≡× MENU

• Interior
• Window
• Walls
• Projects
• The buildings

How to properly repair a plastic car bumper. DIY plastic bumper repair: features, instructions and recommendations. Restoration of parts made of refractory materials

Many drivers have encountered the problem of cracks appearing on their car bumpers. If it is plastic, then you can repair the damaged area yourself. There are many in various ways restoring the aesthetic appearance of a bumper made of this material without resorting to the services of a car service.

Below we will discuss in detail the process of self-repairing damaged parts of a car body.

Types of bumpers and materials from which they are made

Modern car bumpers can be made of metal and plastic.

In turn, plastic ones can be made from 2 types of material:

• thermoactive;
• thermoset.

What is the difference between thermosetting plastic for car bumpers and thermosetting plastic?

The main difference between a thermoactive material is that it can be subjected to secondary heat treatment. Under the influence of high temperature, the material easily melts, becomes elastic, soft and can take any shape.

Thermosetting plastic, on the contrary, is very durable, resistant to high temperatures and mechanical damage.

Car bumpers made of thermosetting plastics, as a rule, are rarely subject to cracks due to the strength and reliability of the material.

The following types of thermoactive materials are distinguished:

• Polyethylene - used in the production of food containers, bags, etc.;
• Polystyrene - they are made from various insulation materials in construction, etc.;
• Polypropylene - used in the production of auto parts, including car bumpers, Food Industry etc.;
• Polyvinyl chloride - production of insulating coatings for cables, window technologies etc.

Thermosetting materials are divided into:

• Polyurethane - most plastic auto parts, both small and large, are made from this type;
• Epoxy resins - used for joining and gluing different parts;
• Fiberglass - used in the production of heavy-duty auto parts, including bumpers;
• Phenol resins - needed in the manufacture of small auto parts, computers. boards, etc.

How to repair minor damage to a plastic car bumper

Bumper damage occurs different types- from minor scratches and small dents to serious cracks. Small dents and scratches can be removed yourself.

If the car bumper is made of thermoactive plastic, then minor damage to it can be easily eliminated using the polishing method with special chemicals. means.

For example, if there is a shallow scratch, it can be treated with WD-40 universal cleaner.

In order to polish a scratch or chip, you will need a sponge, a soft rag and a chemical reagent. First, you need to clean the damaged area from dirt and dust with a sponge and water. After applying chemical. spray or sponge. Next, the damaged area is intensively polished with a rag until no damage is visible on it.

The second way to eliminate small dents and scratches on a plastic car bumper is to straighten the damaged area with a hot air gun. The essence of the method is that the damaged surface is evenly heated with a hair dryer. Due to heat treatment the damage is leveled and straightened.

The method is simple and does not require special skills to perform, but it is not without its drawbacks: there is a possibility of deformation of the plastic; heating with a hairdryer can only be used on unpainted areas.

Also, simple and in an inexpensive way Repairing minor damage to a plastic car bumper is a wax pencil.

With its help, scratches and chips are simply painted over. Chem. the composition of the pencil fills the damaged areas, leveling them with the general surface and forms protective layer. The process of removing chips and dents with a wax pencil takes no more than 5 minutes.

What to do if there is a crack on the bumper - methods for repairing it

If a crack has formed on the car bumper as a result of damage, then simply cleaning and polishing this place will no longer work; in any case, it will be visible.

To repair a crack, you need to resort to more effective methods. There are several ways to repair cracks in plastic bumpers:

1. repairing damage with liquid polymer;
2. welding using a rod;
3. welding the crack with a hot air gun;
4. repairs using fiberglass;
5. gluing plastic with a two-component composition.

Let's look at each of them in detail.

To make it easier to work with damaged areas, the car bumper must be removed and secured on a stand. Before starting the repair, you need to thoroughly clean the damaged area from dirt and dust, and if the bumper has already been repaired, then remove the remnants of the repair kit from the last time.

Experts advise treating damaged surfaces with any degreasing chemical before starting repairs. means.

Seal the crack using liquid polymer

For this method you will need: a soldering iron, fine-grained sandpaper, a knife, wire cutters, steel wire, a hot air gun, a piece of protection for the car fender liner.

Sealing process:

1. We clean the edges of the crack with sandpaper.
2. If the crack is long, then it must be sewn together in several places along the edges with scraps of steel wire. The edges of the wire are bent and cut off with wire cutters.
3. Next, the edges of the crack are brought together and carefully soldered with a soldering iron.
4. The fender liner protection is made of polymer plastic, which melts easily and is suitable for creating patches. Small strips are cut from the protection fabric (about 2-3 cm wide, 15-20 cm long and 2 mm thick), which will be patches for soldering.
5. The place where the patch will be applied and the patch itself is cleaned with a sharp knife.
6. We heat the damaged area with a hairdryer in the place where the patch is applied. Next, we heat the patch strip to a semi-liquid state, gradually applying it to the damaged area. This is repeated several times (with new strips) until the crack on the bumper is completely sealed.
7. The resulting seam is cleaned with an emery wheel and prepared for painting.

Video instructions for repair using this method are given below.

• Pros: low cost, simplicity, minimum set materials and means.
• Cons: likelihood of plastic deformation when heated.

How to weld a bumper with a rod

To weld a crack with a rod you will need: a manual extruder for welding plastics, polypropylene filler rods round section or filler polyethylene rods.

Welding process:

1. We heat the manual extruder to the required temperature and put on special nozzle, into which the filler rod is inserted.
2. We carefully solder the damaged area, using an extruder from the molten rod to form a uniform seam along the entire perimeter of the crack.

Pros: fast, does not require special skills.

Disadvantages: plastic is subject to deformation, specific tools and materials that are not always available.

See detailed video instructions below.

Welding with a hot air gun

To weld a crack with a hot air gun, you will need: a hot air gun, a soldering iron, plastic rods, steel wire or rivets.

Welding process:

1. We fix the torn edges of the damage and solder them with a soldering iron along the entire perimeter of the cracked surface. If the edges diverge greatly, you can fix them with rivets or wire staples.
2. We heat up the hot air gun and start welding: melt the rod and place it on the crack in the plastic of the bumper, forming a seam around the perimeter of the damaged area.

Pros: fast, effective even for serious damage.

Cons: overheating may cause deformation of an intact surface.

Video instructions for using a hot air gun are below.

Repair with fiberglass

To repair a car bumper using fiberglass you will need: an emery wheel, a grinder and a grinder, fiberglass, epoxy resin, fine-grained sandpaper, hardener, and a brush.

Repair process:

1. Cleaning damaged areas with an emery wheel and fine-grained sandpaper.
2. Epoxy resin is diluted in plastic container with a hardener and even layers with a brush are applied to the damaged areas.
3. Patches are cut from fiberglass, glued to damaged areas and covered with an even layer of epoxy solution.
4. The bumper is dried, carefully sanded with a machine and prepared for painting.

Pros: damage of any size and thickness can be repaired, suitable for thermosetting types of plastic.

Disadvantages: the reagent is toxic - work in a chemical industry is required. protection, fragility of the seal; even with a slight impact, the sealed area can crack.

Video of the fiberglass repair is below.

How to glue plastic with a two-component compound

Required tools and materials: grinder. machine, emery wheel, two-component glue, degreaser, tape, construction mesh, spatula.

Gluing process:

1. Cleaning the damaged area with fine-grained sandpaper (emery wheel).
2. Treating surfaces with a degreaser.
3. The crack on the outside of the bumper is sealed with tape.
4. From construction mesh the patch is cut out and placed on glue with inside car bumper. The glue is applied on top of the damaged area in several layers. The same is done on the outside after removing the tape.
5. Excess glue is smoothed out with a spatula. The bumper is left to dry for 30-40 minutes.
6. The glued surface is sanded and prepared for painting.

Pros: convenient, quickly glues, retains elasticity.

Cons: not suitable for large cracks.

Detailed video instructions for gluing.

Soldering large bumper damage

This procedure is carried out using: a soldering iron, reinforcing mesh, scissors.

Soldering process:

1. A pre-cut patch of reinforcing mesh is applied to the inside of the bumper at the site of damage.
2. Mesh patches are soldered into inner surface car bumper, soldering the torn edges of the crack.
3. On the outside, soldering is also done along the seam.
4. After soldering, the seam is cleaned and prepared for painting.

Pros: fast and reliable way repair of large cracks, availability of materials.

Cons: suitable only for thermosetting plastic; over time, the seam may come apart.

The main function of the bumper is to protect the body from possible damage that may occur during operation. vehicle. In most cases, it is he who suffers from mechanical damage, attacks from small stones road surface and as a result of an accident.

The winter period is considered the most dangerous, since the risk of emergency situation on the road, which may cause bumper damage or chipping. You can purchase a new part, but such a purchase is quite expensive.

It will be much cheaper to repair the bumper yourself. This will not take much time and effort, and not a trace of the defect will remain on the repaired part. Another reason why this part of the body may need urgent repairs– its natural aging, which is inevitable even with careful operation of the car.

The bumper must be carefully prepared for painting; the technology for applying paint in this case has virtually no differences with the technology for applying paint on a car body.

There are two types of bumper painting:

1. Complete (the bumper will need to be dismantled, and the amount of materials used for the work will be much greater than with local repairs).
2. Local painting (in this case there is no need to dismantle the bumper to carry out the work).

Types of bumper defects

The bumper is scratched, what should I do? This is a question that beginners and even experienced drivers often ask themselves when they discover chips or other damage on this part of the body. You can take the car to a service station, or you can try to carry out repairs yourself.

First, you need to thoroughly wash and dry it. This will help assess the full extent of the damage and choose ways to eliminate them. Types of bumper defects:

• Scratches in the form of a grid. The easiest way to eliminate such defects is by regular polishing. Then the damaged area is treated with a special spray, which improves adhesion and is re-painted.
• Dents and various chips. In this case, you can also repair the bumper yourself; to do this, you need to remove all dents using special tool and putty.
• Broken bumper. Do-it-yourself repairs in this case are very difficult; to complete the work you need to collect all the pieces of the bumper.

How to repair a bumper

For correct execution all works will need to be purchased special materials and tools. In the process, you may need a soldering iron, a hair dryer, a machine for polishing surfaces and circles for it (you can use a regular electric drill with attachments), sandpaper of different grain sizes, and also Consumables(special putty, primer, degreaser and paint and varnish materials).

Before starting all repair work, it is better to dismantle the damaged bumper. In this case, it will be much more convenient to work and tension of materials at the defect site can be avoided. The part must be thoroughly cleaned of accumulated dust and dirt by washing it in warm water using a special car shampoo.

After drying, the broken pieces must be glued and connected with tape. After this, you need to arm yourself with a soldering iron and carry out all the work to restore the integrity of the bumper. To return the bumper to its original shape, all the fragments are soldered on the inside.

Since it is hidden from prying eyes, you don’t have to worry about the aesthetic side when doing the work. The pieces must be soldered very carefully, so that the seam is uniform along the entire length. In order for the repair to last for a long time, it is necessary to additionally solder staples from a furniture stapler into the seam.

You need to choose them so that they do not pierce the bumper all the way through and fit perfectly in length. It is better to use tweezers while doing the work to protect yourself from possible burns.

The staples should be placed perpendicular to the seam at a short distance from each other. All cracks in the bumper that have just begun to appear must also be sealed so that during the operation of the car they do not develop into cracks due to vibration. It is imperative to protect the staples from corrosion by covering them with heated plastic.

After all work is completed, the bumper should return to its original shape. Repairing bumpers with your own hands does not require any special skills, the main thing is to adhere to the technology of performing the work.

How to repair a bumper yourself

After completing all the work to restore the integrity of the bumper, it is necessary to carefully sand the resulting seam. For this you can use a special grinding machine with wheels of different abrasiveness or do all the work using sandpaper.

Needs to be removed old paintwork, remove the soil and level the surface. After soldering, the seam must also be thoroughly polished, smoothing out all irregularities. There is no need to try to get a surface without a single flaw, since there is a possibility of thinning the bumper and only further deforming it.

After completing the work, you need to remove the dust accumulated on the surface by blowing on the bumper compressed air or treating it with a special napkin.

DIY bumper painting

At the next stage, it is necessary to smooth out all defects using a special putty. Only dents and holes need to be filled with the mixture; it is better to remove the layer of putty that is applied to a flat surface.

Each layer must be given enough time to dry (in accordance with the instructions) and only then apply the next layer. After the putty has completely hardened, you can begin to level it using a sander.

The work can be done with sandpaper, but this will require more time and effort. Also carefully processed with sandpaper hard to reach places bumper After this, the bumper is primed with a special two-component acrylic primer.

It must be applied in a thin, even layer to avoid smudges. Be sure to carefully treat problem areas and allow the previous layer to dry. You need to dry the soil for at least a day; you can speed up the process by using a special infrared heater.

The sanding procedure begins only after the drying process is completed and is carried out similarly to the previous stages. Before starting the procedure, be sure to use developing powder to identify possible flaws that remained after the previous stage of the repair.

How to paint the bumper yourself? After finishing, the surface of the bumper is cleaned of dust and degreased. After this, you can start applying paint.

How to paint a bumper with your own hands?

The procedure for choosing a paint color needs to be given a lot of attention so that the subsequently repaired bumper does not differ in shade from the rest of the paintwork on the body. Therefore, it is better to contact service station specialists who will carry out tinting using special equipment.

This procedure is quite expensive, but it guarantees 100% accurate selection of the required paint shade. Before starting work, it is better to try spraying paint on an old unwanted body part to check its quality and shade.

Before starting painting, it is necessary to thoroughly degrease the surface to ensure better adhesion of the paint and varnish coating and the base. However, this must be done very carefully, since a large amount of anti-silicone can cause the soil to become wet, and that’s all. preparatory work will need to be done again.

The paint is applied in several layers until the desired shade appears, and after the paint has completely dried, the bumper is polished. If it is necessary to paint over only local damage, then grouting and all preparatory work should be carried out only at the site of damage.

Then the entire part is varnished so that the repair area does not stand out. If low-quality varnish was used in the work or it was applied incorrectly, various kinds defects that are sometimes quite difficult to eliminate.

It is better to apply paint in a room specially equipped for this purpose using a compressor and a spray gun. The paint is applied very carefully so that smudges and other defects do not form on the bumper. Before pouring paint into the spray gun, you must carefully strain it using a special filter or using a regular nylon stocking. The spray gun must be positioned at a distance of at least 20-25 cm from the surface of the bumper.

If local bumper repairs are being carried out, it is not necessary to dismantle it; all preparatory work can be carried out without violating the integrity of the factory assembly. Before painting, it is necessary to protect all parts from paint getting on them using a roll of polyethylene and masking tape.

Then acrylic varnish is applied to the dried paint in several layers. When working, be sure to follow the instructions for it and not neglect the means personal protection when working with toxic paints and varnishes.

In most cases, painting a bumper yourself is much cheaper than turning to professionals, but there is a possibility that various defects will appear due to non-compliance with the technology or lack of necessary practical skills.

Almost every car owner has been involved in an accident at least once and suffered damage to his car. Most vulnerable to external influences is the bumper, which in most modern cars is made of plastic. Sometimes scratches, cracks, chips and other damage simply occur due to unsuccessful parking. Repair plastic bumper It's not that difficult yourself. Let's get started!

Repaired plastic bumper

Of course, you can simply replace it, but this will be quite expensive. If you're on a budget, it's worth trying to repair the bumper yourself.

Some car owners do not consider it necessary to produce minor repairs bumpers, ignoring cracks and chips. But this not only looks unaesthetic, but also reduces safety, since protective functions bumpers are broken.

What is required for repairs and how to choose the right technology

In order to restore a plastic bumper, it is best to purchase a special kit, which includes the following materials:

• fiberglass;
• epoxy resin;
• hardener;
• sandpaper;
• putty for plastic;
• mixing container.

In addition, it is worth having the following tools and materials available:

• varnish, paint of any color;
• wire;
• metal reinforcing mesh;
• electrodes;
• electric soldering iron

So, you decided to repair the plastic bumper yourself. Where to begin?
First of all, you must first determine the need to prime the plastic. There are several ways to do this:

Setting fire to plastic. To do this, take a small piece of the bumper, clean it of any remaining paint and dirt, and set it on fire. In this case, you need to carefully monitor the combustion behavior of the material. If the material burns and produces black smoke, there is no need for a primer. If the material burns like a candle, then before the main priming you need to apply primer for plastic.

Buoyancy check. The plastic is dipped into water. If it sinks or goes completely under water, the part does not need to be primed first. When the plastic remains afloat, it means that before applying acrylic primer, there is a need to use a special primer for plastic.

Bumper Dent Repair

Small dents on the bumper can usually be repaired using a hair dryer. The concave surface of the plastic is heated until it softens, after which the dent is leveled until it returns original form details.

But there are also more complex cases when the dent is significant in depth, and the plastic not only bent, but also stretched. Sometimes these dents are called dents, as is the process of fixing them. Extracting a bumper usually requires more complex manipulations, which are discussed in a separate detailed video:

Repair scratches on bumper

If there are minor scratches, repairing the bumper is as follows:

1. Cleaning the damage with sandpaper and sanding. This must be done in such a way that there is no deep scratches. Sand until the surface is smooth.
2. For deep scratches, apply putty. Then sand the area again using an abrasive material or a sander. In this case, the grinding machine is turned on at minimum speed.
3. Degrease the surface to remove dust and grease. The next stage is applying a primer, then painting and varnishing.
4. Drying with a special lamp. The temperature of such drying should not be more than 60 degrees, which is recommended for such material.

An important point when carrying out such an operation as repairing scratches on a bumper with your own hands is polishing the scratches. This is done using products for painted surfaces and plastic:

• A small amount of product is applied to the circular nozzle. polishing machine or drill and rub in by hand for a while.
• The machine is turned on as soon as the polish can be evenly distributed over the surface.

This operation takes about 20 minutes. The result will be the removal of irregularities and various roughnesses.

Repairing cracks and chips in the bumper

When carrying out a more serious repair of a plastic bumper with your own hands, you must first dismantle this component of the car and carefully treat the entire surface with a degreaser for plastic.

After this, you can see the actual extent of the damage, because sometimes small cracks are not immediately noticeable due to dirt. Then the sequence of actions is as follows:

1. As usual, the damaged area is treated with sandpaper. Using a drill, make a recess in the shape of the Latin letter V.
2. Apply to the damaged area adhesive tape. Then you need to prepare liquid plastic from an adhesive mass and a thickener. Moreover, the liquid plastic must exactly match the type of plastic of the bumper being processed. The mixture is applied behind the tape glued to the bumper.
3. When the plastic has hardened, we grind the surface until the defective surface does not stand out and becomes even and smooth to the touch.
4. Surface painting and varnishing.

Thus, the issue is resolved , how to repair a crack in a bumper.

Heat sealing repair

Repair of plastic bumpers can be done by heat welding. This is convenient when eliminating torn parts and large cracks. The algorithm of actions will be as follows:

• The tear seam must be softened with a hairdryer.
• The edges of the crack are connected and welded, simultaneously leveling them.
• A reinforcing mesh is laid over the seam and around it, soldering it to the bumper.
• Putty is applied to the surface to be repaired and sanded.
• Apply several layers of paint, then varnish. Dry the surface.

If you need to restore a surface with a destroyed piece of plastic, take a fragment of the same material and solder it together with a reinforcing mesh. Next, primer, putty and paint the bumper.

Bumpers are made from all kinds of plastic. Polyurethane, for example, has quite low temperature melting, so it should be welded carefully, without overheating.

gluing the bumper at the crack site

You can also use a heat gun as a welding tool, which has a special operating mode regulator and is therefore more convenient to use. In general, you must always remember that heating should not cause deformation. When too high temperature the plastic softens and returns to its previous position. The heated deformed surface is given its original shape, fixed and cooled.

It is better to start restoring the bumper from the inside, while simultaneously studying the properties of the material, and then weld from the outside.

Sometimes it is easier to fasten the fallen pieces with glue or tape with wire, drilling holes and installing brackets.

Video: Welding the bumper

This video clearly shows the welding of a plastic bumper using additional strips of plastic.

Other methods for repairing plastic bumpers

If professional tool and equipment unavailable, repair plastic parts car can be done in another way.

To join the edges of the cracks, a clamp or clamp is usually used on the removed bumper. It happens that it is not possible to achieve the desired result with one clamp, then two or three pieces are used.

The seam is closed from the inside with staples. They are soldered at a distance of several millimeters from each other, and the seam is melted.

The outside paint is cleaned with a sanding machine. Then, along the cleaned surface, the outer seam is sealed. After cleaning, it is advisable to blow the seam with compressed air.

When applying putty, you must use a special compound for plastic and a rubber spatula. Then the seam is blown again, dried and primed in two layers. Before applying the next layer, the previous one should be allowed to dry for 15 minutes. Minor defects can be eliminated by applying nitro putty. The surface is sanded again with P1000 sandpaper and degreased before applying paints and varnishes.

Repairing a plastic bumper can be done using epoxy resin and fiberglass. This option is carried out if the plastic is split into several small parts and some of them are missing. The broken parts are glued together with superglue. Apply from the inside epoxy resin, glue fiberglass onto it and coat it again with epoxy resin.

With this method, the surface can easily be puttied and painted. However long time takes drying after treatment with epoxy resin.

Bumper protection

Getting on a steep descent or climb can seriously damage the bumper. Protecting the bumper yourself will reduce the likelihood of defects in this part of the car.

Such protection can be made industrially or with your own hands. With some skill and the availability of tools, it is possible to make yourself a so-called power bumper, which perfectly protects the car from all possible consequences of road accidents.

Before starting to manufacture the protection, you need to think about what the new part will look like: establish where the attachment points will be, whether arches are needed. It is worth constructing a protection drawing and calculating everything in such a way that changes are not considered a serious structural modification of the car. Attention is also paid to analyzing the weight of the bumper and its maximum load.

It is better to have a specialist weld the bumper frame and do the installation yourself. Reinforced bumpers are attached to the frame or side members. To protect the power bumper, a guard is used.

Making bumper protection with your own hands can have unexpected and not very pleasant consequences, because it is not known how such a part will cope with its task in the event of a car accident.

Restoration of fiberglass bumper

There is always a risk of causing damage to the bumper by suddenly running into something. In such cases, a rupture of the lower shelf occurs with the loss of part of it. The first thing you need to do when starting to repair a fiberglass bumper yourself is to measure the gap between the corners. The measurements taken will definitely be needed towards the end of the repair in order to maintain the distance.

First we dismantle the bumper. The part will sag a little at the break point. It is impossible to connect the damaged edges of the bumper, because part of the shelf is missing altogether. We need to glue in this missing link.

To process the destroyed part of the part, an angle grinder is usually used. Having finished sanding the edges, the edges of the gaps are combined, and the bumper is placed on a flat surface to adjust the dimensions.

After cleaning the surface, polyester resin is applied, which is covered with fragments of grade 300 glass material.

Cracks are repaired by outer surface car. To do this, clean the area towards the formed defect, at a distance of five centimeters from it. Sand until the inner layer appears.

When the plastic hardens, it must be processed grinder and apply polyester putty. Before this, the part is sanded with P80 sandpaper, but no coarser, otherwise the scratches will appear through the putty on the paint.

It is also necessary to repair corner breaks from the outside. The crack is cleaned and the fiberglass that has undergone delamination is removed. Then a patch of glass material is applied. The larger grade of material is much thicker and bubbles may form when applied. The corners are reinforced from the inside by laying glass material grade 300 in four layers.

The patch is sanded flush with the surface using a coarse P40 abrasive. Then another layer of fiberglass is applied if it is necessary to close the cracks.

Then the bumper is painted and installed in place.

Bumper painting

Painting a plastic bumper with your own hands is a simple procedure that almost any car owner can perform. To do this, you should purchase tools and materials:

• Drill with attachments, orbital sander.
• Adapter made of foam rubber.
• Sandpaper.
• Soldering iron.
• Solvent.
• Putty, primer.
• Paint, varnish.
• . If desired, and for the purpose of additional savings, you can.

To prepare for painting the bumper, perform the following steps:

1. Washing the bumper. Then they are treated with a solvent.
2. Grinding. We clean the entire surface with a sander. Where there is no access to it, we clean it manually. The sandpaper used is P120.
3. Putty. Apply fiberglass putty to the surface. After hardening, grind it (P120). We apply finishing putty. We grind P180-220.
4. Next grinding with P220 abrasive: remove coarse sandpaper. Then standard procedures of air blowing, degreasing and anti-silicone treatment.
5. Padding. The bumper is restored using a two-component acrylic primer. They dry it for a day. However, when using infrared heater, the drying time will be much reduced and will be 3 hours. The dried primer is sanded. Before grinding, it is advisable to use developing powder to detect possible errors in the work. The sanding paper should be P320-400. After the next layer of primer, grind P400-500.

The painting procedure itself is preceded by degreasing. The paint is applied in two or three layers and dried for 10-15 minutes. Then several layers of varnish are applied, also with intermediate drying.

No driver is insured against road accidents. And if the bumper is damaged in an accident, you should not rush to the auto repair shop or rush to buy a new part. It is better to collect the fragments and try to repair the car bumper yourself.

Any defect in the car's coating is a reason for the owner's mood to be upset. Repairing a plastic bumper with your own hands can save you thousands of rubles.

The content of the article:

The age of the vehicle is not particularly important. The bumper is considered the most vulnerable part of the car, since the part is located in front, and, in fact, performs protective functions; it is also susceptible to all sorts of influence factors.

But mostly these are minor damage associated with the destruction of the paintwork, which loses appearance. But also, over time, a small scratch develops into a large center of corrosion processes. Therefore, delaying repairs is not recommended. Self-repair requires knowledge of restoration techniques and the availability of equipment.

Equipment required for work

Before self-repair plastic bumper, you need to stock up on theoretical knowledge and prepare the necessary tools.

You will need:

• Electrodes;
• Specialized hair dryer. With its help, you can easily straighten dents with little effort. A construction type with temperature control is suitable;
• Furniture stapler. It is necessary to strengthen the seams;
• Fine mesh soft alloy mesh. When repairing the bumper, it is applied to the seam;
• Thermal welding machine. The device has become quite widespread, both among amateurs and among professionals. It is used to solder damaged areas;
• Scotch tape, putty, bumper paint. These products will be needed at the stage of gluing, puttying and, accordingly, painting;
• Abrasive grinding machine. Apply at the end of work.

Preparing for work

Repairing plastic bumpers yourself should not be intimidating even for beginners. If there is a strong desire, the work will not take much time. However, before starting it, you should carefully read the instructions. It will be useful to watch training videos on the topic. The technique for repairing a plastic bumper may vary depending on the type of material. There are polyurethane, polypropylene and fiberglass bases. Great importance the damage, its shape and features play a role.

Damage can be divided into:

• Dents. Clear surface deformation;
• Cracks. End-to-end destruction. As a rule, with further inaction they increase;
• Scratches. They can be superficial, damaging the paint layer, or deep, destroying the plastic base;
• Structure rupture;
• Formation of breaches.

To carry out measures to restore integrity, the bumper must be removed. After removing it, you need to wash it well. The existing marking on the back of the product will indicate the type of material from which the bumper is made. It is worth noting that bumpers made of fiberglass, in most cases, are not marked. If the part is damaged only by scratches, then this is the simplest type of repair. The product is sanded with an emery cloth, usually 320 or 480 grit, and then painted. It is preferable to use a spray gun, but if this is not possible, then you can also use spray paint. Several layers are applied, each of which must dry before applying the next.

Plastic bumper repair

Soldering is carried out in the presence of cracks. The process is carried out from the back, pressing the parts as much as possible. The resulting seam is strengthened using a construction stapler, or using a mesh that is soldered in as reinforcement. It is advisable to perform the operation on the front side as well; to do this, you need to remove the paint with a grinder, otherwise it will not allow the plastic to melt properly. Next, the front side is sanded in preparation for puttying and painting; we will not consider these points.

A fairly effective method using electrodes. You will need flat electrodes; they are sold in car dealerships. In this process, heating is carried out with a construction hairdryer. A soldering iron with a wide tip is also required. First, a mesh is soldered onto the joints, then electrodes are placed on top of it, which are melted by heating with a hairdryer. The temperature is about 600 degrees.

Liquid plastic is used to restore surfaces resulting from cracks or deep scratches. This way the surface is leveled. In this case, an increase in temperature is not required. The main thing that is necessary is to decide on the type of material. After the substance reaches the desired state of hardness, it will need to be sanded.

Bumper painting after repair

We will not consider this point in detail, it’s just worth pointing out a few little things. If painting is done with a spray can, then you should not expect the color to match perfectly. It will be brighter, more saturated. The thing is that as time passes, the paint fades. This is taken into account when selecting paint for bottling. Several colors are mixed into a jar, after which the desired combination is obtained, obtained on a computer. And even this is not a guarantee that the color will match.

Video: how to repair a plastic bumper yourself:

Warning: Use of undefined constant videoembedder_options - assumed "videoembedder_options" (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/d/dana21j3/site/public_html/wp-content/plugins/video-embedder/video-embedder .php on line 608

Every driver who values ​​his life, health and the integrity of his car tries to drive carefully. But no driver is insured against accidents and damage. Moreover, if after an accident you need legal assistance or advice, need an independent examination, or have disputes with an insurance company, auto lawyers will help you solve these problems. Most often, in various traffic accidents, the impact falls on the rear or front of the car, as a result of which the bumper suffers. Due to the fact that modern bumpers are made mainly of plastic, repairing this element of the car will not be difficult. The main thing is to decide: trust the professionals or do the repairs yourself, choosing suitable materials for bumper repair.

What is a bumper?

The bumper, as noted above, is an element of the car that is designed to absorb energy and soften the impact of a collision. However, we should not forget about its aesthetic function - it gives not only a finished, but also an exclusive look to the entire car.

At one time, bumper repairs were carried out using a sledgehammer, jack, crowbar and blowtorch. But today everything happens differently: first, the material itself from which the bumper is made is studied (depending on the material of the bumper, it is determined suitable way repair) and the final stage repairs include sanding and painting.

I would like to note that the bumpers of modern cars are most often equipped with a variety of sensors, for example, alarms, airbags, parking sensors (parking radar), and the rear bumpers are also equipped with long-range cameras. This also affects the choice of method for carrying out repair work.

It is worth considering that in the manufacture of car bumpers they use the following types plastics: polypropylene, polycarbonate, polyurethane, fiberglass. Therefore, if the bumper repair is carried out independently, then, first of all, it is necessary to have an idea of ​​what specific material this element of the car was made of in order to carry out the work correctly and efficiently.

Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is to buy a new bumper. When the bumper is very badly damaged, this is the easiest way out of this situation. If the bumper has only minor cracks or scratches, then you can simply repair the plastic bumper at a car repair shop or do it yourself. After all, buying a new bumper is a very expensive pleasure and it is unlikely that every motorist will be able to afford it.

But besides everything else, before purchasing this car part, repair has many advantages:

• This is many times cheaper than purchasing a new bumper;
• This is faster, because often a new bumper needs to be ordered and this can take almost a week, and repairs take from two hours to two days.

— we cannot exclude the fact that when ordering a new bumper from a dubious company, you can get a fake or previously restored bumper for the price of a new one.

Repair of a plastic bumper can be carried out both locally and comprehensively. During local repairs, the damaged part is restored without the need to remove it from the car. And here A complex approach, on the contrary, involves dismantling the bumper, and after completing the repair work, installing it in its original place.

Repair work to restore the bumper consists of the following restoration actions:

• Removal of cracks by gluing and soldering;
• Applying putty to smooth the bumper surface and sanding to achieve perfect smoothness;
• Painting the area to be restored, drying and varnishing.

To determine whether repairs are needed in a particular case, you should have an idea of ​​the types of damage. Depending on the type of damage, all subsequent repairs of plastic bumpers are determined.

• Cracks– a type of damage in which the plastic or paintwork breaks. The occurrence of cracks may depend not only on the quality and composition of the material itself, but also on the operating mode.

In this case, repairs are made by heat welding. The main thing in such repairs is to correctly align the cracked parts. That is, it is necessary to return the bumper to its original shape and weld the damaged parts with a material that has a similar melt viscosity as the bumper material itself.

• Scratches– This is damage to the surface of the bumper material, which resembles the longitudinal appearance of grooves. Scratches are characterized by deep damage and this is what should be taken into account when selecting a repair technology.

When the scratches are not too deep, it can be done quite easily necessary work for plastic bumper repair. Usually, for these purposes, the entire bumper or some of its parts are painted. That is, they carry out work to protect the paintwork, dull the areas near the damage by applying a layer of varnish, then apply primer and paint with varnish, and the final process is drying the varnish using a special lamp with temperature indicator no more than sixty degrees Celsius.

• Dent– with this damage, the bumper is deformed and its shape changes, which occurs due to mechanical load and heating. As a result, compression or stretching of the deformed parts of the bumper occurs, and if the dents are deep enough, then the paint surface may also rupture.

Bumper repairs are carried out by heating. Repairing a minor dent on a bumper is quite simple, but provided that the paintwork has not been damaged - for this, use a special technical hair dryer, which is able to warm up the bumper material. During the heating process, the bumper becomes soft and, with some effort, you can return it to its original appearance.

Once the type of damage has been determined, the most suitable one can be selected from the bumper restoration options listed below.

Before you start repair work, it is worth stocking up in advance on such materials for bumper repair as:

• electrodes;
• metal reinforcing mesh;
• metal plate;
• paints and varnishes;
• electric soldering iron;
• heat gun.

The algorithm of actions is as follows:

• Soften the gap seam to a suitable melting temperature using a heat gun or a technical hair dryer.
• Connect the two parts of the cracks together and weld them, while trying to achieve maximum alignment.
• Apply reinforcing material directly to the seam and the surrounding area. metal mesh to strengthen the seam, and solder it to the bumper itself.
• Apply putty to the repair area and sand it. After that, paint, varnish and dry.

In order to restore a torn or lost piece of plastic, it is necessary to take a certain part of the corresponding material and solder it into the surface of the bumper along with a metal reinforcing mesh. After this, all that remains is to carry out the final steps: prime, putty, paint the entire bumper or part of it that has been repaired.

Also, if some bumper mounts are damaged, it will not be difficult to restore them. They can be recreated from ordinary electrodes, or you can build up plastic using an electric soldering iron, attaching fasteners to the base of the bumper and securing it with a metal plate to avoid quick breakage in the future.

Heating method for plastic bumper

Required tools:

• construction hair dryer;
• degreasing agent (alcohol will also work);
• polishing wheel;
• dye;

Necessary actions:

• The bumper must be removed and washed thoroughly. There should not be anything superfluous on it, otherwise even small foreign objects will affect the quality of work performed.
• The next step is drying and degreasing the bumper surface. After inspecting all the damaged areas of the bumper, you should outline for yourself the boundaries that require repair.
• After completing the above work, the next step is to heat the bumper using construction hair dryer. But we must remember that the faster the bumper heats up, the faster it cools down. It is also necessary to adhere to safety precautions when working with a hairdryer to avoid possible skin burns. When a certain part of the bumper is being processed, it should be heated from the inside, otherwise the paintwork may deteriorate even in those places where repairs were not required.
• When sufficient heating has been produced, the crack needs to be repaired. Further using grinding wheel sand the broken area. To ensure high-quality subsequent painting, it is necessary to achieve the most even surface possible.
• After cleaning the bumper from sanding marks, you can begin the painting procedure. Apply paint and wait for it to dry completely. Afterwards, cover it again with a layer of paint. When the second layer dries, apply a layer of varnish.

As a result, observing simple technology restoration of the bumper, you can easily bring it back to its proper form.

When there is only a minor scratch left on the bumper, you can get rid of it quite easily. You can use the following method for this:

• Clean the scratch area with sandpaper.
• If the scratch is deep, then it is worth applying a layer of putty. After this, sand it.
• Apply primer, then paint and varnish. And at the end, dry the part of the bumper to be repaired with a special lamp, but do not allow it to dry out, otherwise the paint may swell.

When the bumper material is fiberglass or hard plastic, then repairing a plastic bumper is carried out using this method.

Required materials for bumper repair:

• "Bulgarian";
• tape or special glue (but in no case, not household or construction glue!);
• epoxy or polyester resin;
• fiberglass;
• putty, primer,
• degreasing agent;
• paint, varnish.

Work process:

• • Thoroughly clean and rinse the entire bumper.
  • Treat edges of cracks. When a rupture occurs, threads of material form at the edges of the cracks, which prevent the parts from fitting tightly and accurately. Therefore, these protruding fibers are removed using a grinder.
  • After processing the edges with a grinder, you need to join the suitable bumper elements together and secure them with glue or tape.
  • The next procedure is to apply prepared epoxy or (more modern) polyester resin on the crack and the area close to it.
  • Saturate the fiberglass fabric with the above-mentioned product and lay it on the break.
  • Apply layer after layer of glue and fiberglass until the patch is equal in thickness to the bumper at the damage site.
  • After the fiberglass has hardened, you need to work on the front side of the bumper. Using a grinder, a V-shaped groove is made from the outside so that the edges of the break meet the patch.
  • Fill the resulting recess with impregnated fiberglass until final leveling.

• When everything has hardened, grind it with a grinder.
• The restored bumper element should be puttied, cleaned, degreased, primed in a couple of layers and painted. When painting the bumper in body color, the dried layer of paint is coated with varnish in one, or possibly two layers.

Bumper care after repair and painting

After this, install the bumper on the car and do not use high-pressure car washes for two or three weeks.

The number of cars on the roads is increasing every year, and the speed of movement is increasing. Naturally, a damaged bumper of even the most first-class car, one way or another, irritates not only the car owner with its appearance, but also presents the car in the eyes of other road users as a dangerous vehicle.

Thanks to timely and high-quality repair work to restore the bumper, correctly selected materials for bumper repair, the car will again acquire a presentable appearance.

Of course, if you do not have the appropriate skills and desire to repair a damaged bumper yourself, then it is better to contact a good auto repair shop and consult with specialists about restoring a car bumper.

Having the necessary skills, tools and methods for repairing plastic bumpers, car service workers will be able to transform this important element car with high quality, professionalism and on time. And as mentioned earlier, repairing a bumper will be much more profitable than the expensive purchase of a new bumper.