In detail: do-it-yourself repair of bumper dents from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.
"Minor" accidents are a kind of mass scourge, when something or something is hurt, hushed up, it seems as if it is not critical - on trifles, but unpleasant. As a result, if the damage in an accident is not significant, and as we understood the majority of such accidents, then the bumper suffers first. It doesn't matter if it is front or rear bumper. It is more important for us now that the bumper is made of plastic. Since if the bumper is plastic and bent, crumpled, changed its shape, then this is fixable ...
It is about this scenario, when the bumper was jammed in a minor accident and the process of its restoration, and we will talk in our article.
Before we start talking about how to restore the shape of plastic, we will tell you a little about the fact that almost all materials have some kind of "memory" of the original shape. Of course, the word memory is used here in a somewhat unusual context. It means that if a material has changed its shape under the influence of external forces, it means with a high degree of probability that it can be returned to its original forms if favorable conditions are created for the possibility of restoration. Well, if we put it too complicated or incomprehensible, then it is better to see once than read a hundred times. Let's just consider such an example, when the front plastic bumper was jammed in an accident, and then straightened with the help of improvised means.
So, in our case, we have a damaged, namely, jammed left corner of the front bumper. At the same time, it is important to note that it remained without cracks and gusts. If in your case there are similar damages (breaks, etc.), then it is better to turn to another article "Do-it-yourself plastic bumper repair". The integrity of the bumper surface will be a kind of guarantee that the bumper can still be straightened.
As we know, plastic is a plastic material, especially when exposed to temperature. So, in order to provoke this plasticity, it is necessary to warm up the plastic. There are many ways to heat plastic. You can use a hair dryer, or heat water in a kettle or saucepan on the stove. It was in this way that we used it in our case.
Pour the plastic with heated water up to about 90-95 degrees in the place where we need to deform it. We water the plastic until we warm it up. As we already said, plastic can be heated with a hairdryer. Here you need to be more careful, as you can locally overheat the plastic, while it can stretch, or the paint will bubble, peel off. The water will heat up more evenly and faster.
Video (click to play).
In most cases, the plastic will restore its original appearance, at least as close to it as possible.
He'll just be pliable and straighten out.
So, this option for restoring the bumper, if there were no sharp breaks, gusts, will be quite possible and even a desirable coincidence. What we wanted to tell in our article. Let's say more. This option can practically negate all the costs associated with repairing the bumper, thereby saving you money, time and nerves.
One of the most common situations, especially in the winter season, is the appearance of dents on the bumper of the car. They arise in the process of "collision" with snowdrifts. Even a small amount of such interaction can result in a decent amount that will have to be paid in a car service for its restoration. But straightening the plastic bumper is easy with your own hands. You need to purchase the necessary tools and familiarize yourself with the stages of the work.
Removing the bumper dent is done using the following tools:
electric kettle;
small magnet;
construction hair dryer;
thermometer.
In addition to the tools, you should prepare a place where the bumper will be straightened with your own hands. It is advisable to carry out work in a garage or box, where the temperature is maintained at 20-30 ° C.
Before you straighten a bumper, you need to know exactly what it is made of.
If the bumper material cannot be heated, then it will be problematic to squeeze out the defect with your own hands, and in this case it is better to seek help from a body repair professional.
For example, you should not heat the existing welded seam on the bumper, and it is also unacceptable to expose the fiberglass part to heat.
To remove the dent, you must first dismantle the bumper and slightly warm up the surface with a construction hairdryer. At the same time, the water in the kettle heats up to a temperature of 40 degrees. Heated water is poured over not only the defect itself, but also the area with a radius of 20 cm around it. After that, you need to reheat the water to a temperature of 50 degrees and repeat the procedure.
Do-it-yourself bumper dent removal should be started right away to prevent the water from drying out. The magnet must be brought to the surface and moved in different directions. Moreover, even if the bumper is plastic, it will magnetise, since the paint applied to it contains a large amount of metal particles.
From the inside, we gently press the dent with our own hands in order to straighten it to its previous position. This helps the magnet and at the same time distributes the force over the entire surface of the bumper. To remove a dent, you do not need to press too hard with your own hands, as you can damage the coating.
After the restoration is completely completed, you should not immediately remove your hands. Hold the straightened surface for a few minutes to secure the new shape.
But this is not the end of the restoration work. To completely remove the dent with your own hands, you need to reheat the water to a temperature of 35 degrees and pour it over the bumper. This procedure is carried out several times, and each time the temperature drops by 8 degrees. When the water temperature is 15 degrees, the bumper is left to dry in a cool and dry place. Here it must lie for 48 hours, after which it can be reinstalled in its place.
It happens that deeper dents appear on the bumper than those that remain after contact with snowdrifts. The reasons for their occurrence can be different, from children playing with a ball, to road accidents. To even out such a dent, it is not at all necessary to contact a specialist. All work can be done by hand.
There is an effective and uncomplicated method. To straighten the dent, you will need a powerful hairdryer, which heats up the area around the damage for a couple of minutes. Next, a heated dent is sprayed with a can of compressed air until traces of frost from the liquefied air appear.After that, you should wait for the frost to disappear and observe the self-straightening of the surface. It remains only to wipe the dent until it forms a natural shine.
So, you can always fix the dent on the bumper with your own hands, which will save significant money.
VIDEO 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.
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.
VIDEO 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.
VIDEO This way you can save several thousand rubles by using just a few liters of water to repair a dent on your car.
The bumper is a decorative part of the car, which gives its silhouette a peculiar completeness. However, in addition to its beautiful appearance, it also performs a protective function. Although the strength of a plastic bumper is not high, it can save the driver's life in a collision by softening the impact, and with a successful combination of circumstances, the car will not get even a scratch.
There are many ways to damage the bumper. Reckless driving, collision with an obstacle or another vehicle - after all this, restoration of the bumper is required. If he is not “killed” and still needs to be restored, then the question arises before the car enthusiast - to carry out repairs on the bumper with his own hands or to give it to a car dealership.
Despite the professionalism of specialists in car dealerships, bumpers are most often repaired carelessly. For restoration you will have to pay an impressive amount. However, contrary to expectations, repairing and painting a bumper with your own hands is quite simple, and the cost of paint and materials will allow you to save money on visiting a car dealership. In addition, this way you can control the quality of the repair yourself.
coarse and fine-grained sandpaper;
primer for plastic;
car paint;
varnish for coating.
As a rule, all this is already available in the workshop of an avid car enthusiast.
The first step is to sand the scratch area. what is coarse sandpaper used for. It is worth paying special attention to this, so as not to aggravate the problem - if you overdo it, you can deepen the site, while for a successful repair it must be absolutely smooth. Next, we take a primer in our hands, it is also a primer for plastic, and carefully process the scratch itself in two layers. Between applying the first and second coats, and before continuing to repair scratches on the bumper, it should take from half an hour to forty minutes.
Then there are cosmetic procedures. The primed area is sanded with fine-grained sandpaper, dust and accumulated debris are removed and the paint is applied. Three or four layers are enough to completely hide the scratch, but you should be extremely careful.
The final touch is to apply the varnish in several coats to secure the paint. After such a thorough repair, your car will be ready for use in exactly one day.
Front bumper repairs also often involve flattening out dents. To do this, you do not even need special tools - just have a kettle on hand in which you can boil water, as well as a tool for removing debris and foreign paint. Usually acetone is used for this.
To correctly assess the extent of the damage, we take our acetone and gently wipe the dent, removing debris, as well as particles of someone else's paint,if the dent is caused by a collision with another vehicle. The second stage of leveling the dent is obscenely simple - you just need to pour boiling water over it until the damage disappears. Plastic is a soft material with a low melting point, so it will easily return to its original shape when exposed to hot water. It is necessary to fix the result with cold water, thanks to which the bumper will again become strong and solid.
The repair of the rear bumper, as well as the front one, may become more complicated if the dent has formed in a difficult area. A special building hair dryer will help you here - it will help soften the plastic even better than boiling water.
First of all, you need to purchase yourself a special repair kit, which includes:
fiberglass - one and a half to two meters long fabric is enough even for the largest cracks;
hardener;
sandpaper;
epoxy resin;
putty for plastic.
Do-it-yourself fiberglass bumper repair primarily depends on the quality and brand of the fiberglass itself. Recognized leaders in the car market are Belarusian as well as Polish options that will not only help you fix all damage, but also strengthen the bumper after repair, preventing further cracks from appearing.
Do-it-yourself bumper repair begins with filling the crack with fiberglass. Having determined the edges of the gap, it is necessary to connect them and fasten them with material, for greater strength and reliability, applying it in several layers. Then, using fine-grained sandpaper, it is necessary to sand the entire surface, paying special attention to the joints. This will prevent a repeated rupture in the same place.
A putty is applied to the sanded area with a special additive that strengthens the material after drying. Next, it must be processed and sanded, and then covered with paint.
As you can see, repairing a plastic bumper with your own hands, a video of which can be easily found on the Internet, is a simple procedure even for a person who does not have professional skills. Do-it-yourself repairs will allow you to feel the result of your work, as well as save a large amount that you would have spent on visiting a car service or buying a new bumper.
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.
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.
VIDEO
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.
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.
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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.
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 suffers most often while the car is moving, since it is damaged first when it hits an obstacle and an accident. That is why every car owner should know how to fix a dent on a bumper. Otherwise, he will have to completely change this expensive part, spending additional money and physical strength on it.
In addition, car repair shops do not always undertake this work, since the design of modern bumpers is complex and, without experience with products manufactured for cars of certain brands and models, it is very difficult to straighten a dent. That is why many car owners perform this procedure on their own, in their own garage, without involving professional auto repairmen for this.
A dent in a plastic bumper can be easily repaired provided the correct and quality tools are used. At the same time, when doing such work with your own hands, it is important that the product being repaired is carefully prepared in advance. As for the complexity of the tools required to straighten the dent, in many cases you can use simple tools that do not require a lot of investment.
VIDEO
To repair a plastic bumper, freeing it from a dent, the following materials and tools must be prepared in advance:
hairdryer. When selecting it, it is imperative to pay attention to its power, which is why it makes sense to give preference to construction and other industrial devices that can warm even thick-walled products well;
boiling water. It is used for the same purposes as a hair dryer, and sometimes instead of it. Boiling water has a gentle effect on plastic products and that is why, they are sometimes replaced by an industrial hair dryer. You can prepare it using an ordinary household electric kettle. It can be brought to the work site and boiled water can be prepared as needed;
a screwdriver or other metal object with a blunt end;
household or protective gloves. They are necessary to protect your hands from burns, if hot air or boiling water accidentally gets on them;
magnet for straightening metal parts or elements.
The bumper dent can be deep or shallow, with or without paint damage.That is why, before proceeding with its repair, it is required first to inspect the damaged area and decide whether it is possible to carry out the repair in principle. In the event that the bumper has cracks and other significant damage, repairing it is impractical and it would be better to buy a new product to replace the broken one. If the bumper looks slightly dented, straighten it completely yourself.
In addition to visual inspection, before starting repair work, it is required to clean the bumper surface from old paint and dirt. Since plastic is a fragile material, you should not use metal objects and emery for such a cleaning. It is best to use a special paint and varnish remover. In any case, they should not be aggressive. If you don't have anything at hand, take a regular brake fluid, but it is advisable to wash it off quickly so that it does not damage the paintwork remaining on the bumper.
Repair of a dent on a plastic bumper is carried out in accordance with the following algorithm:
Remember that heated plastic is easy to deform, so it can only be straightened evenly from all sides.
Separately, it is worth noting that in the guides on the topic: how to remove a dent on the bumper, it is specifically indicated that some types of plastics have "shape memory". It lies in the fact that when carrying out repairs in a relatively short time after the bumper has received damage, it can return to its previous form somewhere in 10-15 minutes after the end of heating the product. If the bumper is cooled down in time, it will gain a foothold in a new state and will no longer return to its previous state. As for re-installing it in place, this can be done only when the damper has completely cooled down and will not be afraid of serious mechanical stress.
It is easy to straighten the bumper when it is plastic and not seriously damaged, but if it is metal, it will be more difficult to correct the situation. To do this, you need a magnet that is magnetized to the edge of the dent. After that, it is heated with boiling water, pouring it over the surface of the dent. Further, the magnet is pulled towards itself with force, gradually moving it towards the center of the dent. As a result, it should be straightened at some point, making a characteristic sound. The metal parts on the plastic bumper are aligned in the same way.
If deep dents appear on the plastic bumper, use the original method. To do this, take a powerful hair dryer and use it to warm up the area around the damage. Next, the heated dent is cooled with a can of compressed air until frost appears on it. After the frost has melted, the dent should disappear, as the plastic must "remember" the shape it had earlier.
In the same case, when the dent is located next to the repaired chip or crack, you should not rebuild the bumper yourself. In this case, it makes sense to contact a specialized body shop. Here you will be repaired damages of any severity and complexity, even if they are located in problem areas.
The design of bumpers of modern cars and the technical properties of the materials used for their manufacture allow you to perform most of the repair work yourself. To do this, you need to be careful and careful not to use unnecessary physical force and not damage the bumper. However, complex dents should be entrusted to the attention of professionals, since they can be located in inconvenient places, or their self-elimination can lead to the failure of this element of the car's structure.
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;
the 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:
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.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.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.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 paint-and-lacquer coating 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 automatically guarantees 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:
Removing the bumper from the car body.
Thorough cleaning of the part from dirt and dust. The surface must be dry and clean.
Determination of the material from which the bumper is made.
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.
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.
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:
Gluing - it is used for parts produced by the cold forming method. A special polyurethane-based adhesive is used here.Heat sealing - Suitable for bumpers that have been hot formed. The bumper fragments are connected using special welding equipment.Lamination - the method is suitable for restoring lost fragments similar. It uses a special reinforcing mesh and putty.Using flat electrodes ... The technique is based on the use of a special construction hair dryer, which melts the electrodes and effectively repairs cracks.Soldering - the best option for repairing a bumper in normal home conditions. You will need to use a soldering iron, sandpaper and paint.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.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:
Apply the primer in a circular motion towards the left or right side of the element.
The composition must be allowed to dry completely.
After that, sandpaper No. 800 is taken and everything is thoroughly overwritten.
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.
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.
VIDEO 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:
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.
Video (click to play).
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.
