Today I will talk about how you can repair a cracked plastic car bumper using epoxy glue. This procedure is not entirely complicated, but it will allow you to save a considerable amount of money instead of replacing the bumper with a new one. All actions are accessible to the average car owner and do not require special knowledge or expensive equipment.
Do-it-yourself repair of a cracked bumper
First of all, you need to remove the bumper, since the repair method in question cannot be performed on a car. The photo shows what the damaged area looks like from the outside and inside.
In order for the glue to reliably adhere to the plastic surface, it needs to be prepared. To do this, I used a sharp knife to widen the edges of the crack to create a V-shaped groove. You also need to clean the damaged area from dirt and additionally sand it with fine sandpaper.
To secure the two parts of the bumper, I used paper tape - it holds well, but is easier to remove later. When connecting the bumper and gluing the tape, you need to make sure that the edges of the crack converge at the same level and do not overlap each other.
I divided the process of applying epoxy glue into two stages:
- First I applied some glue directly to the crack.
- Until the glue set, I glued small pieces of paint mesh, which will serve as reinforcement. After that, I applied another layer of glue on top of the mesh so that the mesh was inside the adhesive layer.
Note! Epoxy glue consists of two components, which, after squeezing out of the syringe, must be mixed until smooth.
After the resin has cured (about 12 hours), you can remove the fixing tape from the front side of the bumper and begin sealing the crack on this side.
To fill the crack, I used a special putty for bumpers, which I applied with a rubber spatula and, after drying, sanded with fine sandpaper.
The final stage of bumper repair is painting it. Before this, you need to thoroughly clean it of dirt: I washed it with plenty of water and detergent.
Before painting plastic, be sure to apply a layer of special primer - otherwise the paint will quickly peel off. Once the primer coat was dry, I completely spray painted the bumper so it was the same shade. After applying two layers of paint, I got a completely acceptable result - there are practically no traces of cracks visible.
After the paint has dried, all that remains is to put the bumper in place, and the repair is complete. As a result, we get inexpensive DIY repairs and virtually no signs of damage.
We install the bumper in place.
Original article in English
