Welding Plastic Car Bumpers / Fenders??

http://www.autobodysupply.net/articles.asp?id=135

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/maintenance/2763656

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3aM4lSgRHY

I'm going to guess that your Club Car fender is polypropylene or maybe PVC/acrylic (Kydex). It can't be "glued", but if you have a plastic welder and the right filler rod you might be able to weld it.

Don't know anything about car bumpers, or much else, for that matter.

Thank you, a plumber I know sugested that I try fusing it with the glue used on plastic pipe, but I have thought about purchasing a plastic welder as you suggest.

Try a test. Put a drop of pipe cement on a spot under the fender that doesn't show. Let it dry. If you can't peel it off easily, it'll work. My guess is it will flick right off.

This one's pretty cool...

Urethane Supply 5600HT Mini-Weld Model 6 Airless Plastic Welder

Mini-weld Model 6 Airless Plastic Welder Model 5600ht : The Mini-Weld Model 6 is ideal for making quality repairs to virtually any type of plastic. Problem plastics like PP and PE are easy to repair using the included FiberFlex stick and polyethylene welding rods. The 80 watt heating element achieves tip temperatures of about 1000deg F for fast and easy welding. Included stainless steel reinforcing wire mesh can make the repair stronger than the original! Includes instructional DVD that shows you how to use the tool.

http://compare.ebay.com/like/190589360289?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&_lwgsi=y

China now has some "inexpensive" plasma cutters that do a great job of welding plastic back together.

Try using an inexpensive soldering iron on the bumper in a place that can not be seen. If you can make that melt, then smooth it out, you should be able to weld the bumper back. Plastic welding is a lot like soldering. There are some inexpensive Chinese plas plastic welders out there. It can be fun to make things out of plastic. Good luck.

As bob c has suggested try a soldering iron on a unexposed area of the bumper to see how it melts. Maybe able to trim some off there for filler material if you are comfortable with the way it melts with the iron. One the problems you may face is the plastic sticking to the iron. PVC bad for that. The plastic that sticks to the iron will burn and leave burned deposit in the weld. It would help if you could cover it with teflon. Teflon pipe tape works for awhile.

If it is a recently built car (last 10 years) the plastic is very likely identified with a molded in symbol. I think they all look like one of those triangular recycle symbols with the plastic identifier in the middle of the triangle. That should tell you what 'welding rod' you need to use.

Using The Burn Test to Identify Plastic Materials

go here first to know what the bumber is made of

You can stop the crack from spreading further by drilling a small hole at the end of the crack, to stop its "momentum".

It's unlikely you will be able to repair these bumpers with anything like a soldering iron, for a number of reasons. There's probably nothing short of purchasing an actual plastic welder, that will do the trick. That, and quite a bit of trial and error practice with welding that particular type of plastic, with the exact right rod. There are many things to consider when welding these types of plastic, such as surface prep, beveling the edges, the exact heat that is needed, the speed, proper clamping, etc. It's not a model plane that you're welding. A bumper will require the right tools and skills and methods if you want it to hold. And investments beyond just purchasing the welder. And I'm just talking about welding it so it will hold. Never mind how it will look.

If you don't want to replace the bumper, I'd suggest drilling the hole as I mentioned, then using unobtrusive mechanical fasteners (rivets, flush screws, etc) with some sort of backing plate or brackets; then painting the fasteners.

http://www.eplastics.com/Plastic/Adhesives?gclid=CKerzbizvawCFZJS7AodoWFNpw

Also, ACE Hardware has their own branded Plastic Repair Epoxy which I have used before on my front air dam. It held up for a while until I went on another off-road excursion through the underbrush.

Hi Folks,most Plastics would be weldable by using the parent Material,of same type as mentioned above by using the identification symbol and using it as filler rod or by purchasing the correct rods or finding a more mashed identical panel you can use as a Donor for filler(remove paint first).this can be used in the Welder or Soldering iron.There are However some types of plastic (some BMW ABS) that won't weld even if using itself as filler.They also seem impervious to Fiber glass,Superglue,2 pack Epoxy,Hot Glue or anything else you like to try short of Rivet and Plate.In short it seems if it can't be done using it's own material,it cant be done and you have to replace it.

Try a product called "Goop", which you can purchase at any Big Box store or hardware store.

Make sure you buy the one especially suited for welding all types of plumbing plastic together. It is solvent based, and comes in a violet/purple 4 oz. tube. This stuff is truly amazing and has a tremendous holding and bonding strength once it's fully cured (usually less than 24 hours, temperature dependent). Just make sure you use a thin piece of backing plastic like PVC etc and c-clamps.

I use it everywhere around the house doing repairs know...the last application was for attaching granite face edging pieces to my kitchen counter tops....I just taped them into place with that blue-colored painter's masking tape. After 3 hours curing time I couldn't pry that dang things off, even with a hammer and pry bar! This repair is in the same place with previous apps of thin set mortar (professional grade for tile and stone), and later 2-part epoxy adhesives, have failed miserably after a few years duty. I'm confident that it will last for a decade or more.

I've even used it to mend the huge crack in the front bumper skirt of my '98 Dodge Avenger Sport last month after Mrs. Moosie ran into a higher then usual concrete car bumper stop....ACKKKK!!!!!......the crack/break was about 9 inches long, as measured from the bottom of the skirt all the way up to and into the left turn signal lamp housing! Right now I can't tell where the mend is after gluing it and applying and working automotive body putty in toe area. All that remains is to airbrush some new primer, Indy Red paint and clear coats with my new Grex Tritium TS airbrush....that'll be a fun actually! Okay, just make sure you remove the paint and primer in the vicinity of the crack mend! No problems whatsoever with bonding of this adhesive to the white bumper plastic (whatever it is!).

Amazing stuff and highly recommended!!! God luck with that repair!

Thanks for the output of great ideas; I think I will try the soldering iron on the underside of the club car fender first. But I am intrigued with the purple goop; not sure if it will work since the plumbing solvents / glue had no effect on either the bumper of fender. They want $2700 to replace the bumper, or $1600 to pop rivet a backing plate on it , prime, sand, and repaint it, all with the tailgate warranty! Basically when the car leaves the facility the warrentee is over. Thanks again to all, I will keep you posted if anything works/sticks.

You didn't mention the age or make of the car. Also, is it molded in color or is it painted. I happen to be a plastics engineer in the automotive industry who has worked with fascias. That's what we call them in the industry. Most modern fascias are rubber modified polypropylene. Natural material would be off white in color, but I have normally seen it tinted gray. The problem with polypropylene is that nothing really sticks to it without surface modification. That goes for adhesives and for paints. So, you are unlikely to find any adhesive at the hardware store that will work. I have my doubts that you would be able to get a good appearance or strength from plastic welding. Fascias are often structurally unsupported at the center, which might be why the crack continues to grow. Have you checked to see how much a new fascia would be? Or maybe visit a local salvage yard. You just need to find a car with a good one, maybe even in a matching color.

Thank you. It is an 06 Chrysler 300, the off-white / cream color goes all the way through, not painted on the surface.

I imagine it is a polypropylene based material. I don't see the earlier post now that talked about looking for a recycled code. It wouldn't be a traingle with a number inside of it like is used on consumer goods. It would more likely have something like >TPO< or >P/E< or >PP<. You would have to drop the fascia to find the marking on the inside of the part.

When all else fails with plastic welding and adhesives, you can always pop rivet (aluminum rivets of course) the bumper with a piece of 20 gauge aluminum backer sheet metal...then skim coat the repair with automotive body putty/compound, sand, prime and paint it.

Just a suggestion, though I had no problems with the purple Goop bonding to a roughened surface (both sides). It this stuff can stick to a high degree of polished granite surface then it'll most likely stick to just about anything.....

Welding plastics bumpers if fairly simple with the right tools. But once you weld a bumper a repaint will be in order. There is a company with franchises everywhere that will come to you and fix the bumper. The repair will be virtually undetectable. Do a google search for MARS International. They do good work and their prices are very reasonable. I am not a paid spokesperson for MARS International but, I have used theri products Good luck.

http://www.autopia.org/forum/professional-detailer-general-discussion/53230-mars-international.html

Look in the yellow pages or go to the web for '' plastic welders" or if you want to do it yourself have a go. We do a lot of PVC welding here and it is not a big deal. We use a heat gun with a nozzle of about 1/4" and use PVC filler rod that is readilly available. If you are not sure of the material, go to a wreckers yard and seeif you can get an old bumper to try it on and also cut your filler rod from that. Rex Dev.

The hot air welder is by far the most in-expensive route to take in fixing plastic bumpers. We weld with one of those on a monthly process fixing PVC and ABS items. Very strong and if the item were to break again, it never breaks at the weld. Plus you can sand down the scar and paint over it after you welded the bumper.

Weld from the inside first, then finish on the outside with less of a scar.

Have fun, working with plastics is an art.

Maximo

oh the plasma cutters is really good idea regarding your problem somehow you can find some good standards in it reference to this .

Hey, we are distributor and fabricator of plastic products. Acrylic Sheets, rods, tubes, engineered plastics, Novus plastic polish, thermoforming, plastic cleaners and supplies, CNC machining and routing, milling, etc. Heavy focus on custom fabrication.

hello for all people's here!!

I need of repair my bumper cracked, but i no have any idea how to with what method to begin..

I want to know which by more economic way, better with glue bond or welder plastic rod and cloth fiber, or other way ? can someone help to choose me also where i can buy online ?

I attach a photo of the plastic type bumper

The welding of plastic bumpers is not for the inexperienced. The plastic must flow from each side, remain smooth, and must be flexible enough to not crack if it moves some. On top of that, the surface must have sufficient bite to it to allow paint to stick to it and not peal off. Leave it to the pros, or buy a used one.