Greetings, can anyone link me to a good beginner's video for touching up a bumper cover ? I'm just looking to do a quick/basic touch up on the bumper cover scratches. I'm assuming I need to buy a spray paint can rather than paint pens since it's a large area ? Paint code is 1E3 Phantom Grey Pearl. I've viewed several "how to" videos but they often leave out steps or don't list the supplies needed. I'd don't have/would like to skip things like Bondo and power tools/buffers. In one video, rubbing alcohol looked useful instead of buying extra cans of chemicals.

 

The bumper cover may be made of polyurethane, polypropelene or such and not fiberglass.

There is product called "glazing and spotting filler" which can fill in minor surface imperfections. This product is used after the body filler (if used) is sanded and there are still minor issues such as pits, scratched etc. It doesn't need a hardener and sands easy.

Clean any areas where the spot filler will be applied with denatured alcohol on a lint free cloth. Don't use paper towels! Note that the filler may not hold well if applied to a painted area. Apply the filler material, let dry, sand with something like 600 grit wet dry paper. Scuff up any areas to be painted with 600 grit paper to provide grip for the new paint, clean and let dry. Clean area again with alcohol. One can get something called a Tack Cloth that when gently rubbed over the clean area will pick up lent and minor debris before paint is applied.

Tape over areas not to be painted to limit the paint spray to the bumper cover. Apply a spray can flexible primer for bumper covers (search internet), let dry, SLIGHTLY sand for grip and top coat with a flexible paint. Best one can do blend in the newly painted area with the old bumper paint. Here try misting the transitional area.

Perhaps you can find the Code 13E paint in spray can on the internet or a local auto paint store can set up up. If you find the 13E paint then search for a primer for that type of paint as the paint and primer need to be compatible.

DO a test first with the paint on something plastic or such to find out how it applies,sets up and the drying time. You don't want to apply too much paint or it will sag yet not enough will leave a rough surface. The paint when applied with slightly flow and level out which is what you want but too much paint will run. Testing and gaining experience pays off here. When done testing try applying the, spot filler, primer and paint material as needed to a small area of the bumper to gain experience and see what a happens. Incomparable materials can result in the top coat paint having dramatic problems. Best to find out about this on a small area first.

Paint for flexible plastic parts can be different from that of metal parts.

For small areas needing a top coat consider brushing on the paint, as say touch up paint in bottle with small brush as this puts the paint where you want it. Unless having an air brush, a spray can will put paint everywhere. I would assume the white area on the cover is primer and black is the actually plastic so plan accordingly.

 

Any ideas as to why the bumper cover paint came out looking like patchwork ? Or what the crusty white border trim could be ?

I used an "exact match" automotive paint.

 

If the area painted area was sectioned off via tape the result will be a boarder line which is shown in the photo.

Did you top coat with a clear coat to increase luster?

 

Yup, used painter's tape to section off lol...oh well. Before starting I took it to an automotive specialty paint shop up the street from my place. They advised not to clear coat the bumper cover because the paint on the bumper lacked luster/looked flattish compared to the paint on the rest of the car body.

Tbh, it's the color contrast that bugs me more than the white border lines/different luster. Is it just me, or does the "exact match" paint I applied look like a totally different color than the rest of the bumper ?

 

Paint fads over time. The factory may have painted the plastic bumper off the vehicle with the same color but the chemical makeup different to allow the paint to flex. There can be primer color show through where the primer color influences the final top coat color. All this leads to a difference in paint color between old and new. The tape lines then make this transition between new and old paint stand out. Some paint shops have a scanner that can scan the old paint and make adjustments to the new formulation.

The usual painting method would be to remove and paint the complete bumper. If not done then tape off at a natural gap between parts, headlight etc. then blend the new paint into the old paint areas that can't be taped off. The result may still not be perfect but it would be less obvious.

If not painting the complete bumper then a painted test piece would help to match color.

I assume the paint is metallic and as such it needs to mixed thoroughly and the final coat misted on.

You might try applying clear coat to a small area to determine if it makes a difference.

If not satisfied the sand down the edges left by the tape, tape off as stated above and spray the area to blend in the new paint to the old. The paint will still not match but will not be as obvious.

Note also the lighting on the paint. The repainted area on the front of the bumper appears a better match then the area on the corner. The over spray beyond the taped line on corner paint has one wonder if the new and old paint are really a match.

 

Thanks for all the tips Toyomoho. "There can be primer color show through where the primer color influences the final top coat color." I did notice the primer color was a very light grey so that didn't help matters.

Not sure I'm gonna be up for doing this project again. Might seek out a paint guy that could make short work of this. I'm thinking $500 for painting a bumper cover ? Maybe less if I can find someone that's self employed.

 

Primer colors come in dark or light depending on top coat color.

If you are not up to rework might search for a used replacement bumper cover of the same color. An auto salvage yard may be able to use their network with other yards to find something. Also try Craigslist for cars being parted out. And search the internet for companies that sell bumper covers and will paint to match the car.

If you have someone paint the cover if possible take the cover off and bring it to them as the will save them labor to remove it. See link below for one site that sells and paints bumper covers. I have no knowledge of this business thus info only.

https://paintedautoparts.com/product...sid=ijIMJz2Kts

My two cents before giving up to wet sand the area with 600 grit wet/dry paper to work out the tape lines. Tape as stated previously then spray a top coat best you can to blend old an new paint. Mist it on in several coats,

As stated it can be difficult or impossible to match paint where blending of old and new paint is required.