Auto Repairs Painting Plastic Bumpers
Most, if not all, modern cars have plastic bumpers. Long gone are the chrome bumpers of the past. Plastic bumpers are lighter making cars more fuel efficient. On most cars they are cheaper to replace than the old traditional bumper.
The problem with cars over ten years of age is the paintwork on the bumper can fade quicker than the remaining paintwork of the car. These day’s bumpers are an integral part of the bodywork of the front or rear of the car. If the bumper fades it can seriously affect the appearance of the whole car.
To compound the problem the bumper on a great many cars are the same colour as the rest of the car. The good news is it is easier to paint a small area like a bumper and achieve a good professional finish.
The first thing to do is check the bumper for abrasions. If any deep scratches or dents found these will need filling in with a proprietary brand of car filler. This will need to be spread over the surface of the scratch or dent and allowed about an hour to set. Don’t leave damaged area too long, it is best to sand the filler whilst it is still fairly soft. Once the area is sanded down it will need a quick spray with primer paint. This can be bought from any car accessory store.
Now, one needs to check under the hood for the car’s colour code. It will be found on a small silver coloured plate. If you cannot find the plate it is possible it might be in the recess on one of the front doors. Once the colour is established cans of paint can be purchased again from a car accessory store. One will also need a can of lacquer to finish off. A couple of cans of each will be required.
Once paint and lacquer have been purchased the area will need sanding down with fine grade sandpaper. Then one will need to carefully tape all areas that are not to be painted. The car paint will need to be sprayed from a distance of about 18 inches in a circular motion. Once a good cover of paint is sprayed on the bumper one may notice that despite careful spraying there will be areas different thicknesses of paint. This can be remedied but using a cutting paste.
Finally, when the paintwork looks right, a quick coat of lacquer should be applied to finish off. When all the painting has been finished, carefully remove masking tape from the covered area.
