We help people repair plastic
This Kia Optima bumper cover was damaged in an accident. A new bumper cover was not available and there was no estimate for when one would be back in stock. Using Polyvance plastic repair tools and equipment, we were able to repair the damage and recondition the bumper cover to like-new condition.
While this video focuses on repair process and technique, it is also a great example of a repair versus replace decision made under special circumstances. This bumper cover was heavily damaged. Under normal circumstances, it would be better for a shop to replace it because Kia Optima bumper covers are fairly inexpensive and readily available. However, when we repaired this bumper cover, they were not readily available. The owner of this vehicle could not find an OEM bumper cover (or even an aftermarket bumper cover) for the vehicle and was told there was no estimate for when one would become available. In this case, there was no other choice but to repair the bumper cover. Regardless of the circumstance, this nitrogen fusion welding technique can be used on any thermoplastic bumper cover - from inexpensive to very expensive.
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Products Used:
Note: This is a list of the Polyvance products that can be used to make this repair. This list does not include sanders, grinders, or other common tools you will need. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call technical support at 800-633-3047.
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English Transcript:
This Kia Optima bumper cover was damaged in an accident. A new bumper cover was not available and there was no estimate for when one would be back in stock. Using Polyvance plastic repair tools and equipment, we were able to repair the damage and recondition the bumper cover to like-new condition. We’ll walk you through our repair process in this video.
First, we cleaned the damaged area with soap and water followed by plastic cleaner to remove any contaminants from the surface. Because the plastic was warped, we had to heat the area thoroughly with a heat gun so we could align the crack properly. We used our Dent Driver tools to push the plastic back into place. Once the smaller crack was lined up, we inserted hot staples to keep it aligned so we could continue to work on the larger crack. We used a utility knife to remove some jagged plastic that was preventing the crack from aligning. Once we got the larger crack lined up properly, we secured it in place with hot staples. We then applied aluminum tape over the staples along both cracks. Aluminum tape provides support and keeps the melted welding rod from pushing through the crack.
Next, we began our welding preparations on the backside of the bumper cover. We v-grooved along both cracks and made v-grooves along the edges for our cross stitch welds. We repaired the long crack first, welding down the entire crack with 01 profile round rod. We then capped that weld with the 04 profile welding ribbon. Next, we made the cross stitch weld at the edge, laying the ribbon down over the previous weld. We had some smaller cracks sprouting off the main crack, so we filled them with the 01 and 04 profile welding rods as well. Once those were filled, we smoothed all the welds with the airless welder. Afterward, we began to repair the smaller crack. We used the 01 profile round rod to weld down entire the crack first. We then capped it with the 04 profile welding ribbon and made the cross stitch weld at the edge. We smoothed both welds and let the plastic cool completely.
Once the plastic was cool, we removed the aluminum tape and staples from the cosmetic side. We made deep v-grooves along both cracks, grinding about halfway through the plastic. Then we applied aluminum tape along the cracks on the backside. We welded down the larger crack first using 01 profile round welding rod. It took two passes of welding rod to fill our deep v-groove. While the weld was still hot, we smoothed it with the airless plastic welder. Then we v-grooved the tiny cracks that were extending off the main crack. We filled them with the 01 profile welding rod and smoothed the welds. Next, we filled the second crack with two passes of 01 profile welding rod. We smoothed the weld and allowed it to cool completely.
After allowing all the welds to cool, we used a 50 grit Roloc disc to grind the welds down. Next, we sanded the area with 80 grit on a DA sander, followed by 180 grit. We applied adhesion promoter to the repair area and allowed it to flash off. We then applied two thin coats of Flex Filler 2 epoxy and allowed it to cure. We sanded the filler and applied more adhesion promoter. Using Polyvance’s Black Jack waterborne primer surfacer, we primed the bumper cover. Next, we block sanded and reprimed until we were satisfied with the appearance. After that, the bumper cover was painted and installed onto the vehicle.
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