I have just bought a 205 XL 1.1, the last owner sprayed the bumpers black, but he didnt take his time, so all the paint is peeling, i want to strip down the bumpers and respary them. i have borrowed an electronic sprayer but i wnat to know hte best way to get the paint to last?
Cheers
Chris
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make them last?
buy a second hand pair of good condition bumpers - take them to a body shop and have them prepared and sprayed properly.
If you must do it yourself, at least hire a proper spray gun and compressor.
If you must use the bumpers you've already got then it's all in the preparation. Sand the black paint off using 600 or 800 grit wet & dry and copious amounts of water. As you get down to the original colour move towards 1200 grit.
I've got an electric sprayer that I use to paint fences etc. I wouldn't go near a car with it. You would probably get better results using large spray cans from Halfords.
Clean down the surface with tack rags just before each coat of paint. Between coats rub down LIGHTLY with 1500 grit (wet).
As a cost effective alternative to get a good finish, you could do most of the prep yourself and then take the bumpers to a local spray shop for the final job.
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well im looking to do a decent job, im taking the bumpers off the car, removing reg plates, lights etc. thanks for the tips, is there not any sort of top coat that will protect it? i was thinking of using clear lacquer, would this not do the job?
Cheers
Chris
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no need for laquer unless its metallic paint. Just keep it clean and regularly polished with a good brand wax polish.
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Aaarghh! 205 bumpers were never intended to be painted or coated. They are made of some sort of filled composite with a coloured surface (not paint). The appearance can be much improved by Autoglym Bumper Care (I think it's called) which lasts a few months before another coat is needed. If your bumper is painted already you won't find it easy to remove without getting a patchy effect. Better to get second-hand bumpers from a dismantler.
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I can confirm that AutoGlym bumper stuff works a treat on even the most faded bumpers, and unlike other products actually lasts more than a week. Save yourself the effort and liberate the bumpers from a scrapper and get a bottle of autoglym as suggested by Andrew.
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The problem with a lot of bumpers is that the plastic contains mould release agents to make them easier to remove after moulding. Unfortunately, these agents also do a damn good job of releasing paint as well. In most cases, you need a special primer first which enables the paint to stick properly.
Andy
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Andrew and Andy are right. There are some bumpers that will take paint with a primer and others that will never hold onto it because of this "waxy" agent released for ever.
For example many Citroen OE bumpers will take paint with the primer but there are some pattern ones that will have the paint flaking after a few weeks/months. They are easy to tell because of that "washing up bowl" feel.
I think the Ka (just the early ones?) bumpers have this no-paint problem.
David
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There are great differences in the vulnerability of bumpers.
I have to take my wife as an out patient to an entrance at the local hospital where she can get a wheelchair, as she cannot walk far. The place is also used by ambulances. Although it is not the facility for emergencies they expect you to get out of their way any old how, perhaps because it is tea break time. There is an upright steel post for some obscure purpose, craftily low enough not to be seen through a rear window. I got harried into this with the Leganza a while back. No damage, except that the paint just fell off here and there in sheets, revealing the black plastic material. I was a bit taken aback at the bill!
So, you can imagine my horror when there was, in similar circumstances, a familiar bump at the back of Proton the other day. I scarcely cared to look, but when I did, not a trace of the impact was there. Whether there is tough and flexible paint or the thing is self coloured I do not know, but it is clearly the machine to have to go to Tesco!
Information on which sort a car has could help in deciding which of two cars to buy, but I can't think how you'd get it.
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Sorry to hijack the thread back to Land Rovers, but, boy do they have bumpers! And they are bolted straight to the chassis.
Last night I had the job of pulling out a yew tree. The tow hitch is bolted to the bumper; attached a strong rope between the hitch and tree, selected low/reverse and out she came. Try that with a plastic bumper.
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