Fixing a big hole in front bumper– Please Help!
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I had a contractor here at work back into my 2000 black monte carlo and caused a hole in the front bumper from his trailer hitch entering my bumper. The guy is real nice so I agreed to not turn into his company or insurance carrier with the promise he would fix it. I thought this meant taking it to an auto body tech but was just informed he’s having a coworker (someone that apparently does good work on autobody- but I don’t know this first hand) fix it HERE.. at my work. He’s going to do it with ( I believe) flexible epoxy to fill in the hole and paint over. I’m worried about several things:
1) How well does this epoxy hold.. and is it a good method for a large hole like the one described?
2) How likely am I to receive a decent paint job without a paint booth?
3) Is it likely to receive professional results with this method?
4) If it were you, would you allow this… or refuse this method and request it to be done right?Any comments is certainly appreciated. He’s coming tomorrow to fix… and I want to feel comfortable that I’m making the right decision in allowing him to do this. I want to help him out.. but don’t want to screw myself over in the process… after all, I am still making payments on this car!
Toss the damaged bumper and make him replace it with a new one. At my shop i rarely repair a damaged cover with a little crack or hole, imo its just not worth it, the price of a new aftermarket capa certified would be cheaper than me having to spend time doing a repair and still not have as good of a job as the end result.
Unless you have seen first hand the work his “friend” has done in the past i would stay away from that route.
Tell him to call his insurance company and report the accident and bring it to a reputable bodyshop for an estimate to get their opinion on it first.Cracks and rips can be repaired on plastic bumpers. But not with this method. Hopefully you still have the square that was taken out by the hitch. The backside should be repaired with a structural plastic repair product (we use Fusor 142) along with a fiberglass mesh for reinforcment. Make sure the repair area is scuffed with 36 grit grinder and an adhesion promotor applied if the plastic is a polyolefin. The front side would also need the adhesion promotor but only scuff with 80 or 180. Apply the 142 to the cracked area, sand, reapply the adhesion promotor then apply a cosmetic repair filler like Fusor 114. Sand with 180, feather, prime, paint. And dont let them paint out side.
Just say no…unless your car is a 1992 Geo and you just don’t care.
As mentioned, a proper plastic repair, where there is a rip/tear through the plastic requires a 2 sided repair. The bumper should be removed. Repairing is perfectly fine and will be very strong, but will need to be done correctly.
I’d find a decent reputable shop you both agree on and have the work done there. Shady backyard stuff can be down right scary…
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