Repairing bumpers with your own hands at home (photo)

With the development of the very first cars suchdetail, like a bumper, was designed to protect the body and doors from damage caused by collisions on the road or collision with obstacles.

Bumpers, like all the other elements, weremade of metal, they had high strength, and their repair, as a rule, consisted in the elementary restoration of the original form by the straightening method. The main participants in such events were welding machines, as well as hammers and sledge hammers of various sizes and types (metal, plastic, wooden, rubber).

Modern bumpers and their repair

Today, the leaders of the automotive industryprefer to use polymers to make as many details as possible. These materials have the necessary texture and strength, and also have a number of other significant advantages:

• A light weight.
• Relatively low price.
• Ease of processing.
• Immunity to corrosive processes.

Based on these characteristics, you canto conclude that the plastic bumpers can reduce fuel consumption (by facilitating the car), improve the aerodynamic properties of the vehicle due to its streamlined form, as well as reduce the costs of the owner of the car for repair or replacement in case of damage.

In addition, the repair of bumpers with their own hands inhome conditions is much easier and faster. The answer to all possible objections of novice motorists concerning the strength of bumpers from various types of plastic can be numerous test drives. They clearly illustrate how this part, when squashed in a collision, extinguishes part of the energy and effectively protects the engine and body.

Causes and types of bumper damage

Most often, the car's bumper suffers fromcarelessness or inattention of the driver, or due to circumstances beyond his control. The location of the repair shops allows you to quickly repair bumpers (HLW and other districts). The main reasons for contacting specialists are:

• Natural wear (impact of destructive weather factors, gravel, gravel).
• The falling of heavy objects on the part, a strong blow.
• Unsuccessful parking.
• A run on a curb or other obstacle.
• Emergency situation on the road.

The result of such adverse situations is often the surface damage to the bumper or its mechanical failure (cracks, chips, deformation).

General principles of repair and restoration works

Noticing a crack or chip on its bumpervehicle, you should not rush to the repair shop, because even with the minimum availability of tools and experience, it is possible to effectively repair bumpers with your own hands at home.

One of the main conditions of productive restorationautomotive parts made of polymer materials is the correct selection of materials and technology. Repair of plastic bumpers reduces to the assembly of damaged elements (if necessary, fragments with a similar composition are added instead of missing parts), careful comparison of their edges and fixation with the help of glue or soldering apparatus.

Finishing stage, which completes the repair of bumpers on their own, is polishing and painting. These activities are carried out after the main repair of the part, its puttying and stripping.

Remedy for easy damage

As a result of a collision, the bumper takesa significant part of the impact, in which an inevitable damage to its integrity occurs. The severity and nature of the breakdown can range from minor scratches on the paint to serious dents and the dropping of plastic debris.

In those cases where the car's bumper does not havedeep or through damage, and the paint layer remained unscathed, it is possible to repair the bumpers with your own hands without painting. This procedure requires the presence of a construction hair dryer and automotive polish. The bumper material under the influence of high temperature expands, pushing out the dent and taking the original shape. Any attempts to level the surface of the bumper without heating will lead to exfoliation of the paint and increased cost of repair work.

After the detail is leveled, it is necessary to walk along it with polish, which will help to hide small scratches and abrasions.

Preparatory work

Those owners of vehicles that do notlucky enough to get off with a slight fright and a few scratches on the bumper, you have to look for ways to restore the damaged part. Repairing bumpers with your own hands at home requires a certain skill, consumables and tools.
In addition, it is necessary to properly select the technology of restoring a plastic part, taking into account the type of polymer material and its composition, and also to follow the sequence of work.

The choice of repair method depends on several factors:

• type of polymer;
• the degree of damage;
• financial opportunities of the car owner.

Find out what plastic bumper is made from, by looking at the markings on the back of the part. This information is important, since not all types of plastic are amenable to soldering.

To the preparatory work can be attributed to the search andpurchase of plastic, as well as a metal mesh for applying patches (if necessary), mixtures for grinding, puttying and painting, sandpaper, spatulas, soldering iron and grinding machine.

Methods for restoring the integrity of the bumper

There are several popular methods for comparing parts of a broken bumper, each of them has its own specifics and characteristics.

• Traditional - Soldering the broken edges with a soldering iron (with or without plastic pads).
• The method of parallel seams - isthe introduction of metal pins into the plastic from the back of the bumper. For this purpose, use wire or nails, freed from hats. Soldered seams are designed to strengthen the bumper structure, give it rigidity and prevent a new fault at the repair site.
• "Snake" - is similar to the previous method, only copper wires are used instead of pins.
• A patch made from a grid or grid is one of the most convenient methods. Flexible metal mesh soldered into plastic, allowing quick and reliable repair of bumpers with your own hands at home.
  

Insert patches and seams into plastic preferably withback of the part. However, if this is not possible, you can solder them on the front side, carefully grinding and covering with several layers of putty in the next stages.

How to replace missing parts of a part

In some cases, if the plastic is damagedThe bumper can split into several fragments, which get enough sleep and get lost. Without these elements, there is no way to restore the part, so experts recommend replacing them with similar plastic patches, metal grilles or fiberglass. Small chips can be filled with epoxy glue and special putty.

The repair of bumpers made of fiberglass is distinguished by the materials used: epoxy resins, fiberglass material, special putty containing fiberglass.

Painting car bumper

After all global damage is eliminated, and the restored bumper surface is thoroughly ground and degreased, you can start painting.

Beforehand, the part should be covered with a layerprimer and allow it to dry. Carrying out repairs of bumpers with their own hands ("Priora universal", "Hatchback" and other avtomobili) and applying a paint and varnish layer, it is necessary to adhere to the manufacturer's recommendations, which are indicated on the cylinder. Often, they relate to the method of spraying, the distance to the surface, the nature of the master's movements and the drying time of the paint and varnish.

Given the consistently high level of popularityindependent repair automobile works, on the Internet there are more and more practical advice and instructions that allow repairing bumpers with your own hands. Photos, videos, comments from the masters and a step-by-step description of all phases really help to ensure high-quality and economical maintenance of your car.