SVTF
SVTF New Reader
7/17/10 6:02 p.m.

I have a torn bumper cover. These things are $350 from the dealer, plus all the paint stuff. So, I want to repair it - it doesn't have to be perfect, just look decent at 10 ft.

I've done this sort of repair before, and I plan to put a mesh fiberglass panel underneath to give it strength. But I am looking for a glue/solvent to also "weld" the seam edges back together - much like PVC pipe glue/solvent, or plastic modeling glue welds/melts the plastic as part of the bond. Epoxy is not what I'm looking for.

Anyone have any glue experience/suggestions with the particular plastic used for bumper covers?

Toyman01
Toyman01 Dork
7/17/10 6:20 p.m.

I would probably try something like Goop. I haven't tried to fix one so take that with a grain of salt.

rollinchicane
rollinchicane New Reader
7/17/10 6:46 p.m.

A few years ago I broke the fog light housing and bumper cover on my Mazda3. I used this to repair both parts with good results. The repair has held up well.

I did this without any reinforcement like you described but in retrospect I think that would have been a really good idea.

DeadSkunk
DeadSkunk Reader
7/17/10 6:50 p.m.

Wasn't this covered in an article in the magazine sometime last year?

dansxr2
dansxr2 Reader
7/17/10 7:47 p.m.

I recently graduated from a Tech School in NW Florida in a Automotive Collision Repair and Refinishing certification. Can you post a pic of the damage to the bumper? Here's a write up as a DIY if you have any questions message me. http://www.ehow.com/how_5865088_repair-plastic-bumpers-before-painting.html

pigeon
pigeon HalfDork
7/17/10 9:12 p.m.

Keith had a similar issue and post about his M5 not too long ago, IIRC there's a specific product made for what you're looking for that he used to good effect. I'm too lazy to search it up right now but you should be able to find it...

eastpark
eastpark New Reader
7/17/10 9:22 p.m.

Norton SpeedGrip works well for this:

Tommy Suddard
Tommy Suddard SonDork
7/17/10 9:25 p.m.
DeadSkunk wrote: Wasn't this covered in an article in the magazine sometime last year?

Yep. I wrote a little thing about repairing plastic bumpers. Basically, rough it up, tape the back, dremel out a valley where the crack is (the glue has to have a place to go), apply adhesion promoter, apply plastic repair glue of your choice, apply body filler designed to be flexible to finish it up, sand and paint.

Whew, that was a mouthful.

DeadSkunk
DeadSkunk Reader
7/18/10 10:08 a.m.

Tommy,

Do you remember which issue that writeup was in ?

ddavidv
ddavidv SuperDork
7/18/10 11:28 a.m.

That article should get posted online. I swear someone asks about this repair every month.

Keith
Keith SuperDork
7/18/10 1:35 p.m.

You mean, it's been asked twice in the past couple of months

The thing is, the answer isn't always the same. Car bumpers are made of a bunch of different types of plastic.

Here's a guide

In the case of my BMW's bumper, it was ABS. The Permatex two-part epoxy worked really well, especially when combined with some fibreglass mat on the back side. Filling in a couple of scrapes and sanding the compound curves into shape before hitting it with unforgiving glossy black paint took a lot longer.

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