass must be repeatedly applied layer by layer so that the approximate thickness of the glued patch corresponds to the thickness of the bumper in this area. The front side of the product remains not glued. The putty used to hide traces of adhesions and other irregularities must be specially designed for plastic in any case. Next, paint the finished bumper and screw it into place. If you believe the statistics and test the technique in practice, then in the subsequent operation if cracks appear on it, then in some other place, but definitely not in the place of the seam we sealed.

In any case, do not forget that the bumper is, first of all, the face of the car and requires proper care and timely repair. And will it be an independent repair or repair of a bumper in a car service - you decide.

It is quite difficult to imagine a vehicle that does not have such a necessary element as a bumper. The main purpose of the part is to protect the body from damage and deformation. When a difficult situation arises, he takes on all the shock and damaging factors. It is for this reason that the question of how to repair a plastic bumper with your own hands is one of the most relevant.

It is easy to guess that the bumper with a high degree of probability can be damaged if the car is used quite intensively and even with very careful operation. The bumper can be damaged not only due to lack of driving experience, but for reasons such as:

• actions of other sloppy and inexperienced drivers;
• departure of small stones from the movement of other vehicles.

Regardless of the cause and nature of the damage, the appearance of the vehicle after a bumper breakage deteriorates significantly. The car owner automatically wants to solve a similar problem by doing a bumper repair with his own hands.

Ways to eliminate the problem and mechanical damage directly depend on what kind of plan the defect was applied to the car part. Among the most basic types of damage are:

1. Scratches, which can be superficial and deep, that is, reaching the ground or to the base layer of the part. This damage must be repaired immediately, as later cracks may appear at the scratch site.
2. Cracks - this is a more serious damage to a car part, which belongs to the category of dangerous. Without removing it, it is not recommended to operate the machine.
3. Dents - are formed by a strong mechanical effect on the bumper.These injuries are very often accompanied by other adverse manifestations. Scratches and cracks almost always appear next to dents.
4. Chips and breakouts... This is a special through damage that has a fairly large area. They appear most often at the edges of the bumper after a collision of the car with a certain obstacle.

Of course, you can contact any service center, but in this case, the cost of restoring the bumper, even with minor damage, becomes much higher than the cost. Of all the options listed above, it is self-repair that will become the optimal and affordable method for restoring the bumper.

Directly depending on the degree of damage, repair work aimed at restoring the bumper can be divided into local and complex ones. Scratches and small chips of various types on the surface of the paintwork can be eliminated without preliminary dismantling of the part.

It is necessary to work with this element so that access to the outer and inner surfaces of the element is provided. The installation of the part in its original place is carried out after the implementation of the required repair and restoration work.

When carrying out a process such as self-repairing a plastic bumper, you will need to prepare special tools and materials. Among the most important of them are:

Competently thought-out protection will comprehensively protect the respiratory organs, eyes and hands from the effects. This is an automatic guarantee that the body will not be harmed by the spraying of harmful substances in the air and by high temperatures.

Along with the acquisition of the necessary materials and tools, in the preparation process, you need to carry out certain work with the bumper itself. Among the most important points are:

1. Removing the bumper from the car body.
2. Thorough cleaning of the part from dirt and dust. The surface must be dry and clean.
3. Determination of the material from which the bumper is made.
4. In areas where restoration work will be carried out on the bumper, it is imperative to remove the applied paint. It is necessary to thoroughly clean and degrease not only the damaged area itself, but also the adjacent space.
5. The crack must be drilled with small through holes at the ends before repairing. This will avoid the subsequent spread of damage, its increase in size.
6. Any crack has special joint edges. Therefore, before repairing the crack, it will need to be filled at the joints with a special composite.

After completing all the above processes and manipulations, you can start repairing the bumper with your own hands.

The scheme according to which the repair of plastic bumpers will be carried out depends directly on the degree and level of damage. The following recovery techniques may be applicable:

1. Gluing - used for parts produced by cold forming. A special polyurethane-based adhesive is used here.
2. Heat sealing - Suitable for bumpers that have been hot formed. The bumper fragments are connected using special welding equipment.
3. Lamination - the method is suitable for restoring lost fragments similar. It uses a special reinforcing mesh and putty.
4. Using flat electrodes... The technique is based on the use of a special construction hair dryer, which melts the electrodes and effectively repairs cracks.
5. Soldering - the best option for repairing a bumper at normal home conditions. You will need to use a soldering iron, sandpaper and paint.
6. Brazing with reinforcement - suitable for the elimination of large cracks.The process is based on the use of double-sided soldering and simultaneous reinforcement with special staples or metal mesh.
7. Pasting - crack elimination is carried out with fiberglass and epoxy glue. The restoration material is applied to the glue and strictly on both sides of the bumper.

Below is a description of the most common and labor-intensive methods of restoring a car bumper, depending on the damage caused.

The previously prepared putty must be prepared according to all the rules of the instructions, add a special hardener there. After that, the resulting mass is applied to the area of ​​the bumper where the damage is located. You need to wait about 10 minutes, take sandpaper No. 80 and grout the composition with special circular movements. The result becomes visible after several manipulations.

Priming work is carried out just as easily. It is required to take a prepared rag and rinse the bumper very well. Once the surface is dry, the entire bumper should be inspected for correct shapes. If there are no dents, you can start priming. This process is carried out according to the following rules:

1. Apply the primer in a circular motion towards the left or right side of the element.
2. The composition must be allowed to dry completely.
3. After that, sandpaper No. 800 is taken and everything is thoroughly overwritten.
4. Using a regular water bottle, you need to wash the bumper. In this case, it does not matter where the crack or other damage has formed, the bumper must be washed out completely. As soon as one layer is completely dry, the plastic automatically takes on a matte shade. The top soil is then completely washed off.
5. Only then can the second layer of the primer be applied.

Once all the applied layers are dry, a thorough inspection of the part will need to be performed using a lamp. The layers should be perfectly even and make up one piece together.

If, after examining the part, it becomes clear that all coatings are applied as efficiently and evenly as possible, you can proceed to such a process as painting. The room must be prepared, all surfaces that need to be protected from the paint used are closed. The pigment is applied strictly in two or three layers. Drying should take 5 to 10 minutes between each layer.

After applying the required paint coating, the bumper is coated with two layers of varnish. Intermediate drying is also important here. At the end of the painting work, you need to check the quality of the applied compounds again; if smudges are found, light sanding and thoroughly polishing the surface are required.

In the process of restoring the integrity and appearance of the bumper, the upcoming work will depend on the type of damage found. This is an important point, since one option is used for scratches and chips, a completely different method is required to remove a dent.

If you need to carry out repairs with your own hands, or the insurance does not work, or there is no money and desire to contact the service center, you will need to carefully study the nature of the damage. If the driver realizes that the bumper is very damaged, you should not try to restore the part on your own, but it is better to purchase a new one. If relatively small chips or dents are found, the problem can be completely eliminated on your own, knowing how to act in this or that case. So, how can scratches, dents and cracks be repaired quickly and effectively?

Elimination of this problem can be carried out by using sandpaper. Material No. 50 is taken and grouting is carried out. In this case, it is necessary to carefully eliminate all irregularities, acting until the surface becomes completely correct in shape.In the course of this process, the damage may become slightly larger in size, but their depth will become much smaller. Do not be afraid of this, after thorough cleaning all the irregularities will be filled with putty.

If there is a desire and certain skills, then instead of putty, you can use a special liquid plastic, which fully corresponds to the type of material from which the plastic is made. After applying this composition, after it has completely dried, it will also be necessary to clean the surface and carefully sand it, sanding it to the most even surface.

To repair a minor dent that did not damage the paintwork, you simply need to heat the deformed part of the bumper. The concave part of the plastic must be heated with a previously prepared thermal or technical hair dryer until the material becomes soft enough. After that, the dent is manually straightened, at the same time giving the damaged section of the bumper the correct geometric shape.

If cracks appear on the surface of the bumper, it will be necessary to use a pre-prepared metal mesh and a soldering iron. The sequence of actions in this case will be as follows:

1. The edges of the damage must be brought together and soldered to one side of the mesh. It is advisable to drown it as deeply as possible in the plastic, but you cannot overdo it, as a hole may form.
2. The end of the mesh is covered with melted plastic.
3. Similarly, you need to walk along the entire crack.

If the damage to the bumper is minor, special construction brackets can be used instead of the mesh. In the process of soldering them, it is recommended to use tweezers, which will prevent burns of the brushes. Bonding actions should be spaced 2 cm apart and along the entire length of the crack.

To prevent the mesh and metal staples from rusting after a while, the items must be covered with special liquid plastic. At the end of all the work that is carried out on the inner surface of the bumper, its front side immediately takes on its original appearance.

The question of how to restore and repair a car bumper with your own hands is relevant for all modern motorists without exception. If you follow the instructions and tips provided in the article, you can repair damage to the bumper with minimal money and time.