What would you do?

[ca.detailchick]

So I was taking a walk on my street and noticed this guy working on my neighbors bumper and the owner I know just as a friendly neighbor for many years,we chat every time we cross paths on the same street.

The guy was doing a bumper repair all wrong with bondo on a plastic bumper(large area too). I asked him if the bondo was going to stick knowing darn well it wont in the long run and will crack off.

He got a little defensive and said it will stick and made a joke and asked if I came to spy on his work.:D

I backed off and said I would shutup and sure he knows what hes doing.


Anyway I feel bad for my neighbor getting a bad repair but dont want to say anything to make the guy look bad either.:hmmm:

What would you do ?

[Orinda Auto Detail]

So I was taking a walk on my street and noticed this guy working on my neighbors bumper and the owner I know just as a friendly neighbor for many years,we chat every time we cross paths on the same street.

The guy was doing a bumper repair all wrong with bondo on a plastic bumper(large area too). I asked him if the bondo was going to stick knowing darn well it wont in the long run and will crack off.

He got a little defensive and said it will stick and made a joke and asked if I came to spy on his work.:D

I backed off and said I would shutup and sure he knows what hes doing.


Anyway I feel bad for my neighbor getting a bad repair but dont want to say anything to make the guy look bad either.:hmmm:

What would you do ?

Well IMO if he is using bondo on bumper cover maybe the customer did not want to buy a new cover(some cost as much 1500$ with an average 4-500, before paint) I personally do this all the time with no adverse affects as long as its no more than 1/8th inch thick of bondo I`ve never had problems with it. When I do these job I tell the customer I could get it 80-90% like this or we could replace the bumper cover and it`ll be perfect except for the fact I paint out side, so there is a small amount of dust that could be in the paint that will require sanding later. Then I explain that`s why I`m half the price of a body shop, no booth. If the person doing it is a good "Touch up" guy I`m sure it`ll be fine. If he is dishonest and sold it as "Perfect" which we know cant be when painting out side then that`s a whole different story. Hope this helps DC!

[Trouble]

We are suppose to protect are neighbors when possible. I would`ve told dude doing the repairs he was a hack and that his work is crap!


:swirly:

[ca.detailchick]

Well IMO if he is using bondo on bumper cover maybe the customer did not want to buy a new cover(some cost as much 1500$ with an average 4-500, before paint) I personally do this all the time with no adverse affects as long as its no more than 1/8th inch thick of bondo I`ve never had problems with it. When I do these job I tell the customer I could get it 80-90% like this or we could replace the bumper cover and it`ll be perfect except for the fact I paint out side, so there is a small amount of dust that could be in the paint that will require sanding later. Then I explain that`s why I`m half the price of a body shop, no booth. If the person doing it is a good "Touch up" guy I`m sure it`ll be fine. If he is dishonest and sold it as "Perfect" which we know cant be when painting out side then that`s a whole different story. Hope this helps DC!Im glad you havent had any trouble using bondo on plastic bumpers. That makes me feel better just to mind my own business and stay out of it.

But this is not how I was taught to do bumper repairs in the auto body shops. They make special flexible fillers for bumpers and special adhesion promotors to help the bonding proccess . Special primers and flex agent added to the paint also .

I was always told in the shops bondo will crack over time on plastic bumpers because its not flexible.

Time will tell! :inspector:

[ca.detailchick]

We are suppose to protect are neighbors when possible. I would`ve told dude doing the repairs he was a hack and that his work is crap!


:swirly:
LOL trouble ,that I would never do!!

[Trouble]

LOL trouble ,that I would never do!!

Well then you shouldn`ve asked :ass

[ca.detailchick]

Well then you shouldn`ve asked :ass
Did you just call me an ass?

[Orinda Auto Detail]

Did you just call me an ass?

:rofl

[jtford95]

I think I would have said something to your neighbor about it and let them deal with it.

[ca.detailchick]

I think I would have said something to your neighbor about it and let them deal with it.I wanted to but they were both there at the time and they seemed to be buddies so the more I think about it I would rather not get involved.

If he werent a friend doing the repair I might think about saying something.

[ca.detailchick]

Well then you shouldn`ve asked :ass
Really Trouble?!

Just because I didnt take your advice doesnt mean you have to get nasty about it.

[Nth Degree]

If a neighbor/friend/family member knows what I do and doesn`t ask me for a recommendation then they get what`s coming to them. I would simply keep my mouth shut at the time, then keep an eye on the repair. The minute it starts to go south I would then point it out and suggest in the future they come to me first.

[Addicted2Bling]

Im glad you havent had any trouble using bondo on plastic bumpers. That makes me feel better just to mind my own business and stay out of it.

But this is not how I was taught to do bumper repairs in the auto body shops. They make special flexible fillers for bumpers and special adhesion promotors to help the bonding proccess . Special primers and flex agent added to the paint also .

I was always told in the shops bondo will crack over time on plastic bumpers because its not flexible.

Time will tell! :inspector:

Hey I`m curious what did you guys use to fill in?

[ca.detailchick]

Hey I`m curious what did you guys use to fill in?
Its been over 15 years since Ive done any work in body shops and I dont exactly remember the product ,was probably 3M or SEM. Its a 2 part system you mix together ,black and gooey and you can apply it and sand it like you would bondo. If you google flexible plastic bumper repair you will find a few products available.

Its a much stronger repair and flexible ,unlike bondo.

[ShaneB]

the 3M stuff is AWESOME for plastics. Ive used it a few times. Using bondo on plastic is a big no no. Just not made to adhere to plastic. Will it last for awhile? sure. Will a proper product last a heck of a lot longer? Yup