Polishing Bumpers...

[Kriminal]

Would you consider a PC7424 + Menzerna PO106FF to be a safe mix for polishing the plastic bumpers on my car ? :confused:



It`s just that I hear sooo much about "burning", I`m a bit concerned that I`ll mess things up :nervous2:

[Accumulator]

While I haven`t used that Menzerna polish, I`ve used the PC/Cyclo/even rotary on the plastic bumper covers of our Audis with no problems at all.

[coupe]

No worry`s, just do it.

[BlackElantraGT]

How about with a rotary? Many of you warn about plastics when using a rotary, and for some reason I only think about plastic trim pieces, but does this include painted plastic bumpers too?

[Accumulator]

You *do* have to be careful because the plastic won`t absorb heat the way metal will so the paint can get (too) hot...or at least that`s what I think happens. But on the Audis it`s just never been a problem for me. Note that I`m *very* careful and I don`t crank up the speed though.

[gthirtyfizle]

I have heard it is almost impossible to mess up paint with the PC7424. This is why I baught it, lol.

[SVR]

It shouldn`t be a problem with the rotary. Just watch the speed and keep the machine moving quickly

The strongest I`ve used is 1500 grit polish

[jtford95]

You can use a rotory buffer on rubber bumpers without damaging them .:buffing:

[LeadingEdgeDetail]

I agree, you can, but damn, be careful!



Front bumper on a Mazda Protoge5 was my worst error... Using a rotary, I was bending wrong or something, and caught the edge of the pad. There wasn`t an edge on the bumper or anything, but the force of it catching ripped the paint right off (Since bumper paint is much softer than regular paint!!!)



I try to shy away from rotary on bumpers, but will do it if needed.



PC7424 with a 4" pad does great corrections on bumpers, and you can fit in many more places!

[Kriminal]

Phew ! That`s great - thanks for the help (and tips). I just wanted to check with you guys before I go sending in pictures of what I shouldn`t have done :2thumbs:

[LeadingEdgeDetail]

My mistake was on I believe the 3rd car I detailed... so I was fairly new at it ;)



$300 bodyshop bill later, lesson was learned!

[qadsan]

You can definitely burn the paint on a plastic bumper using just a PC. I`ve seen it happen and have personally demonstrated it to people on on a test bumper I had from a crashed vehicle. I`ve also had a couple vehicles come to me last year with spots of cloudy and or dirty gummy paint on their bumpers, which are classic signs of burned paint on plastic panels. I`ve always been able to greatly improve the finish to where it looks nearly perfect by hand polishing the area with ScratchX. It often takes me at *least* a half dozen applications, but it clears up that cloudy gummy dirty paint little by little with each application. I`ve tried to correct these problems by machine and I`ve had very little luck, even at the slowest of speeds, but working them by hand has been the best solution for me so far. On the vehicles I detail, I always use a rotary and or PC on plastic bumpers, but I always use them at lower speeds and definitely with caution.