DIY plastic bumper dent repair

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

It is very easy to damage the plastic bumper of a car. And the most offensive thing is that even the smallest dent spoils the appearance of the car and, at first glance, requires professional repair in a specialized auto repair shop. It is worth noting that even minor repairs to bumper dents in a car workshop can require significant financial resources. Do you think you can remove the dent on the bumper yourself?

Many car enthusiasts like to self-service their car, as well as carry out minor maintenance repairs to their vehicle. But, unfortunately, not many can boast of knowledge about how it is possible, without outside help, to eliminate not severe damage to both the front and rear bumpers.

Fortunately, there are ways to remove a dent without the help of specialists. But first you need to determine whether the bumper is subject to self-restoration. To do this, inspect the bumper for torn chips, cracks and similar defects. If the bumper is cracked and generally badly damaged, then, unfortunately, you will not be able to restore it yourself. In this case, you need to seek professional help.

If, as a result of the accident, the bumper of the car has only a small dent, then you can try to fix it. Before proceeding with the restoration, it is necessary to remove (if any) the remnants of someone else's paint or dirt from the bumper. To do this, use a variety of paint removers. For example, nail polish remover (use more carefully, because you can damage the paintwork of the car - for this, the cleaning process should be as short as possible). Also, the WD-40 cleaner can help you to remove dirt. Another old proven way to remove paint or dirt from bumpers is to use brake fluid, which, like nail polish remover, should be used as quickly as possible. Despite the precautions when removing paint, you can still slightly damage the paint coat applied to your bumper. In order to restore the shine to the damaged area, it is necessary to polish it with the help of special products that are sold in many car dealerships.

Video (click to play).

Unlike dents on iron body elements, repairing damage to the bumper is not particularly difficult. We offer you a proven method that we found on the net that will help remove a dent on the bumper.

In order to start removing the dent, you need: rubber gloves, a kettle of boiling water and a large bottle (or saucepan) of cool water.

One of the famous ways to remove dents is with a hair dryer.

To remove the dent, you must gradually start pouring the boiling water out of the kettle for damage.

Plastic is a plastic material and can easily change its shape when heated. As the hot water heats up the damaged bumper, the dent will decrease and subsequently disappear completely, and the bumper will return to its original form.

At the moment when the dent completely disappears, it is necessary to fill the place of the defect with cold water so that the plastic cools down to the ambient temperature, which will lead to fixing the geometry of the bumper.

Remember that cooling the bumper after refurbishment is essential, as if this is not done or if the damaged area is not sufficiently cooled, the dent may heal.

Unfortunately, bumper dents are different and not all defects can be repaired so easily. Bumper damage often occurs in difficult areas. For example, on a bend or on an edge of a part. In such cases, using plain boiling water may not completely remove the dent. To do this, you need to crawl with your hand on the inside of the bumper and press on the dent (you can use a wooden block if it is problematic to crawl with your hand) after or during the treatment with boiling water of a complex damaged area.

Another less quick way to remove a dent from the bumper is to use a regular heavy duty hair dryer to dry your hair. But, as a rule, this method takes much longer (more than 20 minutes) and is not always effective.

But even after removing the dent with a hair dryer, you must definitely cool the damaged area in order to fix the plastic in this position.

This way you can save several thousand rubles by using just a few liters of water to repair a dent on your car.

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In this article, I will show you how to fix a dent in your bumper. Consider several ways to heat the bumper and the correct sequence for straightening the dent.

Reverse pressure can be considered the easiest way to straighten out a dent. However, for a plastic bumper, if you reach the back or even remove it, it will be difficult to squeeze out the dent due to the toughness of the plastic. Extruding a dent on the plastic bumper is made easier by heating it up. The rules given in this article will help you straighten a deformed bumper without causing additional damage. It is not possible to restore a bumper to a new state simply by squeezing out a dent from the inside. Scratches and small creases usually remain, which require further filling, priming and painting. However, if done correctly, the bumper will look 90% better even without painting.

Wash and dry the damaged part of the bumper before repairing.
It is not always necessary to remove the bumper completely to correct the dent. You can remove the underside protection or loosen the fender liner by gaining access to the back of the dent. This will make it easier to press down on the dent from the back when the bumper is locked.
Again, if the bumper is removed, it is possible to heat the underside of the bumper. This makes heating more even.

To correct the dent, all the stresses created by the deformation must be properly removed. This can be done by heating the plastic and applying pressure correctly. When heating a dent, you also need to heat 10-15 cm around it. By doing this, you release the stress around the dent created by the impact.
For heating, you can use available means such as a hair dryer or boiling water. Other means that help to more evenly warm up the entire deformation zone at the same time are exposure to an infrared lamp (drying), as well as dipping the damaged part in a hot water bath. We will consider all these means below.
Consider the thickness of the plastic before heating the dent. On some modern cars, the plastic is very thin and can easily overheat.
If the plastic is not hot enough, the deformation will not loosen and, when straightened, will return back. On the other hand, if you overheat the plastic, it becomes much more difficult to repair it. It will stretch unnecessarily when pressed.When plastic overheats and is on the verge of melting, strength and elasticity deteriorate when cooled. Therefore, it is important to heat the bumper to the correct temperature and not overdo it.

When the desired temperature is reached, then you can begin to squeeze out the dent. For large dents and small waves, a gloved hand will work well. For sharper dents, creases, or to repair edges, a block of wood can be used. If you can't get your hand in, then use a long block with a wound rag.
The plastic cools down quickly enough, so the temperature needs to be maintained to keep it pliable.
When straightening a dent, it is best to start from the outside of the dent and work towards the deepest part of the dent. Strain stress is concentrated at the edges. Relaxing the tension will allow the deepest part of the dent to straighten out easily. If an area with stiffening ribs is deformed, then you need to press directly on these ribs.

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Sometimes a shallow bumper dent can be straightened out by heating and then applying bumps to the edges of the dent. Thus, you don't even need to squeeze the dent out from the back.

Straightening a dent sometimes requires direct, sustained pressure. In other cases, smoothing may be required. You do not need to be afraid to press with force, but if the plastic does not give in, then you need to heat this area more.
Some dents are easier to correct than others. Sometimes you need to go through several editing steps.
A hair dryer can be used to spot heat the remaining creases or pits.
Once the dent has been straightened to the desired shape, holding it on the back side, fix the result with a wet rag. It will cool the bumper and keep the shape unchanged. A rag should be applied around the dent.
Once the dent has been repaired, the bumper can be reinstalled and the remaining imperfections can be polished, or a brush can be used to touch up scratches. Deeper scratches and bumps require filling, priming and painting.

When sanding the bumper, don't be afraid to use coarse sanding paper (P80 or P60). This paper will remove paint and cut off small hills that would otherwise be difficult to remove. Puttying and sanding with a finer abrasive will help get rid of rough scratches later. You can use a gas burner to slightly smooth out the pile that forms after sanding with coarse sanding paper. You need to move the burner quickly so as not to overheat the plastic. You can read more about the technology of filling plastic bumpers in the article "Technology of filling and painting plastic bumpers".

The bumper can be safely called the most vulnerable part of the vehicle. It is he who is most often damaged as a result of accidents and other incidents. Therefore, the repair and straightening of dents on the front or rear bumper is a rather relevant service in auto repair shops. However, resorting to their help is not always rational. If you have the necessary equipment, space and desire, repairing a car bumper at home is an absolutely feasible task.

If you have a plastic bumper installed on your car that needs repair, it’s not a problem.As practice shows, fixing a front or rear plastic bumper is always cheaper than their metal counterparts, and it takes about the same amount of time.

However, due to the fact that plastic is a more sensitive material in comparison with iron, maximum attention and care must be taken when repairing plastic bumpers.

Especially if you are not very happy about the prospect of re-painting the part or the entire car after pulling out the dent.

Do-it-yourself car bumper straightening

To properly repair a plastic bumper without painting, you need the following tools or materials:

hair dryer... It is very important that it delivers the required power, therefore it is best to give preference to industrial models;
boiling water... It can be used together with a hairdryer or instead of it (or you may not use it if you have a hairdryer). To make repairs without painting, you will need from one to several liters - it all depends on the size, depth and complexity of the dent to be repaired;
straight metal object with a blunt end... It can be the most common screwdriver or similar tool;
gloves... The most common ones will do. Their task is to protect the hands of the master from accidental hits of boiling water or hot air;
can of compressed air.

To properly repair a dent on the front or rear plastic bumper without painting, you must proceed according to the following algorithm:

Dismantle part. Typically, both front and rear bumpers can be removed easily. This will help you a lot when working, because most likely you will need to approach both the outside and the inside of the part.

Thoroughly wash and dry the part to be repaired. The entire damaged surface must be clean and dry on both sides. The bumper must be free of any traces of dirt, mildew or rust.

Gradually heat the deformed part of the plastic bumper with a hair dryer or pour boiling water over it. In this case, the heating of the entire area should be carried out as evenly as possible. It should be remembered that in no case should the plastic be brought to such a state in which it will begin to melt. Otherwise, bumper repair without subsequent painting will be simply impossible.

It should be borne in mind that the heated plastic is very malleable, and therefore in no case should you press hard on only one part of the dent - all of it should be pulled out evenly.If the dent is formed where the edge of the bumper passes, then first you need to align it. After that, it will be easier for you to restore the rest of it. In some cases, under the influence of temperature, the plastic itself will begin to return to its place. In such a situation, you do not even need to use a screwdriver or a similar object - it will only be enough to evenly heat it and make sure that it does not start to melt. The ability or inability of a plastic to return to its place on its own depends on its type and structure. Image - DIY plastic bumper dent repair

DIY bumper repair

After the bumper repair has been completed and the dent has been fully extended, it is best to cool the deformation area with a can of compressed air or just a wet rag. The thing is that some types of plastic bumpers have shape memory. And if the repair is carried out several weeks or even months after the damage was received, then during this time the plastic bumper could “remember” the new shape, and in 5-10 minutes after the repair the dent will start to appear again. Using a wet rag or compressed air will secure the material in its new position.
After the part has completely cooled down, it can be installed in its original place.

If you did everything correctly, you can assume that removing the dent of the plastic bumper without painting was successful.

Bumpers of modern cars are made mainly of plastic, they are damaged in a minor accident and collision is not an obstacle.

As you know, there are front and rear bumpers, and the front bumper (PB) is damaged much more often than the rear (ZB). PB needs repair if:

the paintwork is damaged;
scratches appear on the plastic element;
bumper cracks have formed as a result of a collision with an obstacle or a minor accident.

If the impact to the front or rear of the car is severe, the bumper is most likely beyond repair. But in specialized car services, they often undertake the repair of a badly broken plastic bumper. The whole question is whether the restoration is worth the money, in some cases it is easier and cheaper to buy a new part.

The cost of repairing a PB or ST can be different, it depends on the level of the car service, the degree of damage to the part, the complexity of restoration. For example, in Moscow, the restoration of a bumper can cost from 2,500 rubles, and painting of one element will also cost from 5,000 rubles. There are auto repair shops that promise to repair the bumper from 500 rubles, to carry out repairs within one or two hours. Advertising is not worth it, most likely, car owners are deceived, or the repairs are performed here of poor quality.

Repair of a front or rear bumper can be of varying complexity, there are main types of work that are carried out with body elements:

sealing cracks;
restoration of plastic fragments;
repair of dents;
preparation for painting (cleaning, sanding);
primer;
painting;
restoration, repair of fasteners.

Restoring a plastic bumper requires care and accuracy, sufficient experience, and only a qualified master can do the job with high quality.

Repair of the PB becomes profitable if the bumper itself is rare, installed on an expensive car, on which the car owner does not want to install a cheap “non-original”. There are also tuning bumpers - they are expensive, and the industry does not produce non-original spare parts of this kind.

If the car is budgetary, and the owner of the car is "with hands", you can try to repair the PB yourself. Much depends on the degree of damage; you can also restore a slightly damaged body part with your own hands. Repair of the front bumper (with a crack) is carried out with the removal of the body part from the car, and to seal the crack, you need to connect the edges of the damaged area - make a reliable lock.

There are special repair kits on sale, for example, from 3M. The FPRM kit includes:

two components of epoxy material (glue);
reinforcing mesh;
special tape.

We prepare the bumper for gluing as follows:

the damaged area to be repaired is thoroughly washed with soapy water, we give time to the plastic to dry thoroughly;
we grind the repaired area, remove the paintwork from it. We clean the paint so that adhesive tape can be glued to the area freed from it;
we grind the edges of the crack at an angle of 45 degrees, they should be in the form of wedges. We process the surface first from the inside, and then from the outside, for this we use a grinder with a cleaning disc;
we clean the treated surface with the composition 3M 08985, wait for the complete evaporation of the degreaser;
we glue the scotch tape on the outside of the glued area;
from the inside, we fix the reinforcing mesh;
mix the epoxy components in a one-to-one ratio;
apply the prepared composition on the reinforcing mesh, with a spatula, push it inward, it must close the crack;
heat the crack with infrared drying (6-8 minutes).If there is no special drying device, let the glue dry at room temperature for about 30 minutes;
remove the tape, degrease, process the front part with an adhesion activator;
we prepare the composition for the front side;
apply glue on the outside of the crack;

let the parts dry again;
we process the dried surface with abrasive wheels, first with a coarser abrasive (180), then with fine "sandpaper" (240, at the end of processing - 400);
blow through the repaired area with compressed air, clean it with a compound from the set 3M 08985, wipe it with a dry cloth. The bumper is now ready for painting.

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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 grind 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 produced.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: ">

Image - DIY repair of plastic bumper dents

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.

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 it 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.