15 replies to this topic

[Serge]

I admit, my rear bumper and side trim is still dyed, and it looks pretty good. But it's NOTHING compared to properly painted trim.

In case you don't believe me... below is a photo of my old beat up trim that was involved in a front-end accident (the tail gate of a truck scraped across the top of the trim) AFTER I repainted it.



Not bad, eh? The color may look like a light gray, but it's actually a light black. It's MUCH darker than new stock trim. But as always, you can choose what color you spray it with. SEM has about a dozen different shades of black to choose from.

Now that I've got your attention...

Warning:
Using many of these chemicals is hazardous to your health. Be sure to read the labels and work in a well ventilated environment. It is HIGHLY recommended that you use an organic vapor respirator.. they are cheap and will keep you alive longer. Also wear safety goggles. If you fsck up something on your car, don't blame me.

Material and Tools required:
* 400-grit sand paper
* Wax, grease and silicone remover - $14 for the kind I used
* Clean cloths to clean your material - I used Sontara SPS by DuPont, $8
* SEM 39863 Plastic Adhesion Promoter - $13
* SEM 39103 Original Bumper Coater - $10
* Misc tools required to take off your bumper and door trim

All of these things are available at your local automotive paint store or anywhere online.



Step 1
Wash and dry your surface

Step 2
Lightly sand areas that are damaged with 400-grit sand paper. This will help remove any imperfections. Be careful not to sand too much as you will remove the texture.

Step 3
Use a generous amount of Wax, Grease and Silicone Remover. This will help get rid of old dressing and wax. Use a clean cloth to wipe it down. The Sontara SPS wipes I used are AMAZING, they are specially made to remove cleaners like the one I used.

Step 4
Apply the adhesion promoter. I started with an even, light coat to cover the whole surface. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Hit it with another couple of coats with 5 minutes in between. And a nice heavy coat after that. The next step must be done within 15-30 minutes of the last coat. If in doubt, read the back of the can.

Step 5
Apply the bumper coating. Use pretty much the same process as above. It may look uneven and blotchy, but let it dry for at least 12 hours and you'll see the results are amazing. It will be best to let it sit for 48 hours to allow for full curing.

ENJOY!

Here are some more pics.... any white dots you see on the trim are just dust particles that I brushed off after I took the photo.

[Mesoam]

looks great serge, i personally just used the duplicolor bumper coating on the trim piece that covers the wiper motor, harness e/t/c

keep us updated on how it holds up over washes

[Serge]

looks great serge, i personally just used the duplicolor bumper coating on the trim piece that covers the wiper motor, harness e/t/c

keep us updated on how it holds up over washes

Thanks. I definitely want to paint that thing too.. the gray color if it looks cheap right now. Also want to paint the radiator support, haha.

Will do! I'll be washing my car tonight probably.

[Serge]

Just finished washing the car, held up really well. Now that I've compared it, the color is the same as dyed trim (but not blotchy or uneven.. this is a lot nicer).

[Serge]

I'm having a hard time being able to tell but your trim still has the same texture as original? eg. it's not smooth, it's still sort of bumpy?

Yep, same texture still. If you wanted you could of course sand it flat, but I prefer to keep it look original.

[Oreo931]

I saw you linked me to this in my wanted thread. The problem with my bumper top is that it actually has a crease in it. It looks like someone bumped into something while the bumper was very hot and it melted and has a permanent crease in it. I would try this but it wouldnt help anything

Good instructions though, and your freshly painted hood is looking nice

[atombomb]

...ummmm fresh trim.

[Serge]

I saw you linked me to this in my wanted thread. The problem with my bumper top is that it actually has a crease in it. It looks like someone bumped into something while the bumper was very hot and it melted and has a permanent crease in it. I would try this but it wouldnt help anything

Good instructions though, and your freshly painted hood is looking nice

Mine has a few small creases in it from people who hit me randomly. But this helped make them atleast less visible. Have you tried using the heat gun approach?

My freshly painted hood is AMAZING... no orange peel, no swirl marks, no nothing.. going to try keeping it MINT.

[tozovr]

SEM RULES!!!

I used this product on my old VW to texture my bumper tops...looks GREAT

[Oreo931]

Mine has a few small creases in it from people who hit me randomly. But this helped make them atleast less visible. Have you tried using the heat gun approach?

No I have not.
Please enlighten me

[Serge]

No I have not.
Please enlighten me

VADIS states something about being able to fix minor creases by using a heat gun to make the plastic malleable. It might help to remove the entire trim piece from the bumper. Then you can possibly push the crease out...

[JC 855 GLT-R]

i did that when i first got my car but i had a big crease i made it smaller...

[prasamin]

let's see a full pic of the car.

[Mesoam]

using a heat gun on cladding is actually very popular with the Jeep guys who never treat the plastic trim on the laredo's