How to Fix a Cracked Bumper

Auto bumpers are much prone to scratches and cracks. Repairing cracked bumpers on time is much essential so as to keep your automobile looking great as both front and rear bumpers are prominent parts of the car.

Bumpers often develop cracks that might be minor or major due to accidents or other reasons. While changing the entire bumper for a small crack is not a smart solution, you can simply try repairing it and restoring its original look.

Repairing car bumper is not a tough job, if you have all the essential tools and products with you. Soldering iron is much commonly used to fix up such cracked automobile parts. So, let us move on to learn how to fix a cracked bumper in detail.

First step of the project is to take off the auto bumper. Make sure that you place the nuts and bolts in place and then collect the tools required for working on this project. Start the procedure by thoroughly cleaning the damaged auto bumper from inside and outside.

You can use soapy water prepared using a car shampoo for the same. After the accumulated dirt and dust is removed, clean it once again using plain water. Dry the surface thoroughly using clean pieces of dry rough cloths.

Start sanding the surface with a 240 grit sandpaper followed by 500 grit sandpaper to make the surface plain and ready for further procedure. Rub the cracked and adjacent area while using the sandpaper.

Now take the soldering iron with a flat tip, plug it and switch it on. If you are using soldering iron for the first time, then read on its 'how to use' guide. Start with the primary step after the soldering iron is heated up. Hold the bumper in a way, so that its inner side is facing upwards. Now, you have to join the two parts of bumper, which are separated due to the crack by melting them and pulling and pressing them into the aperture.

So, hold the bumper tight with one hand and start pressing the heated tip of soldering iron, deep into the bumper so as to pull the plastic/metal from one side towards the other and vice-versa. The sides will be melted and joined so as to fill up the hole. Now, switch off the soldering iron and leave the bumper for cooling.

Take a 240 grit sandpaper and again sand the soldered area and a few inches besides it. Make sure that you sand it well and leave no bumps on this area. Next, take flexible putty and apply it to the sanded area. Make sure that you fill in the valleys and level off the raised spots.

Once the putty is applied, sand the surface using 150 grit sandpaper. Make sure that you apply minimal pressure while sanding the surface after flexible putty is applied. Further sand it using a 240 grit sandpaper and finish off this step by using a 320 grit sandpaper to have a plain and leveled surface.

Now, apply a flat and thin coat of car primer on the damaged surface. Once the same is thoroughly dried off, you can apply one more coat of primer. Once the primed surface is dry, it is time to paint it. Choose the right type and shade of car paint color so as to avoid a patchy look. You can choose to spray paint or apply the paint color using a paint brush. 2-3 coats can be enough to give a nice finish to the damaged bumper.

Well, your bumper is fixed and ready to be installed in place. I am sure that you will not have a tough time working on this simple project by following the aforementioned guide.

Though there are many alternatives like adhesives and cover-up solutions available in the market which can hide-off the visible damages on your bumper, using a soldering iron is known to be the best way to repair car bumper.

The cost to fix a cracked bumper is much lesser if you work on the project yourself. So, collect the tools, repair the bumper and get set to drive off your classy speed machine.