plastic bumper: paint flaking off

G

gnahc79

New member
So my gf's tan '97 accord has some paint on the rear bumper starting to flake off, about 1.5" in diameter if I peel all of the flaking paint.

I obviously can't use the mother's scratch kit or scratchx. Do I just remove the flaking paint and sand the remaining area (what grit?). Will I need to "glue" down the area to prevent further flaking? She's not a clean car freak like us, so I just want to prevent any more damage.



CJ
 
I honestly don't know how you would "glue" the paint down, and , it will likely lift inside the existing edges of the paint anyway, so gluing just the edge won't help either.



On a urethane bumper, you must use a "plastic prep" product before you paint, otherwise any new paint won't be able to bond and will just flake off in a similar fashion. (If her car was ever repainted it's likely they skipped this step).

If you want to attempt a spot repair, you have to wet sand the area, feathering the paint around the spot till your fingers can't feel a transition from the unpainted to painted areas, then apply the plastic prep, then a plastic primer (preferably) then paint with an elastomer (flex) agent, or use a high quality paint like PPG or DuPont ChromaBase which is already elastomeric (no flex agent needed).



Not really a simple process. You're probably better off just taking it to a shop and have it redone for ~$125 to $175 because the materials alone will cost you half that.



Best of luck either way.
 
cool, thanks for the info! I would use all of those materials only once anyways, she'll probably just leave it as is. I just need to be careful around that area.
 
You're welcome.



Because the problem is the bond between the underside of the paint and the lower substrate (plastic, primer or both) there's really no way to physically tend to that bond, or lack thereof, since you can't get to it without removing the paint to do so.



A "cheapo" spot repair can be attempted (won't look so great, but probably better than it is currently) by feathering the edges of the flaking with 600-800 grit wet paper, then using a DupliColor shaker can of paint, followed by a DupliColor clear. Unless you clear the whole bumper (or tape off along a seam etc.) though you'll see a clearcoat edge/line as it won't "blend" with the existing clear. It takes a special urethane blending clear that "melts in" to do that, and it's not sold to the general public.





Even then, there's no guarantee though that the paint along the edges you sanded won't continue lifting even with the new paint over it. Cheers. :)
 
Guitarman said:
On a urethane bumper, you must use a "plastic prep" product before you paint, otherwise any new paint won't be able to bond and will just flake off in a similar fashion
Click to expand...



Got any product names? I got a spot on my bumper where it was scratched down to the plastic...its a good size chip but its repearable if I know the right way to prep it
 
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