Jondamnit

My C5 rear bumper has a section of paint chipped off and loose/bubbled areas after a very low speed impact. The bumper cover is fine. No creases cuts of even nicks in the plastic. In fact it is not deformed in any way. The exposed plastic is smooth and not oxidized. The paint itself the only issue.

What is the best way to,
1st: Remove the bubbled paint in the affected area?

2nd: Feather out the good paint surrounding the exposed plastic area?


3rd: Any other prep tricks before actually painting the surface?

Thanks for any replies... J

Bill Curlee

WHEW! Remove any loose paint from damaged area. Sand the area and taper the repair in from NO paint to clearcoat in a 4" area around the NO paint area. SEAL prime and paint the area being careful to mask off with loose tape.. BLOCK Sand! Paint coat again, sand and clearcoat and polish.

BC

dougbfresh

Take the fascia off, makes it easier to work on and you don't have to mask off the whole car. There is safe stripper if you want to take all the paint off. If you worried about matching the rest of the car you might want to blend the repair with the rest of the cover and reclear the whole fascia.

Jondamnit

Thanks, I plan to just paint and blend into the non affected paint. I've read threads on this and it seem there are a few different views on paint removal. Some going as agressive as a 50 grit which might be good for plastic repair not in my case... What do you think? 320 grit?

fendermender

I can't believe how many times I see fascias that were painted on the car by other shops. Overspray on the lights ect. Probably took longer to tape and mask than it would have been to remove the cover.

If it's peeling like that, it was refinished at some point. You really need to get all the loose paint off. If I were doing it, I would take it off down to the original paint surface. I just did this to my front one as I bought it used and it had been repainted. I used a combination of a DA sander, media blast and hand sanding. Then two coats of primer surfacer, more hand sanding with 400, epoxy sealer, base and clear. Then sanding again and buff. Lot of work.

FWIW, the covers rarely match the rest of the car from new. Look at some new cars in a parking lot sometime. PPG even has a poster they put out for shops to explain the reasons. They will not warrant a color match on bumper covers or other plastic trim.

RonSSNova

A friend owns a high end body shop and said the same about getting the covers to match perfect no matter what. Silver being the worst.

Is the paint special for these flexible parts? My front cover is horrible on the underside.

Ron

Corvette_Ed

I was quoted a price of $716 to R&R the rear fascia, sand, prime, and paint. The day after I bought my Vette it was clipped on the driver's side corner in a Wal Mart parking lot and the paint spider-webbed. Does that sound reasonable?

Paul Wood

YES. If it is a reputable shop and they will give you a warranty. Good Luck.

dougbfresh

If it was repainted already, strip it all. Thick paint chips easily.

leadfoot4

Could you elaborate on what "media" you used? I've been looking for an effective way to strip urethane bumpers for a LONG time, with no good answers....

fendermender

Yeah they are a PITA. The spray can stuff they sell is a joke. I have used white sand with varying degrees of success. If the repaint is thick and it wasn't prepared well, it will blow right off down to the OE finish. I did a Dodge Caravan frt once and it blew it all off in minutes. On this one I used the DA on the surfaces where it would work. Around the lamp and brake duct openings the last guy evidently didn't sand too good and the sand blaster blew it right off. A go over with 150 gets it smooth enough for primer surfacer.

Be interesting to know what the outfits do that recondition them.

Corvette_Ed

Yes, it does come with a warranty. Thanks.

Jondamnit

Thanks all...! I plan to do most of the prep while it's on the car and then remove it to paint. just seems like it will be easier to work on that way. the color is Artic White so as long as the color/shade is anywhere near original it should be fine... Much better looking the the zebra *** I'm sporting now...

leadfoot4

I've painted a few cars in my lifetime, and I know you shouldn't "pile the paint on", especially on a semi-flexible part like a urethane bumper. That's why I'd like to find a way to strip the OE finish, so I can get to the bare surface, and start fresh.

I've seen a number of magazine articles, as well as a few "internet how-to's", and all they say is to give the bumper a quick wet sand. Somehow or other, I don't think a quick wet sand is the right way to start a good refinish....