Looking for help with bumper repair

E

eljay

New member
So, one day I come out to see this nasty surprise on my bumper. See the pics of the scuffs and a dent in the last picture. I would like to fix this myself to keep the cost down. This is my 12-year old VW Golf daily driver, so carshow level repair is not required as there are other spots on the car that need to be addressed first before I even think about polishing the paint.



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How should I go about fixing this?



Here's what I plan to do including links to products available to me:

1. Clean the scuffs and dent area with a degreaser (Is this Simple Green Max cleaner ok?)

2. Fill in the dent and the deeper scuff grooves with KwikPlastik

3. Sand down to level out the filler (what grits should I use?)

4. Spray primer on it (don't laugh, but I have some Rust Check rust inhibiting primer spray. Would that work too? I don't want to buy another primer just for this spot if I don't have to. :) )

3. Sand down primer (1000 grit?)

4. Spray with color-matched Uni-Black spray paint with flex agent in it

5. Sand down (2000 grit?)

6. Polish

7. Wax



Would the above linked products work? I realize there are probably many better products, but I'm trying to keep the cost low.



I do not want to consider taking it to a body shop as I got estimates that are much more than what I'd like to spend. I even bought a used bumper that has no dents etc., but has many more small scratches and scuffs than my bumper and would likely need more work than my damaged one. (Yeah, I jumped into buying the used one too quickly).



Thank you for your help!
 
About all I can add is that it appears that the damage is not "metal" related, but the plastic used for the facsia and trim.

Not need for the rust inhibiting primer, use an "acid etch" primer after the bondo, etc repairs, then sand it with 220 and then apply the surface primer, sand it smooth and go on with your program.

Grumpy
 
Ron Ketcham said:
About all I can add is that it appears that the damage is not "metal" related, but the plastic used for the facsia and trim.

Not need for the rust inhibiting primer, use an "acid etch" primer after the bondo, etc repairs, then sand it with 220 and then apply the surface primer, sand it smooth and go on with your program.

Grumpy
Click to expand...

Thank you.

OK, I'll look for the two primers you mentioned. I thought I could cheat with my Rust Check primer. :)

Are the sandpaper grits I listed OK for each step or should I use something different?

Can I use 220 on the filler and then again for the etch primer?
 
Read the product container closely as the use of the incorrect primers can create serious problems. Use a primer they specify.

Sanding the primer with 1000 will not allow the base coat or others to adhere.

You may wish to give a light scuff with 320 or 400 before applying the base coat.

Follow directions on the product, as some say to scuff the base before the clear(will tell you what grit), some say not, just do it in a specified time.

Grumpy
 
Looking at that last picture, is there a rip or noticeable indentation in the plastic? If you can paint, I have used a 3M product called Dynatron. You mix it, apply, sand; the end result is plastic where it needs to be. You have to paint afterwards. I have a local paint supplier that sells rattle cans of clear that have a hardener that you activate (~$30). I'm sure that these cans are available all over. I have had great success using them on bumpers. The big down side is that it doesn't put out clear like a gun would. You have to really wet sand and buff in order to correctly blend the paint. But it is much less expensive that paying to have it painted and my results have been just as good as a shop's.
 
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