How to properly heat the bumper to straighten it. How to straighten a damaged bumper with your own hands: home methods

So, today we will repair a plastic bumper with our own hands using real example. Photos and instructions are attached...

As you know, plastic bumpers are installed on modern foreign cars and even domestic cars. The transition to plastic is due to the requirements for passive vehicle safety that are common to all automakers. However, many people have probably encountered such an unpleasant problem as dents and cracks on bumpers. It is especially susceptible to damage in winter time at negative temperatures.

Repairing a bumper in a specialized service is a rather expensive service, but if the damage is not global in nature, then you can repair the bumper yourself, in own garage. So I was faced with the need to straighten the bumper on my Chevrolet Lanos. Despite his extensive driving experience, he did not have time to brake in time and ran into a snowdrift. The result is deformation and cracks.

Preparation for repair

Before you begin the repair, you need to prepare all the materials and tools that will be required in the process. It is important to remember that the availability of all tools and materials is the key to successful and quality repairs. To repair cracks and dents on the bumper you will need:

Electric soldering iron 100 watt

Construction hair dryer

Sander

Compressor and spray gun

Metal mesh with a mesh size of no more than 5 mm

Sandpaper of various grits from 240 to 2000

Primer for plastic (primer)

Putty for plastic

Finishing nitro putty

Rubber spatula

Primer for acrylic paint

Paint to match the color of your car (acrylic or “base”) and varnish (if using a “base”).

Once you have prepared everything, you can proceed directly to the repair. It should be remembered that it must be done in a warm room, since minimum temperature for painting work 20 degrees.

How to straighten a dent on a bumper

Removing a dent on a plastic bumper is quite simple. Moreover, its size does not matter. For this I use an ordinary hair dryer. However, even in specialized services dents on plastic parts removed in a similar way. First of all, you need to remove the bumper to comfortable work with him. Next, you need to evenly warm up the dent on the bumper. Heat should be done carefully, since the air temperature at the outlet of the hair dryer can reach 600 degrees. After the area with the dent has warmed up sufficiently, use your hand to reverse side start squeezing out the defective area.

Do not try to straighten the dent quickly; excessive force may further damage the bumper. During the straightening process, it is necessary to constantly warm up the repair area. For straightening, you can also use all kinds of wooden mandrels with rounded tips. It must be remembered that plastic can only be edited at high temperatures. Therefore, after you have pressed out the dent, you need to hold the area under pressure until it cools down.

How to repair a crack in a bumper

Repairing cracks in plastic bumpers is also quite simple. After I repaired the first crack, I had no more problems with it. You just need to follow the technology and use high-quality materials.

First of all, it is necessary to drill holes with a diameter of 2-5mm in the places where the crack ends. This must be done to prevent its increase. If this is not done, then even with high-quality soldering and putty, the crack will begin to increase in size over time and you will have to make repeated repairs, which will be more labor-intensive.

After you have drilled the holes, you need to solder a metal mesh along the entire length of the crack on the back of the bumper. For this I used a mesh purchased from hardware store. A mesh from air filter Kamaz or Ural car. It is necessary to cut a piece of mesh that will cover the crack in all directions by 20-30mm. Next, you need to attach the mesh and solder it into the plastic of the bumper with an electric soldering iron. The process of soldering the mesh is very long and tedious, but it depends on overall quality crack repair.

Ideally, the mesh should be completely hidden under the plastic. The thickness of the bumper allows this to be done. However, if the mesh remains partially visible, then upon completion of the repair it should be treated with an anti-corrosion compound. After the mesh is soldered, the crack should be soldered with front side bumper, but without using a mesh. After this you can proceed to the final cosmetic repairs restored area.

Putty and painting

When puttingtying and painting the bumper, you should always use a special primer for plastic. In car dealerships it is better known as primer. The area to be repaired should be cleaned with coarse sandpaper 240. It is necessary to align the soldered seam so that it does not stand out on the general plane of the bumper. If you work grinder, then you should remember that it is very easy to overheat the plastic with sandpaper.

After leveling, you can begin to putty. For work, you should use a special putty for plastic. If there is no such putty, then it is necessary to prime the area with a primer and then putty. Putty must be applied rubber spatula, since the surface of the bumper is uneven. In particular hard to reach places You can apply and level the putty by hand. After the putty has dried, it must be sanded with 240-grit sandpaper.

Next, you should blow out the repair area and prime it again with a primer. After drying, the primer is also treated with 240 sandpaper. After this, the repair area should be primed with a standard primer. The primer dries quite quickly - 15-30 minutes. The total number of soil layers must be at least two.

After this, a developing layer is applied acrylic paint to identify missed defects. The developing layer is applied in such a way that the soil is visible through it. After drying, the developing layer is processed with 800 and then 1000 sandpaper. If there are any defects in the area, they will immediately become visible. Small holes and scratches should be filled with finishing nitro putty.

After this, you need to sand the area again with 1000 sandpaper. But this time you should sand it with your hands and water. Sandpaper and the surface are wetted and sanded. After this, the surface must be dried, wiped with solvent and the first coat of paint applied. After drying, a second layer is applied and if a “base” is used as paint (metallic, mother-of-pearl...), then after that it is additionally opened with varnish. Next, you need to dry the bumper thoroughly and the repair can be considered complete.

15-20 days after painting, you can polish the bumper and install it back on your vehicle– the repaired area will be almost invisible.

Well, that's all... The bumper is shining;) What about you?

The bumpers of modern cars are made mainly of plastic; they are damaged in a minor accident and are not hit by an obstacle.

Various car services repair body parts, some of them specialize in this type of restoration work. In order to save money, some car owners repair plastic bumpers with their own hands. What are the features of independent recovery these body elements will be discussed in the article.

As you know, there are front and rear bumpers, and the front bumper (PB) is damaged much more often than the rear bumper (RB). The PB needs repair if:

• the paintwork is damaged;
• on plastic element scratches appeared;
• Cracks have formed in the bumper due to a collision with an obstacle or a minor accident.

If the front or rear of the car was hit hard, the bumper most likely cannot be repaired. But specialized car repair shops often take on the task of repairing a badly damaged plastic bumper. The whole question is whether restoration is worth the money; in some cases it is easier and cheaper to buy a new part.

The cost of repairing a PB or SB can be different; it depends on the level of car service, the degree of damage to the part, and the complexity of restoration. For example, in Moscow, restoration of a bumper can cost from 2,500 rubles, and painting one element will also cost from 5,000 rubles. There are auto repair centers that promise to repair a bumper for 500 rubles and complete the repair within one or two hours. There is no point in relying on advertising; most likely, car owners are being deceived, or the repairs are performed here poorly.

Restoring a plastic bumper

Repair of the front or rear bumper varies in complexity; there are main types of work that are carried out on body elements:

• sealing cracks;
• recovery of plastic fragments;
• dent repair;
• preparation for painting (cleaning, sanding);
• primer;
• painting;
• restoration, repair of fasteners.

Restoring a plastic bumper requires care and precision, sufficient experience, and only a qualified craftsman can perform the job efficiently.

Repairing the bumper becomes profitable if the bumper itself is rare, installed on an expensive car, on which the car owner does not want to install a cheap “non-original”. There are also tuning bumpers - they are expensive, and the industry does not produce non-original spare parts of this kind.

If the car is budget, and the owner of the car is “hands-on,” you can try to repair the PB yourself. Much depends on the degree of damage; you can restore a slightly damaged body part with your own hands. Repairing a front bumper (with a crack) is carried out by removing the body part from the car, and to seal the crack you need to connect the edges of the damaged area - make a reliable lock.

There are special repair kits on sale, for example, from 3M. The FPRM kit includes:

• two components of epoxy material (glue);
• reinforcing mesh;
• special tape.

Prepare the bumper for gluing as follows:

• Wash the damaged area to be repaired thoroughly with soapy water and allow the plastic time to dry thoroughly;
• We sand the area to be repaired and remove the paint coating from it. We clean the paint so that the area freed from it can be pasted with tape;
• We grind the edges of the crack at an angle of 45 degrees; they should be in the form of wedges. We process the surface first from the inside and then from the outside; for this we use a grinder with a cleaning disk;
  
• clean the treated surface with 3M 08985, wait for the degreaser to completely evaporate;
• stick the tape on the outside of the area to be glued;
• With inside we fix the reinforcing mesh;
• mix the epoxy components in a one to one ratio;
• Apply the prepared composition to the reinforcing mesh with a spatula, push it inward, it should seal the crack;
• heat the crack with infrared drying (6-8 minutes). If there is no special device for drying, let the glue dry at room temperature approximately 30 minutes;
• remove the tape, degrease, treat the front part with an adhesion activator;
• prepare the composition for the front side;
• apply glue to the outside of the crack;

• Let the parts dry again;
• treat the dried surface abrasive wheels, first with a coarser abrasive (180), then with fine “sandpaper” (240, at the end of processing - 400);
• we blow the repaired area with compressed air, clean it with the composition from the 3M 08985 kit, and wipe it with a dry cloth. Now the bumper is ready for painting.

Damage to the bumper can be different - in one case it is just a crack, in another, pieces of plastic fly off upon impact. To seal a plastic element, you will need:

• construction hair dryer;
• angle grinder;
• pliers;
• screwdriver;
• soldering iron;
• sandpaper;
• spatulas.

The soldering iron must be powerful enough, preferably at least 100 watts.

If pieces of the bumper break off and are lost, we first modify the damaged areas and give them a rectangular or triangular shape.

We carry out the work in the following order:

If you need to solder pieces of missing plastic to the bumper, it is advisable to take plastic of the same type; the markings are usually indicated on the inside of the plastic parts.

To solder the missing pieces into the bumper, proceed as follows:

If you cannot cut the required piece exactly to size, you can cut off the plastic with a margin and solder it on the inside of the bumper. But this option is worse, since when soldering from the front part, a hole is formed around the patch.

The surface can be leveled in two ways:

• melt everything on the outside with plastic;
• Apply a layer of putty to the surface, then treat it.

After soldering and applying putty, we treat the surface, prime the bumper and paint.

One of the common situations, especially in the winter season, is the appearance of dents on the car bumper. They arise in the process of “collision” with snowdrifts. Even a small interaction like this can result in a decent amount of money that you will have to pay at a car service for its restoration. But straighten plastic bumper easy with your own hands. Need to purchase necessary tools and get acquainted with the stages of work.

Removing a bumper dent is done using the following tools:

• electric kettle;
• small magnet;
• construction hair dryer;
• thermometer.

Surface preparation

Before straightening the bumper, you need to find out exactly what it is made of.

If the bumper material cannot be heated, then squeezing out the defect with your own hands will be problematic, and in this case it is better to seek help from body repair professionals.

For example, you should not heat an existing welded seam on a bumper, nor should you heat a fiberglass part.

To remove a dent, you must first remove the bumper and use a hair dryer to slightly warm the surface. At the same time, the water in the kettle is heated to a temperature of 40 degrees. Heated water is poured over not only the defect itself, but also an area with a radius of 20 cm around it. Then you need to heat the water again to a temperature of 50 degrees and repeat the procedure.

Straightening

Do-it-yourself bumper dent removal should begin immediately to prevent the water from drying out. The magnet must be brought to the surface and moved in different directions. Moreover, even if the bumper is plastic, it will be magnetic, since the paint applied to it contains a large number of metal particles.

From the inside, we gently press the dent with our hands to straighten it to its previous position. This way you can help the magnet and at the same time distribute the force over the entire surface of the bumper. To remove a dent, you do not need to press too hard with your hands, as this can damage its coating.

Once recovery is complete, do not immediately remove your hands. You should hold the straightened surface for a few minutes to secure the new shape.

But that's it restoration work not finished. To remove a dent completely with your own hands, you need to heat the water again to a temperature of 35 degrees and pour it over the bumper. This procedure is carried out several times, and each time the temperature drops by 8 degrees. When the water temperature is 15 degrees, the bumper is left to dry in a cool and dry place. Here it should lie for 48 hours, after which it can be reinstalled in its place.

Repairing complex dents

It happens that deeper dents appear on the bumper than those left after contact with snowdrifts. The reasons for their occurrence can be different, ranging from children playing with a ball to road accidents. To level out such a dent, it is not at all necessary to contact specialists. All work can be done with your own hands.

There is an effective and simple method. To straighten a dent, you will need a powerful hair dryer, which heats the area around the damage for a couple of minutes. Next, the heated dent is sprayed with a can of compressed air until traces of frost from the liquefied air appear. Afterwards, you should wait for the frost to disappear and observe the surface straightening on its own. All that remains is to wipe the dent until a natural shine is formed.

So, you can always fix a dent that appears on the bumper with your own hands, which will save significant cash.

How to remove a dent on a bumper

We remove dents on bumpers ourselves.

It is very easy to damage a plastic car bumper. And the most annoying thing is that even the smallest dent spoils the appearance of the car and, at first glance, requires professional repair in a specialized auto repair shop. It is worth noting that even minor repairs In an auto repair shop, bumper dents can require significant financial investment. Do you think it is possible to remove a dent on a bumper yourself?

Many car enthusiasts like to maintain their car themselves, as well as perform minor Maintenance of your vehicle. But, unfortunately, not many people can boast of knowing how to repair minor damage to both the front and rear bumpers without outside help.

Fortunately, there are ways to remove a dent without the help of specialists. But first, you need to determine whether the bumper can be restored independently. To do this, inspect the bumper for torn chips, cracks and similar defects. If the bumper has a crack and is generally badly damaged, then, unfortunately, you will not be able to restore it yourself. In this case, you need to seek professional help.

If, as a result of an accident, the car's bumper only has a small dent, then you can try to fix it. Before proceeding with the restoration, it is necessary to remove (if any) any remaining foreign paint or dirt from the bumper. To do this, use various paint removers. For example, nail polish remover (use with caution, as you can damage the car’s paintwork - for this, the cleaning process should be as short as possible). WD-40 cleaner can also help you remove dirt. Another old proven method for removing paint or dirt from a bumper is to use brake fluid, which, like nail polish remover, should be used for the shortest possible time. Despite the precautions taken when removing paint, you can still slightly damage the layer of varnish applied to your bumper. In order to restore the shine to the damaged area, you need to polish it using special products that are sold in many car dealerships.

Unlike dents on iron body parts, repairing damage to the bumper is not particularly difficult. We offer you a proven method that we found on the Internet that will help remove a dent on the bumper.

In order to start removing a dent you need: rubber gloves, a kettle of boiling water and big bottle(or saucepan) with cool water.

Removing a dent on the bumper

One of the well-known ways to remove dents is using a hair dryer.

To remove a dent, you need to gradually start pouring boiling water from the kettle onto the damage.

Plastic is a flexible material and can easily change its shape when heated. As it heats up from hot water areas where the bumper is damaged, the dent will decrease and subsequently disappear completely, and the bumper will return to its original appearance.

At the moment when the dent completely disappears, it is necessary to fill the defect area cold water so that the plastic cools down to temperature environment, which will lead to fixation of the bumper geometry.

Remember that the process of cooling the bumper after restoration is extremely necessary, because if this is not done or the damaged area is not cooled sufficiently, the dent may be restored.

Unfortunately, dents on bumpers are different and not all defects can be repaired so easily. Bumper damage often occurs in difficult areas. For example, on a bend or on the edge of a part. In such cases, using simple boiling water may not completely remove the dent. To do this, you need to crawl your hand from the inside of the bumper and press on the dent (you can use wooden block, if it is problematic to reach with your hand) after or during treatment of a complex damaged area with boiling water.

Other less quick way To remove a dent from a bumper, use a regular powerful hair dryer to dry your hair. But, as a rule, this method takes much longer (more than 20 minutes) and is not always effective.

But even after removing the dent with a hairdryer, you must cool the damaged area in order to fix the plastic in this position.

This way you can save several thousand rubles by using just a few liters of water to repair a dent on your car.

Welcome to the kuzov.info blog!

In this article I will tell you how to fix a dent on a bumper. Let's look at several ways to heat a bumper and the correct sequence for straightening a dent.

Pressing from the reverse side can be considered the easiest way to straighten a dent. However, for a plastic bumper, if you get to the back side or even remove it, it will be difficult to push out the dent due to the rigidity of the plastic. Extruding a dent on a plastic bumper is made easier by heating it. The rules given in this article will help you straighten a deformed bumper without causing additional damage. It is impossible to restore a bumper to new condition by simply pushing out the dent from the inside. Usually scratches and small creases remain, which require further puttying, priming and painting. However, if everything is done correctly, the bumper will look 90% better even without painting.

Preparing the bumper for repair

• Wash and dry the damaged part of the bumper before repairing.
• It is not always necessary to remove the entire bumper to fix a dent. You can remove the protection from below or loosen the fender liner to gain access to the back of the dent. Thus, it will be more convenient to press on the dent from the back side when the bumper is fixed.
• Again, if the bumper is removed, it becomes possible to heat the back side of the bumper. This makes heating more even.

Bumper heating

• To straighten a dent, you need to properly remove all the stress created by the deformation. This can be done by heating the plastic and applying the right amount of force. When heating a dent, you also need to heat 10–15 cm around it. By doing this, you relieve the tension in the area around the dent created by the impact.
• For heating, you can use available means such as a hair dryer or boiling water. Other means that help to more evenly heat the entire deformation zone at the same time are exposure to an infrared lamp (drying), as well as dipping the damaged part into a bath of hot water. We will consider all these means below.
• Consider the thickness of the plastic before applying heat to the dent. On some modern cars, the plastic is very thin and can easily overheat.
• If the plastic is not hot enough, the deformation will not ease and, when straightened, will return. On the other hand, if you overheat the plastic, it will become much more difficult to repair. It will stretch unnecessarily when pressed. When plastic is overheated and on the verge of melting, strength and elasticity deteriorate as it cools. Therefore, it is important to heat the bumper to the correct temperature and not overdo it.

• There are cases when stronger heating of the plastic is necessary in certain places. For example, to remove folds formed during deformation.
• When using a hair dryer, you need to heat the bumper until the surface is hot when touched. The ideal temperature for heating the bumper is between 160–200 degrees. When heating the bumper, you need to hold the hair dryer nozzle close to the surface to control the heat, but no closer than 10 cm. Move the hair dryer evenly at a moderate speed to properly warm up the plastic. Excessive heat may cause the paint to bubble. At this temperature, the plastic can change shape with moderate force. Don't forget that you need to heat not only the dent, but also the area around it. When using a hair dryer, use its highest settings. A hair dryer is best used on medium settings. If the dent is large, then you can use two hair dryers. It is better to have a second person help.
• When using hot water to straighten a dent, you need to boil a full kettle or pan of water. Hot water will make the plastic more flexible. Such heating will not last long, so you need to do everything very quickly. You need to get to the other side and press. We will look at dent correction in more detail below.

If a dent has formed on the ribs of the bumper, then after heating you need to press directly on the ribs.

• To straighten the dent, the bumper can be immersed in a bath of hot water (80–90 degrees Celsius) for several minutes. Part of the dent may return on its own, but the rest must be straightened by hand after removal from the bath. To remove any remaining deformation, you can apply local heat with a hairdryer set to the desired temperature.
• Infrared drying can be used to heat the damaged area. Drying can be considered a less accessible heating method, but effective. It is used in body repair and car painting. Drying softens a large area, and the dent becomes pliable and all stress is relieved. No matter how deep the dent is, it will heat up evenly and return easily without significant effort. In addition, if the plastic is well heated, there is less chance of small cracks appearing in the paint after straightening.

How to fix a dent on a bumper?

• When the desired temperature has been reached, you can begin squeezing out the dent. For large dents and small waves, a gloved hand works well. For sharper dents, creases, or to restore edges, a wooden block can be used. If you can’t get your hand through, use a long block with a rag wrapped around it.
• The plastic cools down quite quickly, so you need to maintain the temperature to keep it pliable.
• When straightening a dent, it is best to start from the outer part of the dent and work towards the deepest part. The deformation stress is concentrated at the edges. Relieving the tension will allow the deepest part of the dent to straighten out easily. If the area with stiffening ribs is deformed, then you need to press directly on these ribs.

Sometimes a shallow dent in a bumper can be straightened out by applying heat and then applying pressure to the raised areas formed along the edges of the dent. This way, you don't even need to push out the dent from the back side.

• Straightening out a dent sometimes requires direct, steady pressure. In other cases, smoothing may be required. There is no need to be afraid to press with force, but if the plastic does not give in, then you need to heat this area some more.
• Some dents are easier to fix than others. Sometimes several editing steps are required.
• You can use a hairdryer to spot heat the remaining creases or holes.
• Once you have straightened the dent to the desired shape, holding it from the back side, fix the result with a wet rag. It will cool the bumper and the shape will remain unchanged. The rag should be applied around the dent.
• After straightening the dent, the bumper can be put back in place and the remaining defects can be polished, or a brush can be used to touch up scratches. Deeper scratches and uneven surfaces require puttying, priming and painting.

Sanding, puttying the bumper and preparing for painting

When sanding your bumper, don't be afraid to use coarse sandpaper (P80 or P60). This paper will remove paint and cut off small raised areas that are otherwise difficult to remove. Puttying and sanding with a finer abrasive will help get rid of rough scratches in the future. To slightly smooth out the lint that forms after sanding with coarse sandpaper, you can use a gas torch. You need to move the burner quickly so as not to overheat the plastic. You can read more about the technology of puttying a plastic bumper in the article “technology of puttying and painting plastic bumpers.”

3 ways to fix a dent on a bumper

The bumper suffers most often while the car is moving, since it is the first to be damaged when it hits an obstacle or an accident. That is why every car owner should know how to fix a dent on a bumper. Otherwise, he will have to completely change this expensive part, spending additional money and physical effort on it.

In addition, auto repair shops do not always undertake this work, since the design of modern bumpers is complex and, without experience working with products manufactured for cars, certain brands and models, it is very difficult to straighten a dent. That is why many car owners perform this procedure on their own, in their own garage, without involving professional auto repairmen.

Tools and materials

A dent in a plastic bumper can be easily repaired using the correct and quality tools. Moreover, when doing such work with your own hands, it is important that the product being repaired is carefully prepared in advance. As for the complexity of the tools needed to straighten a dent, in many cases you can use by simple means that do not require investment large quantity money.

To repair a plastic bumper, ridding it of dents, you need to prepare in advance following materials and tools:

• hairdryer When selecting it, it is imperative to pay attention to its power, which is why it makes sense to give preference to construction and other industrial devices that can heat up even thick-walled products well;
• boiling water. It is used for the same purposes as a hair dryer, and sometimes instead of it. Boiling water has a gentle effect on plastic products and that is why they sometimes replace an industrial hair dryer. You can prepare it using an ordinary household electric kettle. You can bring it to the work site and prepare boiling water as needed;
• a screwdriver or other metal object with a blunt end;
• household or protective gloves. They are necessary to protect your hands from burns if they are accidentally exposed to hot air or boiling water;
• magnet for straightening metal parts or elements.

Preparing for repairs

A dent on a bumper can be deep or shallow, with or without damage to the paint layer. That is why, before starting to repair it, you must first inspect the damaged area and decide whether it is possible to carry out the repair in principle. If the bumper has cracks or other significant damage, repairing it is impractical and it would be better to buy a new product to replace the broken one. If the bumper looks slightly dented, it is quite possible to straighten it yourself.

In addition to a visual inspection, before starting repair work, it is necessary to clean the surface of the bumper from old paint and dirt. Since plastic is a fragile material, you should not use metal objects or emery for such cleaning. It is best to use special paint and varnish removers. In any case, they should not be aggressive. If you don’t have anything at hand, take regular brake fluid, but it is advisable to quickly wash it off so that it does not damage the paintwork remaining on the bumper.

Dent removal algorithm

Repairing a dent on a plastic bumper is carried out in accordance with the following algorithm:

1. the part is dismantled in order to have equal access to both its outer and inner surfaces;
2. The dent area is thoroughly washed and dried, ensuring that its entire surface is dry and clean on both sides. Traces of rust, dirt, and fungus that could interfere with the normal course of the restoration process are strictly excluded;
3. align the bumper after preliminary preparation you need a hairdryer, gradually warming it up. The entire repaired area must be uniformly heated to a temperature at which the plastic bumper softens, but there is no need to bring it to the melting point and you should press on it carefully during the work process. If this rule is not followed, the bumper will have to be repainted;
4. warming the product with a hairdryer, or watering hot water, pull out the dent with gradual circular movements, pressing on it from the side. It would be great if this type of dent straightening is done using a blunt metal object.
5. After warming up the bumper, you should wait a few minutes before straightening the dent, since under the influence of degrees high temperature, he can begin to straighten himself out, returning to his previous state;
6. after the part has taken on the old or received a new shape, and the dent has been eliminated, the bumper needs to be cooled at the site of damage using a wet rag, as well as a can of compressed air.

Remember that heated plastic is easily deformed, so you can only straighten it evenly on all sides.

What to do with difficult dents

It is easy to straighten the bumper if it is plastic and does not have serious damage, but if it is metal, it will be more difficult to correct the situation. To do this, you need a magnet that is magnetized to the edge of the dent. After this, it is heated with boiling water, pouring it over the surface of the dent. Next, the magnet is pulled towards itself with force, gradually moving it towards the center of the dent. As a result, it should at some point straighten out, making a characteristic sound. The metal parts on the plastic bumper are aligned in the same way.

If deep dents appear on the plastic bumper, use the original method. To do this, take a powerful hair dryer and use it to heat the area around the damage. Next, the heated dent is cooled using a can of compressed air until frost appears on it. After the frost melts, the dent should disappear, since the plastic should “remember” the shape it previously had.

In the same case, when the dent is located next to a repaired chip or crack, you should not restore the bumper yourself. In this case, it makes sense to contact a specialized workshop that performs body work. Here you will have damage of any severity and complexity repaired, even if it is located in problem areas.

conclusions

The design of the bumpers of modern cars and technical properties materials used for their manufacture make it possible to perform most repair work on one's own. To do this, you need to be careful and careful not to use excess physical strength and not damage the bumper. However, complex dents should be left to the attention of professionals, as they may be located in inconvenient places or self-removal may lead to failure of this structural element of the vehicle.

The process of removing a dent on a plastic bumper

Even experienced drivers sometimes cannot avoid damage to the bumper of their car.

Fixing a dent on a plastic bumper

Ride with dented bumper not very solid, so the problem will have to be fixed. You can do this by contacting a car repair shop or doing the repairs yourself. If you chose the second option, then detailed information About our necessary actions you will find further.

Preparatory stage

There are several ways to remove a dent from a plastic car bumper with your own hands. But before you start repairing, you need to understand whether independent restoration is possible in principle. Carry out a thorough inspection to identify the presence various damages. If the crack is too large, and the bumper itself is severely damaged, repairing it yourself is out of the question - you will have to go to a car repair shop. But you can easily handle a small dent and a couple of chips on the plastic bumper on your own.

Dent on plastic bumper

Before starting repairs, you need to carry out preparatory work. Remove old paint and dirt on the bumper. For this you can use special means to remove paint. Failing that, even ordinary acetone-based nail polish remover will do. On extreme case You can use brake fluid, but you need to wash it off as quickly as possible so as not to damage the rest of the coating.

Dent removal process

To carry out repair work to remove dents from a plastic bumper with your own hands, you will need:

• rubber or construction gloves to avoid damaging your hands;
• electric kettle or saucepan with boiling water;
• large container with cold water.

Removing dents with boiling water

To straighten the bumper, you can use a special hair dryer or simply boil water in an electric kettle. You can simply do this in your garage. The last method may seem dubious to you, but in practice many have already been convinced of its effectiveness. This is what we will look at in more detail.

Use hot water to pour hot water over the bumper in the area where the dent has formed. The manipulations will need to be repeated until it warms up thoroughly. If you use a hair dryer, be careful. In case of severe overheating, the plastic may begin to stretch, or the paintwork may come off. Therefore, hot water is even more preferable for a beginner.

Plastic is malleable, so as it heats up, the dent will gradually shrink and eventually disappear completely. The bumper will return to its original shape without much effort.

As soon as the damage completely disappears, the area where the defect was should be immediately filled with cold water. This way, the plastic bumper will cool down and the resulting effect will be firmly attached to it. The cooling process is important point in the bumper alignment procedure. This is especially true if you have been driving for a long time with a damaged one. The “memory” of the plastic bumper may have had time to change, and if the result is not fixed, the dent may appear again.

Unfortunately, some dents form in hard-to-reach areas and are not that easy to reach. For example, if they are on the bend or edge of the bumper. In this case, to straighten the bumper, you will need to physically impact the dent. The procedure in this case will be as follows:

• gradually heat the dent from the outside;
• take a blunt object (for example, a wooden block) and press in a circular motion on the inside of the dent to straighten the bumper;
• if a dent has formed on the edge, then pull it out first;
• Do not press in one place under any circumstances - a lump may form that will not be easy to remove.

If you use a hair dryer, it may take longer to restore the bumper. But this method does not always give a positive result. If you still managed to straighten the damaged area, do not forget about cooling with water. As a last resort, apply a wet rag to the former dent.

By the way, if the damage is minor, the bumper can even “heal itself.” Try leaving it under straight lines on a hot summer day sun rays. They will thoroughly warm up the plastic bumper, and the deformation will disappear. If this option does not help you, then you will have to heat it yourself.

Of course, it all depends on the type of plastic. If he belongs to the soft category, then the method given above will suit him perfectly. But with hard plastic things are a little more complicated. It bends with difficulty, so you will have to heat it almost to the melting point and press very hard.

ABS plastic deserves special mention. It heats up too quickly, so you need to be careful not to overheat. Otherwise, it will simply lose its shape, and it will be very difficult to restore the bumper.

Removing a dent from a bumper

As you can see, with such simple manipulations you can not only restore your car to its original appearance, but also save a significant amount of money. Just a few liters of water - and the bumper will be almost like new!

The bumper is a decorative part of the car, which gives its silhouette a unique completeness. However, in addition to the beautiful appearance, it also performs a protective function. Even though the strength of a plastic bumper is low, it can save the driver’s life in a collision by softening the blow, and if circumstances go well, the car will not receive even a scratch.

There are many ways to damage a bumper. Careless driving, collision with an obstacle or another car - after all this, bumper restoration is required. If it is not “killed” and can still be restored, then the car enthusiast is faced with the question of whether to carry out repairs on the bumper with his own hands or take it to a car dealership.

Despite the professionalism of specialists at car dealerships, bumpers are most often repaired carelessly. You will have to pay a significant amount for restoration. However, contrary to expectations, repairing and painting a bumper yourself is quite simple, and the cost of paint and materials will allow you to save on visiting a car dealership. In addition, this way you can control the quality of the repair yourself.

DIY scratch repair

Repairing a plastic bumper with your own hands is much easier if, of all the possible damage, your iron horse escaped with only scratches. For this you will need:

• coarse and fine-grained sandpaper;
• primer for plastic;
• car paint;
• coating varnish.

As a rule, all this is already available in the workshop of an avid car enthusiast.

The first step is to sand the scratch area. What is coarse sandpaper used for? It's worth your time Special attention, so as not to aggravate the problem - if you overdo it, you can deepen the area, while for successful repair it must be absolutely smooth. Next, we pick up a primer, also known as a primer for plastic, and carefully treat the scratch itself in two layers. Between applying the first and second coats, as well as before continuing to repair scratches on the bumper, it should take from half an hour to forty minutes.

Next comes cosmetic procedures. The area treated with primer is sanded with fine-grained sandpaper, dust and accumulated debris are removed and paint is applied. To completely hide a scratch, three or four layers are enough, but you should be extremely careful.

To ensure that the painted area does not stand out, it is necessary to select a paint that matches the overall color and tone, and also allow the layer to dry completely before applying the second one.

The final touch is to apply several layers of varnish to fix the paint. After such a thorough repair, your car will be ready for use in exactly 24 hours.

Dent on the bumper - how to straighten it out

Front bumper repair also often involves smoothing out dents. To do this, you don’t even need special tools - just have a kettle on hand in which you can boil water, as well as a means for removing debris and foreign paint. Typically acetone is used for this.

To correctly assess the extent of the damage, take your acetone and carefully wipe the dent, removing debris, as well as particles of someone else’s paint if the dent was formed from a collision with another car. The second stage of leveling the dent is indecently simple - you just need to pour boiling water over it until the damage disappears. Plastic is soft material with a low melting point, so under the influence of hot water it will easily return to its previous shape. You need to fix the result with cold water, thanks to which the bumper will become strong and solid again.

Repairing the rear bumper, like the front one, can become more complicated if the dent has formed in a difficult area. A special construction hair dryer will help you here - it will help soften the plastic even better than boiling water.

How to repair cracks and chips

Repairing a plastic bumper with your own hands is somewhat difficult if its integrity is damaged. However, it is quite possible to repair chips and cracks with your own hands at home, but you will have to tinker with this longer than with scratches or dents.

First of all, you need to purchase yourself a special repair kit, which includes:

• fiberglass - fabric one and a half to two meters long is enough even for the largest cracks;
• hardener;
• sandpaper;
• epoxy resin;
• putty for plastic.

Do-it-yourself bumper repair with fiberglass primarily depends on the quality and brand of the fiberglass itself. Recognized leaders in the car market are Belarusian and Polish options, which will not only help you fix all the damage, but will also strengthen the bumper after repair, preventing the appearance of cracks in the future.

Do-it-yourself bumper repair begins with filling the crack with fiberglass. Having identified the edges of the gap, it is necessary to connect them and fasten them with material, applying it in several layers for greater strength and reliability. Then, using fine-grained sandpaper, you need to sand the entire surface, paying special attention to the joints. This will prevent a second rupture in the same place.

Putty with a special additive is applied to the sanded area, which strengthens the material after drying. Next, it must be processed and sanded, and then coated with paint.

After all these procedures, the crack will be reliably hidden, and the bumper will not only become as good as new, but will also acquire additional protection.

As you can see, repairing a plastic bumper with your own hands, a video of which can be easily found on the Internet, is a simple procedure even for a person who does not have professional skills. Do-it-yourself repairs will allow you to feel the result of your work, as well as save a large amount of money that you would spend on visiting a car service center or buying a new bumper.

The method of repairing the car and the selection of material depend on the nature and extent of the defect.

Cracks

With impacts of medium force, not only damage to the paint layer occurs, but also rupture of the plastic. The intensity of use and the quality of the material can lead to the rapid expansion of cracks in the bumper.

Repair of a plastic bumper with such defects is carried out by heat welding or soldering. The main difficulty is the correct combination of the two damaged parts. Soldering of parts is carried out with a polymer having comparable viscosity and melting point, similar to the material of a car bumper.

Scratches

Only the surface is damaged, without compromising the integrity of the entire structure. Depending on the depth of the defect, various elimination techniques are used. If the scratch is shallow, do the usual painting at home, with forced drying with a low-temperature lamp (up to 60°C). Deep grooves are pre-primed and ground.

Dents

This type of deformation occurs from mechanical or thermal effects on the car bumper. Deformation of plastic can be in compression or tension. Large defects are accompanied by damage to the paint layer.
Repair of plastic bumpers is carried out by heating using a special high-temperature technical hair dryer. After softening the material, it is given its original shape.

Sequencing

Do-it-yourself bumper repair can be divided into several stages:

1. Restoring integrity. Are used various methods: gluing, welding or soldering.
2. Applying putty to the seams, smoothing and sanding the surface.

Heating method

Tools and materials used:

• high temperature hair dryer;
• grinder with polishing and grinding wheels;
• degreasing liquid;
• putty;
• paints and varnishes.

Work production technology

• The assembly is removed, and repair of the plastic bumper begins with complete cleaning of this part of the car. All fasteners and foreign objects are removed.
• The boundaries of the defective zone are outlined. Damaged working surface degreased and dried.
• The defect is heated from the inside of the part to prevent the paint layer from burning out. The process of softening the polymer should be done as quickly as possible so as not to affect neighboring areas.
• After the material acquires elasticity, leveling is performed. Impacts should not be applied to the car bumper, but to a special shaped gasket with rounded edges.
• After giving the area its original shape, the front side should be cleaned working area from caked paint. Sanding is carried out with a slight approach to undamaged areas of the coating so that the edges do not stand out.

Gluing

If the material for the car bumper is heat-resistant polymer or fiberglass, then the rear bumper is repaired by gluing it with fiberglass.

Tools and materials:

• grinder with polishing and grinding wheel;
• fiberglass;
• adhesive compositions based on epoxy or polyester resin;
• degreasing liquid;
• putty.

Repair technology

• The work surface is cleaned.
• When fiberglass breaks, threads form at the ends of the cracks, preventing the parts being glued to be tightly connected; they must be removed.
• The joined elements are fixed on the front side with special high-strength tape.
• From the inside, epoxy resin or a polyester adhesive mixture is applied to the previously cleaned and degreased surface. The crack and adjacent 2-5 cm surfaces are processed directly.
• A layer of fiberglass is impregnated with the same composition and applied to the damaged area. The number of layers of fabric should correspond to the thickness of the car bumper in the damaged area.
• After the patch has hardened, remove the tape from the front side. Along the edge of the fault, a V-shaped profile is made with a grinder; the gentle edge of the groove should converge into the middle of the patch. The resulting recess is filled with impregnated fiberglass in the same way, so that it protrudes slightly above the surface.
• After hardening, sanding, cleaning, degreasing and painting are carried out.

Welding and soldering

The most common repair method. There are many special repair kits available on the market. The bumper repair kit may include:

• special electrodes;
• staples with short legs or mesh for reinforcement;
• strips and plates made of low-melting polymer.

The set of tools used to repair the front bumper may include a high-temperature hair dryer or a soldering iron with a wide tip. Soldering cracks on a car bumper depends on the extent and nature of the damage.

Use of reinforcement

This home repair method is used if there are branched cracks. The edges are tightly brought together and fixed from the outside. The soldering iron should have a tip 1.5–2 cm wide. Using progressive movements, we press the sting into the plastic of the car bumper, placing it perpendicular to the crack.

Soldering is carried out along the entire length of the damage, seams are made with a minimum indentation of up to 0.5 cm, and metal staples or pieces of mesh are fused into the plastic every 2 cm. The resulting bumps and grooves are smeared over the surface. The same procedure is performed from the outside, excluding reinforcement.

Application of plastic electrodes

Repairing a plastic bumper with your own hands using special electrodes is even easier than soldering. To do this, you will need a special crevice nozzle for a hair dryer.

The edges of the cracks are pre-cut to a cone shape. A plastic electrode is placed on top. The hot air flow is directed to the point of its connection with the surface being treated.