Crack in the bumper DIY repair

In detail: a crack in the bumper DIY repair from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

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

The external plastic components are mainly made of thermoplastic plastics. The technology for restoring such products is based on welding, it is this technology that allows you to get rid of through cracks and even recreate broken fasteners. Actually, the procedure is not much more complicated than preparing and spray paint damaged area of the car body.

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

Making the right choice means guaranteeing a high-quality repair, because the mismatch of materials will significantly reduce the life of the automotive element. To find out what the cracked bumper is made of, it is enough to carefully examine the inside of the part. Depending on the marking, appropriate conclusions are drawn:

PP - polypropylene base.
ABS (GF, PAG 6) are hard plastics.
PUR - polyurethane.

Plastic welding requires high temperatures, for example, 400-450 ° C is suitable for propylene, and 500 ° C is necessary to restore an ABS structure. Many car owners will learn how to repair a bumper with their own hands in a video where craftsmen use an ordinary 100 W soldering iron.

Video (click to play).

You can also restore a damaged part using pieces from a bumper with a similar marking. They are cut into strips 8 mm wide for PUR, and 4-5 mm for polypropylene.

Almost any breakdowns are treated by welding, even broken parts are reanimated. However, no one canceled the economic feasibility of such work, because the restoration of numerous defects can hardly be called justified. The cost of a complete restoration and staining will be more expensive than a new buffer.

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

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

Of the materials for restoring a cracked buffer, you may need:

Putty and primer.
Brass mesh for crack reinforcement.
A can of paint or a can of paint.
Plastic repair rods of the required configuration and composition.

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

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

When restoring PP-based parts, the reinforcing mesh is not used. The process begins with the fact that a nozzle with a nozzle with a diameter of 5-7 mm is installed on the hair dryer. In the future, work is carried out according to the following points:

On the inside of the buffer along the crack joint, use a Dremel mini-drill to make a groove for the plastic rod.
Using a hair dryer, melt and place the repair rod into the prepared groove.
Clean the front part of the bumper with an orbital sander with P240 attachment and repeat the welding procedure similarly to the operation on the inside.
Grind the cooled seam from the outside with a nozzle with the same grit P240, then remove dust from the surface.

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

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

You should try to apply a minimum layer of putty.
Take a temporary pause for complete hardening of the putty layer.
To process the putty area with a grinding wheel or sandpaper with grit P800, and then - P1000.
It is desirable to apply a developing layer of primer.

In the case of a polyurethane buffer, the preparatory stage in the form of grooving work is excluded. A brass reinforcing mesh is applied to the crack; steel is not recommended for use, because it is prone to corrosion. Alternatively, stapling staples can be used every 10-20 mm. They are recessed into the body of the part across the seam, it is imperative to make sure that the bracket does not go through the part.

Further, the repair technology does not differ from the restoration of a polypropylene part. Wire mesh or staplers should be sunk into the plastic. Only after that, the seam is filled with repair plastic and soldered from the opposite side. Some important points of technology should be taken into account:

It is necessary to solder the mesh or staples carefully so as not to overheat the plastic, otherwise it may deform from the opposite side.
For a complete DIY repair of a polyurethane bumper, the width of the reinforcing mesh should be 15-20 mm.
It is better to press in the mesh or staples with a flat object.
If the legs of the staples pierce the plastic through and through, then they should be shortened using side cutters.
For the convenience of working with metal elements, you can use tweezers.
To prevent the new enamel from peeling off, it is necessary to grind the paint over the entire plane of the part.

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

If your bumper is cracked on your car, there is no money to buy a new one, and the appearance of the repaired plastic part may differ from the new one by the presence of visible traces of repair, then the following life hack will definitely come in handy.

This repair option really does not differ in accuracy in the understanding of most car owners, but at the same time, it has its own special charm and appeal for young people, especially for those who adhere to the automotive sports subculture: drifting and motorsport in general.It is unlikely for whom it will be a discovery that car racing is often a tough contact sport, dents and cracks in bumpers are common here, therefore, in professional racing circles, young athletes prefer to cope with breakdowns on their own.

Of course, there are some of the more popular ways to connect multiple pieces of a broken bumper (with resin, with an epoxy mesh, and even with a soldering iron), but we'll look at mechanical fastening with plastic clips. To make the process look clearer, first watch the video in English (you can turn on subtitles and translation):

Have you looked? Is the structure of the work clear? Then, you can start laying out the most important stages of work on the shelves.

To carry out repairs you will need:

The repair does not really take much time and does not require any special preparation. As they say: "There would be straight arms".

I. First, join the two pieces of the bumper crack together. The gap should be minimal, all parts and sides of the bumper should lie in a single plane. Then you will need to glue these parts with tape so that you can proceed to the next stage of the repair. At 2.50 minutes, the video shows how to pull together a cracked bumper.

As you can see, it is better to repair together. A helper can help you out when you run out of hands.

II. Now is the time to drill. But before that, another life hack is to apply duct tape along the crack. This will prevent the paint from cracking at the ends when pre-drilling. 4.20 minute video. You need to drill at a distance as thick as a finger. Thus, you will not damage the bumper even more if the drill jumps off to the side, as well as the plastic tie over time will not wipe the too narrow wall and the structure will not fall apart.

The pitch between the holes is as thick as a finger. A crack line is visible under the tape. Follow her line. The more accurately you can drill the holes, the stronger the structure will be.

III. 6.00 minute of video. Quilted bumper. There are two contraction patterns: parallel and criss-cross. The first one is easier to do, the second option holds the bumper pieces together better.

First stitch type: Parallel

In order to get to the inner side of the bumper, "crazy hands" remove the wheel arch liner. The workflow is shown in the 6.55 minute educational video. A couple of minutes and the bumper is ready!

Attention! The flat surface of the plastic fastener should be on top.

It is necessary to tighten the ties strongly until the characteristic clicks stop

Ready! It looks stylish, and most importantly it is a really working version. The bumper regained its rigidity and lost functionality.

None of the motorists is safe from the fact that his bumper will last all the time without damage. Therefore, when chips and scratches appear on it, many think that nothing can be done, and begin to look at something new. But there is a way out, since you can make repairs yourself. How to repair a bumper crack will be discussed below.

How to repair a cracked plastic bumper - in our new article

Before you talk about how to remove a crack on the bumper, you need to figure out what materials these structures are made of. Immediately it is necessary to make a reservation that if the part is metal, then its repair will have to be done in a specialized workshop, if the car enthusiast does not have the skills of a professional welder.

But on modern cars, these parts are made from two types of plastic:

a thermoactive material, its cracks are glued using a hair dryer or a soldering iron, as well as the formation of a special metal frame, its characteristic feature is that it melts under the influence of a certain temperature;
thermosetting material, to close cracks on it, it is better to use special fiberglass or reinforcing plastic mesh, which should be impregnated with epoxy resin, since when exposed to high temperatures on this plastic, it will not melt.

Thermoactive plastic is usually labeled as follows: PP, PPTV and other analogues. Typically, these markings are placed on the inside of the bumper.

The marking will tell you what material the part is made of.

The marking of thermosetting plastic is PUR, which classifies it as a polyurethane material, as well as PAG 6, GF, ABS - which classifies it as a hard plastic mass.

Based on these parameters, it will be necessary to select materials for repair.

It is important to understand that if there is no reliable information about the material from which the bumper is made, it is better to know it, since repairs can turn into buying a new one. This can be done at the service station or refer to the technical documentation for the car.

Before repairing a crack in a bumper made of thermosetting materials, you need to prepare the necessary tools.

a powerful soldering iron or a special machine hair dryer, which will be needed to soften and solder plastic;
primer, which is needed for processing welded surfaces;
paint in a special can for painting a repaired place or the entire bumper;
putty;
small diameter drill for drilling holes along the edges of the crack;
gasoline for degreasing treated surfaces;
metal fine mesh or furniture staples;
sandpaper, preferably zero, as well as one and two, for thorough grinding and sanding surfaces.

With everything you need close at hand, you can repair cracks yourself

This list of tools will be needed in order for the repaired bumper to be as good as new.

Before glueing the crack on the bumper, which is made of thermosetting material, you also need to prepare the necessary materials and tools:

a small diameter drill so that you can drill holes along the edges of the crack;
glue necessary for gluing the joints, or plain tape;
epoxy resin;
sandpaper zero, one and two;
putty.

This list of materials and tools will help you repair a cracked thermoset bumper.

How to repair a crack on a bumper made of such material will be described below, since you first need to find out the preparatory work. They will consist of the following steps.

This part must be removed, as it will work better and efficiently with it when it is located separately from the car. To do this, you need to unscrew it and put it on a separate stand or other elevated surface.
The next step is to clean the bumper from dirt and other deposits. First, it must be rinsed with water, and stubborn dirt and other layers must be removed with a spatula or coarse sandpaper. You need to clean everything carefully.
Next, you should carefully examine the crack. This is an important step, since the edges must be marked before filling the crack.
After all this, it is better to re-examine the product carefully for the presence of imperceptible cracks, chips and dents in order to carry out a complete and high-quality repair in one go. If nothing else is found, you can proceed with the repair.

Immediately it is necessary to make a reservation that the restoration of the bumper from a thermosetting material will occur without heating the surfaces. How to seal the crack will be described in the following algorithm:

first you need to clean the crack surfaces well with sandpaper until the paint and varnish surface is removed, and degrease everything with a rag soaked in gasoline;
then the edges of the crack need to be connected with glue or tightly tightened with tape, it is better to give preference to the first option, and for this you need to choose a special glue that acts instantly, the adhesive is applied evenly with a brush;
on the inner side of the bumper at the place of damage, stick fiberglass or its substitute;

Read also: Vaz 2109 DIY repair

Stick the fiberglass on the inside of the damaged part

then the fiberglass is impregnated with epoxy resin, and glued to the outer surface of the bumper at the place of damage, after such actions, the surface in the damaged place should be leveled;

then you need to wait about an hour for the surface to dry well, and start cleaning it, for this you need sandpaper, this happens with strong pressure and circular movements;

then the putty is prepared, as written in the instructions, and applied with a spatula to the damaged surface, after which it is smoothed;

after the putty has dried, a primer is taken and applied to the crack in vertical stripes, in two or three layers;

then the primer is rubbed with sandpaper, all this is wiped off with a rag soaked in water, and after everything is dry, a paint-and-lacquer coating is applied to the surface from a can.

The repair has been completed and the sealed bumper can be replaced.

If a bumper made of such plastic is cracked, then its repair will be carried out according to the following algorithm, while the preparatory work will be the same as for thermosetting plastic.

Use a special hair dryer to seal the edges of the damage

The algorithm is as follows.

Here's how to remove damage on a bumper like this.

When the bumper is cracked, how to repair is of interest to many drivers. The repair process is not very difficult, and you can do it at home, while following the instructions above.

The reason for the damage to the body kit may be careless driving, a traffic accident or collision with an obstacle. A damaged part spoils the appearance of the vehicle. Therefore, it is important to know what to do when the bumper is cracked and how to repair it yourself.

Depending on the degree of damage, the methods of restoring a damaged body element of a car also differ. Crack repair is performed using:

Small chips, scratches and microcracks must be covered with putty.

Allows to repair small cracks.

It makes it possible to restore the body kit after receiving severe damage and the appearance of large cracks.

A plastic patch is applied. The method is applicable if the bumper is severely split and holes appear.

To carry out the work, you will need the following tools and materials:

Hair dryer and soldering iron.
Brass mesh, construction gun staples, or metal tape.
Wide and narrow rubber spatulas.
Putty.
Epoxy resin and fiberglass patch.
White-Spirit, acetone or alcohol-based cleaners.
Spray gun.
Plastic solder.
Primer.
Grinding machine and circles to it, or a bar.
Sandpaper of various grain sizes.
Mini drill or drill.
Clamps.
Paint in a can or in a spray can.

Damaged bumper, it is better to dismantle. This will allow for more efficient and reliable repairs. In general, the list of preparatory work before restoring the body kit is as follows:

The body protector must be thoroughly washed and dried.
The damaged area must be sanded and sanded. You can remove the paintwork with a grinder. In addition to the directly affected area, grinding needs to be done 3-5 centimeters near the cracks.
Degrease the work surface. The procedure will need to be repeated after removing each layer of paint.
The edges of the cracks must be sharpened in the form of the Latin letter V.
Using a drill, drill out the crack on both sides. This will prevent it from spreading to the entire detail.

After the preparatory measures have been carried out, you can proceed directly to the repair.

The bumper must be thoroughly washed. To do this, use a soapy solution. In some cases, automotive detergents are used. For drying, use a tool such as a hair dryer.

If the bumper has burst badly, then it is sealed. The operation allows you to give the damaged part a second life. However, you need to know how to solder a crack in the body kit. The operation is carried out in stages:

Securing the two parts of the body kit. For this, clamps are used. The two soldered surfaces are tightly attached to each other and securely fixed in this position.
Soldering from the outside of the bumper. Do not leave large gaps between stitches.
Reinforcement of the damage site. Carried out from the inside of the bumper. Mesh or staples are soldered into the structure. This step increases the strength of the weld.

For soldering, it is recommended to use a powerful soldering iron (at least 100 W). The tool must be held in such a way that it does not burn through the plastic. It is also worth purchasing a device with a wooden handle (the plastic one will melt after a long operation of the tool). For more accurate soldering, the tip can be sharpened and cleaned.

After soldering, the body kit is ready for further use. Only, it remains to give the restored part an attractive appearance.

When repairing severe damage, use a construction hairdryer. With its help, the edges of the cracks are melted, as a result, a strong and reliable welded seam appears in the place of the burst part of the body kit. To make the design more durable, use plastic strips 1 cm thick. They can be purchased separately, or cut from an old donor body kit.

When soldering, use the same type of plastic from which the bumper is made. Otherwise, the seam will turn out to be non-monolithic, which will lead to the early destruction of the structure.

The method is effective in the absence of some parts of the body kit, serious cracks and holes.

Small cracks can be sealed. This do-it-yourself bumper repair method is most popular with motorists, as it is technologically simple and effective. As an adhesive, a special plastic adhesive, acetone, and liquid plastic is used. To obtain a polymer seam, a two-component composition 3M is used.

When gluing, you need to firmly fix the bumper, otherwise, the halves may shift and the symmetry of the part is broken. You will need to wait until the adhesive is completely dry.

Acetone gluing is carried out as follows: a substance is applied to the crack, as a result of which part of the plastic dissolves, forming a strong seam. Later, it is treated with a 3M adhesive. Allow to dry and mask traces of body kit restoration.

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 paintwork can be eliminated without preliminary dismantling of the part.It is necessary to work with this element so that access to the outer and inner surfaces of the element is provided. The installation of the part in its original place is carried out after the implementation of the required repair and restoration work.When carrying out a process such as self-repairing a plastic bumper, you will need to prepare special tools and materials. Among the most important of them are:Competently thought-out protection will comprehensively protect the respiratory organs, eyes and hands from the effects. This is an automatic guarantee that the body will not be harmed by the spraying of harmful substances in the air and by high temperatures.Along with the acquisition of the necessary materials and tools, in the preparation process, you need to carry out certain work with the bumper itself. Among the most important points are:

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 - used for parts produced by cold forming. 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 at 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 to three layers. Drying should take 5 to 10 minutes between each layer.After applying the required paint coating, the bumper is coated with two layers of varnish. Intermediate drying is also important here. At the end of the painting work, you need to check the quality of the applied compounds again; if smudges are found, light sanding and thoroughly polishing the surface are required.

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

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

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

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

Read also: DIY car headlight repair

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.

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 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:

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.