DIY car bumper repair

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. Nevertheless, 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, appropriate 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.

The most dangerous time of the year for plastic body parts is winter.After all, slippery areas do not leave enough room for maneuvers and sometimes you have to ram drifts or something harder. In this case, the first affected area of ​​the vehicle is the plastic bumper.

You shouldn't run to the nearest auto shop and buy a new expensive part. You can do bumper repairs with your own hands in your personal garage. The result will be decent, and the savings can be spent on something more enjoyable.

There are three unspoken classifications of damage to bumpers:

1. A network of scratches. The option is considered the easiest, since it requires the least amount of time and other resources. Often the work consists in sanding the damaged surface, treating it with a specialized spray to improve the adhesion properties, and then applying the paint layer.
2. Chips, dents and cracks. Alignment is carried out using liquid plastic. Irregularities can also be tidied up with a putty. To eliminate such defects, an additional tool will be needed.
3. Split bumper. This problem is solved on an individual basis. Repair of a car bumper in case of splits is carried out based on the degree of damage to the product.

Before starting work, you will need to stock up on the necessary tools.

It is unlikely that you can do without such a minimal list:

• soldering iron 40-60 W;
• tweezers with long thin legs;
• medium power construction hair dryer;
• orbital sander;
• coarse and fine-grained grinding wheels;
• Consumables.

For high-quality processing of a broken or damaged bumper, it is advisable to carry out repairs on the removed product.

Dismantling does not take much time, but it will save it during work. This relieves unnecessary stress in cracks at the attachment points to the car body.

It is advisable to wash the removed bumper from dirt and let it dry for further work. Further, the breakaway parts can be attached with adhesive tape by sticking the tape on the outside of the bumper. After that, you can heat up the soldering iron and start repairing the plastic bumper with your own hands.

The soldering of the fragments is carried out from the inside of the bumper. It is not visible from the outside, so you can conduct training on pairing elements. Significant flaws will be hidden from outsiders. During work from the back, you can feel the material, its reaction to a heated soldering iron and behavior in a softened state.

It is desirable to work smoothly, without a long delay in one place and abrupt transitions between the sections to be sealed. A perfect seam looks even, and the material does not deform in other areas that are not damaged.

In order for the soldering to stand for a long time without deformation, it is advisable to secure the additionally sealed cleavage line with metal staples using a furniture stapler.

The legs of the brackets must be selected so that they do not protrude from the back of the bumper when reinforcing.

To avoid burns, you must use tweezers.

The staples should be installed at a distance of up to 2 cm. All emerging cracks should be soldered. This will prevent new splits from occurring in the place of kinks during driving and vibration.

The staples must be closed against further corrosion. To do this, you will need to pull off a little plastic from adjacent areas and completely cover the metal parts. After carrying out such preliminary work, the form should return to its previous state.

We put a circle with P240 grain marking on the grinder. With its help we clean paint, varnish, irregularities and roughness. After that, we carry out soldering on the front side of the bumper, but only without using reinforcing brackets. We seal the cracks and cavities with too much plastic.

After cooling all surfaces with a grinder, we grind the seam.You should not seek to remove all the scuffs; it is enough to prepare the surface in a rough version, removing as much as possible irregularities and smoothing the protrusions. The soldering iron can penetrate deeply into the body of the bumper, you do not need to get carried away and reduce the thickness too much, since you need to repair the bumper carefully, leaving it with the maximum possible strength characteristics.

Sanding will electrify the surface of the bumper. After that, dust particles, villi and other small debris stick to it. You can get rid of this with compressed air. You can also wipe the surface with a clean cloth.

Working with an industrial hairdryer, leveling the surface, you need to know that from significant overheating, plastic can leak, the fibers will lose their original shape. Having finished with the alignment, you need to remove the caverns by treating the surface with a special putty on plastic.

The material is applied only to level out the formed pits, and the excess part must be wiped off. Having given time to the putty to polymerize, having received a solid material, we process the surface again with a grinder.

After finishing, all dust must be removed from the surface. Now you can apply the primer to the plastic. We dilute the mixture, guided by the recommendations from the instructions for use. Apply two layers in order of 15 minutes. Apply a layer of development from a spray can on the treated area.

This procedure is necessary to indicate pits, protrusions and other irregularities for grinding. After grinding, the development on the convex places will be removed, and in the depressions it will remain. At this stage, a nitro putty will help to get a flat surface. It is applied to cleaned and primed surfaces.

When the nitro putty hardening process is over, the surface is polished.

Now, for better adhesion of the enamel, a base coat can be applied. It binds plastic and paint at the molecular level.

After the base, you can enamel at least two layers, allowing the previous one to dry.

Then varnish is applied. The dried product can be neatly mounted on the vehicle. Only professionals will be able to notice traces of repair after such processing, and then only after a thorough examination.

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 - it is used for parts produced by the cold forming method. 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 in 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 badly 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 just need to heat the deformed part of the bumper. The concave part of the plastic must be heated with a previously prepared heat 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.

Having broken a plastic bumper on a VAZ car, the owner can relatively inexpensively purchase and install a new one, painted in a suitable color. Owners of foreign cars are not so lucky, plastic body kits for their cars are much more expensive. The way out is to repair the damaged part by repairing the crack with your own hands in order to save money. It is useful to know about the methods of restoring broken plastic to the owners of Russian cars, not to buy a new element because of small cracks.

Depending on the amount of damage and the type of plastic, the following methods of cracked bumpers are practiced:

• cosmetic bonding with acetone and donor plastic;
• gluing with modern chemical compounds;
• mount on epoxy resin using fiberglass reinforcing mesh;
• sealing the crack with a soldering iron reinforced with a metal mesh;
• welding with a hot air gun and a plastic rod.

Reference. There is one simple method used by car enthusiasts who are not overly concerned about the look of the car. This is the connection of the edges of the crack with wire or staples from a stapler. This is a simple matter, which means that there is no point in considering this technology, everything is clear.

The use of acetone for bonding, which can dissolve many types of plastics, is a temporary measure used for small cracks that have appeared in the middle of the body kit.Its essence is as follows:

1. Pieces of plastic, similar in composition to the bumper material, are selected and dissolved in acetone to a thick consistency.
2. On the back of the bumper, the crack is degreased and also treated with acetone in order to soften the surface.
3. Liquefied plastic is applied to the damage from the reverse side, after which it hardens for several hours. Outside, the defect can be tinted with a corrector tube.

Any single cracks in most plastics can be sealed using thick two-component compounds sold in two tubes. The exception is fiberglass body kits, they are glued together with epoxy resin, and in case of serious damage, reinforcement with fiberglass mesh is used.

With numerous large cracks, breaks and holes in the bumper, bonding methods become ineffective. In such cases, soldering or welding with a hot air gun using a donor polymer material is practiced. After such repairs, the place of the defect is thoroughly cleaned and painted in the color of the car. Finally, a full bumper polish should be done so that the painted area does not stand out against the background of the old coating.

Advice. If you got into an accident or collided with a fixed obstacle and broke the body kit, try to collect all but the smallest pieces that have flown off. This will allow you to use "native" plastic for repairs and not look for something similar.

The preparatory process differs little for various methods of gluing and welding polymer parts, so it should be considered separately. The first question is whether it is really necessary to remove the bumper in order to make repairs. In most cases, dismantling is indispensable, since the plastic must be sealed on both sides. The exception is broken body kits, cracked in many places. They must first be stitched together and then removed. Otherwise, after repair, the part may lose its shape, which is why the attachment points will not converge, and the gaps with adjacent elements will increase.

Reference. Often, the body of the bumper comes off at the attachment points and small pieces of plastic remain on the screws. Before dismantling, such a part is securely welded to the torn mount and only then removed.

To prepare a damaged body kit for repair, you need the following tools and materials:

• a set of keys and screwdrivers for removing the element;
• electric grinder;
• sandpaper of various grain sizes - from P180 to P320;
• degreasing liquid - organic solvent or white spirit;
• rags.

Note. With the help of a grinding machine, you can perform cleaning better and much faster than by hand. This and other power tools that are needed for painting and polishing can be rented for 2-3 days.

Regardless of whether work is being carried out directly on the car or with the bumper removed, it must be thoroughly washed and dried. Then, with a coarse sandpaper, you need to peel off the paint with an indent of 3-5 cm from the crack in each direction and sand the area with fine sandpaper. Whichever method of repair you choose, the paint must be removed to the base, otherwise it will interfere with the adhesion of the adhesive or the fusion of polymers during welding. At the end, the area should be degreased.

Advice. The quality of the body kit repair depends on the conditions in which it is made. It is more convenient to repair damage in a garage equipped with a viewing ditch for easy removal of a part and soldering of loose fasteners in place.

To implement this method, you need to purchase the following bumper repair kit from the 3M brand:

• 2 FPRM components for the preparation of liquid polymer in tubes of 150 ml (price - about 2500 rubles);
• special hard tape;
• self-adhesive reinforcing mesh made of fiberglass (otherwise - glass canvas) 48 mm wide;
• an adhesion initiator in an aerosol can;
• 2 spatulas - wide and narrow;
• stationery knife;
• gloves, goggles.

Reference.Similar kits are offered by other manufacturers, but the 3M brand is the most famous and proven in practice.

Liquid resin bonding is suitable for most plastics and can be done either with the body kit removed or on the vehicle. True, the second option is rather inconvenient, plus you will need good lighting in the inspection pit. To cut the crack, you will need an electric drill (not a grinder!) With a mandrel for abrasive wheels. The repair consists of the following technological operations:

Using a low speed drill and an abrasive wheel, chamfer approximately 30 ° around the edges of the crack on both sides. In cross-section, it looks something like this: "> Before painting, unevenness must be putty

Important! After mixing the components, the composition must be used within 6 minutes, which is quite enough for applying to the damage on one side. A curing time of 30 minutes is correct for a room temperature of 21-23 ° C, therefore, when working in a cold room, it is imperative to arrange local heating of the bumper (for example, with an infrared heater).

If irregularities are noticeable on the front side of the element, then before painting, apply a little putty intended for plastic on the drops. After drying, clean it with P1500 sandpaper, degrease and paint with a spray gun, after applying a layer of primer. After 1 day, polish the surface of the body kit.