Here’s how to fix damage to a plastic bumper, right through to repairing the paintwork using colour-matched car paint. Fixing dents and gouges Tools Thoroughly clean the bumper inside and out. Any dirt or grease will stop the filler bonding properly and ruin the appearance of the repair. Allow to dry and wipe down with solvent wipes, which are usually included in the kit.

An online search for ‘plastic bumper repair kit’ is likely to result only in products used to repair structural damage to the bumper or trim, such as hot staplers and plastic welders. With the bumper or trim now repaired and smooth (or textured, as the case may be), it’s time to prepare it for the top coat. Promoting Paint Adhesion For the rest of the repair, from filling and texturing to topcoat, the PlastiColour Bumper Repair Kit from ProXL is a perfect choice. This contains everything you need to get started, in a convenient storage box: After use, turn the aerosol upside down to empty the nozzle valve to clean, so you can use it again if you need to. Hopefully, you won’t! Once hardened, finish the sanding with wet fine grit sandpaper for a really smooth finish and wipe away any dust.PlastiColour plastic bumper and trim paints from ProXL come in a choice of nine tints that match the most commonly used plastic trim colours: Apply your plastic filler, filling the damage so it’s standing proud of surface level. Let it harden. While paint adhesion to plastic bumpers and trims isn’t as straightforward as it is on primed body panels, using an adhesion promoter will significantly improve the result.

Apply a liberal amount of repair material to the damaged area so that you make the surface a little higher than surrounding bumper. Use a spreader like a squeegee to carefully smooth out the filler. Make sure to push the filler into any scratches to fill them right to the bottom. Cover with smoothing film if supplied and allow to dry and fully harden. Repeat the same for the car paint. Let it dry for 15 minutes before applying a second coat if necessary. Either vertically or horizontally, apply the primer in smooth cross coats 250mm distance from the repair.Minor damage to a car bumper is frequently in the form of a dent which can often be repaired by simply applying hot water or air to the area until the dent pops out of its own accord, leaving only minor surface blemishes to be treated. But if the bumper or plastic trim is split it will need further work to restore its structural strength. There are several ways of doing this, including Hot Stapling And Plastic Welding Remove the masking tape and sand down the damage at the front to make the area a little low and create a rough surface for bonding. Apply bonding liquid if supplied. PlastiGrip from ProXL is a fast-drying, clear adhesion promoter that will prepare the repaired surface perfectly for top coating within 10-30 minutes. Adding The Colour Coat

Cut a section of mesh to size and put it to one side. Make sure it will overlay the damaged area with good margins on all sides - 20-30mm should be sufficient. After any paint repair, it’s best to wax the car, preferably professionally to keep the paint in the best condition. Wait at least a week after the repair before waxing. ProTex Textures are also easily overcoated with ProXL PlastiColour topcoat paints, which we will come to shortly. Applying The Finishing CoatOnce the adhesion promoter is dry you can add the final coat. If the bumper or trim is the same colour as the rest of the car, you’ll use paints that match the OEM colour reference and follow the instructions, but what if the bumper or trim is self-coloured plastic?