DIY plastic car protection repair

In detail: do-it-yourself repair of plastic car protection from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

Today, the repair of plastic car parts can be called quite relevant.

A material such as plastic is more brittle than the metal used in the car body. It depends on its mechanical and physicochemical properties. As a result, it is the plastic parts that are most often damaged in an emergency. But, at the same time, it is not always necessary to replace the damaged part with a new element. A small crack or abrasion can be eliminated using the original repair technology, which will save financial resources.

This article will describe one of the technologies with which you can do plastic repair yourself. Currently, several technologies are used that make it possible to perform high-quality repairs of this kind of damage. In many ways, they are similar, the difference is only in the materials that are used, as well as in individual nuances. Everyone can master them, you just need to show a little patience and desire.

It has a crack at the bottom. Before proceeding with its elimination, you will need to securely fasten the edges of the damage to the lock. For its manufacture, it will be necessary to use a repair compound, in this case, from the manufacturer 3M. A set will be used, the main specialization of which is precisely the use as a repair material for restoring damage to plastics. The set also includes a reinforcing mesh and special tape.

For the lock to be created correctly, the edges of the crack must be carefully grinded, at approximately a 45 degree angle. In profile, the crack should be two sharpened pencils. On both sides, both from the outside and from the inside of the part, the width of the bevels can reach 1.5-2 cm. To correctly create the fangs, it is recommended to first create a wedge from the inside, after which you can do the same outside.

Video (click to play).

In this case, it is possible to prevent possible problems and prevent its outer part from collapsing, which is quite realistic when performing actions in the reverse order. In the work, you can use a special cleaning disc or, if it is not available, an abrasive with a gradation of 40 is suitable.

Like any car, my Pound is not ideal in places, and not only thanks to our Russian directions (read as “roads” 🙂), but also to caring owners and qualified specialists. So, back in the spring I removed the plastic engine protection - a piece was torn out and bent in front. I don’t know, thanks to the diligent efforts of the previous owners (obviously there were fans to park before the characteristic blow), or at the service station by a hardworking master, eager to quickly and efficiently change the oil filter, but the fact is on the face. This did not particularly interfere with life, but in winter it began to be pretty annoying in a snowdrift, and I don’t think Pound is nice to ride with a torn piece =)
So I drove all summer, my hands did not reach, but it turned out to be a free evening - a soldering iron in hand and forward))

But the main trouble was that over the years the plastic had already taken a bent position and did not want to straighten out in any way. I corrected it, adjusted it - to no avail. A record spun in my head and I remembered it =))

Well, he carried the protection to warm over the stove. As he left, so he came back - the easy way, for some reason, comes to mind last)

It would have been possible to fill the soldering with some glue or resin, but I tried to break the soldering point with my hands, bent it differently - everything survived.So I didn't bother.
The installation process is similar to the removal process.

When I was finalizing the plastic protection of the arches, cCitrus expressed concern that my large wheels would rub against the engine protection. So - everything is fine =)

Well, you could, of course, buy this part for 500 rubles on parsing and not bathe - but it's not so interesting)

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:

Pieces of plastic, similar in composition to the bumper material, are selected and dissolved in acetone to a thick consistency.
On the back of the bumper, the crack is degreased and also treated with acetone in order to soften the surface.
Liquefied plastic is applied to the damage from the reverse side, and then 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:

Image - DIY plastic car protection repair

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.

The technology is used to repair damage to body kits made of fiberglass, since the previous method will not work in this case. What is required for work:

fiberglass for bumper repair;
polyester (epoxy) resin complete with hardener;
soft brush;
utility knife or scissors;
latex gloves.

Advice. If a bulge or a depression has formed at the place of impact, then immediately after stripping, level it using a construction hair dryer to heat it.

Since fiberglass patches will have to be applied on both sides of the damaged area, it is better to dismantle the bumper from the car.After completing all the preparatory work, including stripping paint and degreasing, proceed in the following sequence:

Using a sander with coarse sandpaper (P80-P120), make a depression in the bumper body from the front side, covering a radius of 3-5 cm from the crack. This is necessary so that the fiberglass overlay does not ultimately protrude beyond the plane of the part.
On the back, sand with a coarse sandpaper, but without a depression. Degrease the area and let dry.
Cut out the fiberglass patches. On the front part, you need to make a neat patch, repeating the shape of the recess, and from the rear you can glue a rectangular overlay.
Mix resin and hardener in the proportions indicated on the package. Apply the composition with a brush to the surface, apply a patch (you can in several layers) and saturate it with resin.
Accurately observe the time specified for the curing of the epoxy compound (written on the container with the resin), then carefully clean the repair area with a fine sandpaper. The task is to level the surface by removing the protrusions.

Note. Initially, coarse sandpaper is used in order to create a roughness on the surface of the plastic, which contributes to better adhesion of the polyester adhesive.

This completes the work on the repair of the plastic itself, then cleaning, priming and painting are performed using standard technology. The last operation is bumper polishing, it is necessary to give the element a uniform shine.

Numerous cracks, breaks and torn off bumper elements are repaired using thermal methods, in particular, soldering. This painstaking work requires a small set of tools and materials:

a soldering iron with a power of at least 100 W with a wide sting and a wooden handle;

thin metal mesh specially designed for thermal bonding of plastic parts;

knife, nippers for processing broken off segments;

screw clamp;

fine and coarse sandpaper for cleaning seams.

Note. Soldering of serious defects can take hours. During this time, the plastic handle of the soldering iron will warm up so much that it will become difficult to hold the tool with your hand.In the process of preparing for soldering, the paint must be removed to the base not only from cracks, but also from torn pieces of the bumper. Moreover, in this case, the body kit is not removed from the car until all the gaps are fastened and fixed by soldering, otherwise the element will lose its exact shape.Soldering technology is implemented in the following sequence:Important! When soldering the edges of the plastic, you need to hold it motionless and give time to solidify. If you release the part ahead of time, the seam will come apart.At the end of the soldering procedure, sand the surface of the element, then degrease and paint in the desired color. During further operation, be more careful, because from a strong impact, the bumper can fly to pieces, breaking in the same places. To hold it together more firmly, it is worth using another method - welding with donor plastic.

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 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:

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.
The end of the mesh is covered with melted plastic.
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.

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Over time, cracks formed at the points of attachment of the protective tube of the crankcase on the plastic of the boot.
Although the plastic itself is very soft, it does not tan in winter, nevertheless on many cars it is in this place that it bursts from road conditions.

The plastic material itself is low-pressure polyethylene (HDPE) with a plasticizer. There are no adhesives to which it lends itself, but it can be easily melted and after cooling it does not lose flexibility if it is not overheated.
As an additive donor, the material of canisters from under the original oil perfectly matched, the texture is absolutely identical.

I cut the canister into narrow strips, took off the protective boot, washed it, dried it.
No reinforcing steel mesh was fused into the patches in order to maintain flexibility. Although you can try to melt the fiberglass mesh-serpyanka for sealing joints on drywall. Who will repeat can experiment.

He melted the base and the additive with a simple soldering iron, then heated the place with the flame of a lighter.
Everything is done almost on the knee, because I really didn't want to install the removed boot with ugly cracks after the procedure for replacing the hinged belts.

New types of plastics are increasingly being used in the construction of modern cars. Not only elements of the interior furnishings are made of such materials, but also some parts of the car body - first of all, we are talking about the plastic protection of the body itself, as well as the engine of the car.

Repairing plastic protection differs from similar work with metal parts. Plastic, unlike metal, does not rust, but at the same time, it is a more fragile material. To fix its defects, special tools and technologies are required.

If you know how to repair one plastic part, you can repair any part from this material. Not just patching up a pothole, but hiding the smallest traces of it takes a certain amount of patience. The contour of cracks is carefully cleaned, the existing roughness is removed with a grinder.

The repair of the plastic protection takes place with precautions - the existing cracks are drilled at the ends so as to prevent their further spread over the surface of the part.

A special composite material is used as a crack or pothole filler. After application, the composite dries quickly enough, and then its surface is cleaned, polished and prepared for painting.

It doesn't really matter how badly your bumper has been damaged. We will restore its appearance and functionality anyway. In case of significant defects, more holes will have to be drilled in the plastic protection, and the potholes will have to be sealed with composite material in several layers. It will take a little longer, but the result will be excellent anyway.

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We welded the crack with a suitable "noodle".

There are also thermosetting plastics on the machine. They don't melt. In doubtful cases, it is worth checking this by heating some irresponsible place with a soldering iron. If the material is charred, destroyed, then we will forget about welding. We need to look for other solutions. For example, radiator tanks are best replaced. Reliability is most important here.
Diffusers of modern headlights can be made of various materials, but from which ones, it is not even worthwhile to find out. A welded crack creates a risk of dazzling oncoming drivers, and subsequently picks up dirt. The only sensible approach is to replace the glass with a new one.
To work, you need a certain arsenal. Take a look at the photo on the left: there is a soldering iron, a hot air gun, a glue gun with a melting rod, and a miniature gas torch. (When repairing hastily, many happened to use a screwdriver or other piece of iron heated over a kerosene stove or a fire instead of a soldering iron. How long? Yes. But quite real.)

We weld ABS sheets with a hot air gun with a special nozzle.

Nearby - some materials, including various types of "noodles" from PP, PE and other plastics, and in addition, a binding (reinforcing) mesh, which is popular with repairmen. All this is sold in hardware stores. Just watch the markings.
The workplace must be properly organized. Sitting on a hot soldering iron or hair dryer is rather unpleasant. A simple soldering iron, without power regulation, quickly charring plastics - the temperature of the tip is too high, carbon deposits build up on it. To make the seam stronger, we are not lazy to clean the tool with a file or sandpaper.
One more warning. With strong heating, plastics "gas": in an unventilated room you should never work. Sometimes the most reckless smokers also got to the doctors.

The burner works cleanly, against this background, the flame is invisible.

There are several technological methods - depending on what to cook. If there is a crack in a thin-walled tank, then immediately bring a stream of a powerful hair dryer to it - the same as frying eggs in a blast furnace. The material will instantly "stretch" - and you get a big hole, which will be more difficult to defeat. Therefore, it is better to first practice on an unnecessary plastic canister or something similar. We start with low-power tools - a soldering iron, a small burner. First of all, we put a strip of mesh on the crack, then carefully, slowly, we melt it into the wall, reliably closing the crack. And on top of the mesh, we gradually lay a layer of suitable "noodles" or weld on a ready-made strip of the required width, cut from the mentioned jar. Whether the "pie" is cooked or not will be seen immediately.
Different grids can be used.For example, fine-mesh from some filters, perforated sheet metal (if necessary, it is not difficult to cut through and independently), etc. Sometimes glass cloth is used - necessarily thinned out and calcined with a hairdryer so that the paraffin evaporates. Often garage craftsmen cover the crack with a wire “snake”: the result is no worse. When repairing important, but miniature parts, they sometimes use sheared copper wires or pieces of glass fiber. In short, there is a wide scope for creativity!

Preparing for the repair of a cracked headlamp eyelet.

For the sake of experiment, we, using a hair dryer with a special attachment, welded two pieces of sheet ABS 5 mm thick. Naturally, we used "noodles" from the same material. Externally, the process is very similar to welding two sheets of steel.
Let's call the next experiment “The cost of error”: in seconds (!), Having made a large hole in the tank with a hot air gun, blocked it with a mesh bridge, and then for a long time, methodically, “noodles” were fused with a soldering iron and a torch (both are good). The result is quite decent. But they lost at least a quarter of an hour.
By the way, we also checked some of the capabilities of the glue gun. An essential detail: the "glue" charged into it is also a thermoplastic, but if you just put it on the cold wall of the PP tank, it certainly won't weld to it. And ordinary adhesion is weak, PP is not a piece of wood, cardboard or pure metal! If we apply "glue" to the surface, which we simultaneously melt with a torch, the joint can be called welded.

To top it off, they repaired, as taught, a headlight found in a warehouse with a cracked eyelet. We added a grid. Heated it with a soldering iron - melted it into plastic. Then we "drilled" a hole in the mesh for the fastening screw. And that's it! The unit is ready for operation.
Note that many readers who are far from the service are fluent in such technologies. The modest but sufficient arsenal of one of them, Mikhail Rubtsov, is shown in the last photo. In short, friends, work creatively!

The arsenal of our reader: everything is like that of people!

Victor Slesarev
Behind the wheel

One day I noticed that something was dangling under the car. It feels like a piece of iron has fallen off the mount and wants to fall off. On closer inspection, I discovered that the plastic engine protection had cracked. Upon arrival at the dacha, I decided to fix this matter with improvised means.

This is how the part looks after removing it from the machine (four screws on each side under the "star" type head. It is not necessary to hang the car - you can crawl like this. Damage is visible on the left (in the direction of travel - on the right).

After a short consultation with an experienced tanker driver (who transports oil), it was decided to fix the damage with glue. But he was not found at the dacha. After the second meeting of thinkers, the idea came up to staple the two parts together with a stapler. Tests have shown that the Chinese stapler gives in to the thickness of the German plastic.

Video (click to play).

I remembered that some fasten the bumper with homemade wire staples. No sooner said than done. There were more holes than necessary - well, okay. Holes are best done with a drill or awl. No need for a nail and a hammer, it will crack in another place.

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