Bumper cover repair

[dchristian]

I have a tear in the front bumper cover on 2007 Honda Accord. Some one with a trailer hitch backed into it. It is a big tear about 4 inches, no missing pieces. New cover is $214. Is it worth trying to fix the old one with adhesive. Any one tried one of the plastic welders?
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[88GT]

cost effectiveness of repair has everything to do with where the tear is at. Does it go to the edge? Is it near complex shapes? 214 is cheap for a bumper cover.

[dchristian]

It is right in the center. $214 is the price from the local Honda dealer, who has it in stock, aftermarket is $147, I was shocked. I figure that it will probably for the time and material, it would be best to replace it. added photo

[88GT]

myself, I would repair. It would take about 2 hours. still a inexpensive bumper though. Id use Duramix 40/50 on the back. Im sure Len sells the fusor equivelent, and use evercoat everflex on the front, after heating it back into shape a bit better

[mmooney84]

I can get aftermarket bumper for that car for $80 bucks. I have never had good luck repairing bumpers with rips that bad in them. Especially in a noticeable place like. That. Unless you have several years auto body experience just replace the bumper and repaint it.

[style]

i found aftermarket locally for 45.00 but thats an easy fix get a heat gun and melt the plastic at the edges of the tear then get a paint mixing stick and spred the plastic across and melt it back together then scuff it and put a drop of plastic filler then block sand 180grit then prime and spot paint that area and clear whole bumper..

[Chris L]

If you heat an area that large with a heat gun enough to melt it..you will have a disaster on your hands.I have had pretty good luck using a flat attachment that came with my soldering gun.heat it and melt the crack back together on both sides...then prep with either sanding then gluing for extra security..or using flexible putty to finish it up.

[style]

If you heat an area that large with a heat gun enough to melt it..you will have a disaster on your hands.I have had pretty good luck using a flat attachment that came with my soldering gun.heat it and melt the crack back together on both sides...then prep with either sanding then gluing for extra security..or using flexible putty to finish it up.

well over here in north juarez we dont have all those fancey tools. .

were not rich like you,all we have is whatever we steal from the american tax payers through wellfair and medicade....

[Len]

If you heat an area that large with a heat gun enough to melt it..you will have a disaster on your hands.I have had pretty good luck using a flat attachment that came with my soldering gun.heat it and melt the crack back together on both sides...then prep with either sanding then gluing for extra security..or using flexible putty to finish it up.

I agree, you can heat it to relax the plastic and move it into position then grind and patch using reinforcing mesh and adhesive. I would probably use a heat gun to warm the plastic then massage it into place by hand using gloves.

I'd say that fixing it is a toss up... if you are a busy person or shop then throw on a new bumper cover but if you have time repair it properly for the same money.

[showcar]

That's an easy fix. Do what Len said.

Use a heat gun to get it in place, sand off paint on outside edge. V Groove backside and if you got a plastic welder stitch tamp the edges together. Then you cake on your plastic repair on the backside after using adhesion promoter to bare plastic and lay in your matting and squish it in there to get out any air and put more on top. It doesn't have to look pretty from the back. Let it cure. Come back and v groove the front side and lay some in the front side. Sand and topcoat with a flexible poly putty

[Phil V]

If you have to buy the materials to repair that bumper then you could have $50 to $100 just in a two part repair kit, flexible spot putty, flexible primer, adhesion promoter etc etc. Another thing to consider is that damage goes a lot further than just 4" tear in the plastic. Picture in your mind that the bumper cover was made out of stamped sheet metal instead of plastic. In order to make a tear like that there will be high spots and lows spots around that 4" cut that could radiate outwards a foot or more away from the hole in the plastic. Those high spots (ridges) would have to be heated up and forced back down. There might also be damage to the bumper reinforcement behind the bumper cover which needs to be addressed also. If the reinforcement is damaged then even a new bumper cover would not look right installed.

To me based on the cost of an aftermarket cover I'd say it s a no brainer, toss the damaged bumper cover and replace it with a new one.

[showcar]

Phil, most shops out here would replace it, but there's some exceptions...

The charger bumper covers which surround the grill. Those are over $500 easily.

I did one of the those with 2 tears in the middle and tearing on the EDGES of the mounting area by the wheel. I thought it should have been replaced due to the tears on the edges being a weak spot and the rock chips just adding more time but I had to repair it.

If I was an estimator I'd write that up as an R&R but if it was my own I'd do it myself, but if I have no materials might as well replace it.

[another2centsworth]

I have repaired several bumpers using this SEM number. I do it first using Len's "heat gun method" to relax and reposition. Then "V" it out. Scuff with coarse paper...80 grit minimum. Follow SEM instructions. Final fill with glazing putty. No problem if you have more time than money......Best Wishes.

[mmooney84]

The fact of the matter is ... Unless he has the plastic bumper repair material, a heat gun, plastic soldering kit, some poly flex, some good primer.. Then he is going to spend more money buying materials than an aftermarket bumper. Plus if he doesnt have much experience with filler work then he is going to do all that work and have a piss poor results.

[Len]

I have repaired several bumpers using this SEM number. I do it first using Len's "heat gun method" to relax and reposition. Then "V" it out. Scuff with coarse paper...80 grit minimum. Follow SEM instructions. Final fill with glazing putty. No problem if you have more time than money......Best Wishes.

That's definitely the quick and cheap method but it's not going to hold up unless you use an adhesion promoter and reinforcing mesh. Also you should never use a rigid glazing putty on flexible plastic because it will almost always shorten the life of the repair. This SEM method may be ok for dealer work but I wouldn't want to use it on a customer's car or anything that you want to hold up well.