bumper scuffs

M

mwtaco

New member
black toyota tacoma with same color bumper has white scuff marks all over the front bumper. this was from repeatedly smacking something in my garage. im more careful now. up until last fall i never even looked at my front bumper.

they are quite unsightly.how do i get rid of them? can you use same paint compound and polish products on plastic bumpers?
 
Is it painted plastic? If it is, try a paint cleaner if you have one, and if that doesn't work, move up on aggressiveness from there.
 
Some pictures would definitely help... If the scuffs are "paint" transfer the a compound or polish may do the trick. But if they are more than that you may have to do more work. Possibly even re-paint.
 
I don't know if it's frowned upon, but I've used some adhesive removers in the past to get paint scuffs off. (or maybe there was something else in that glass bottle with no label) I'm sure this is more paint than what I used that for. Any pics of the damage?

For those with more knowledge, in a case like this depending on how deep(if there is any scratching) the marks are, is this something that could be wet sanded off the top of the clear and then polished out?
 
lemme work on getting some pics posted. ill also look at them closer. whether its paint transfer or below surface scratches. of course, hoping for the former.

is there clear coat on plastic bumpers?
 
mwtaco said:
lemme work on getting some pics posted. ill also look at them closer. whether its paint transfer or below surface scratches. of course, hoping for the former.

is there clear coat on plastic bumpers?
Click to expand...

Unless this is something different than what I am thinking, I believe the paint process should be the same on the entire car(2 stage).
 
If you can't drag a fingernail on them, then probably just transfers and can be removed. I generally drop a level of aggressiveness on bumpers and go slower than on regular paint because of the plastic underneath not dissipating heat as well and dropping the pad sizes to fit. Extreme care must be taken if you plan to use a rotary.

If the rest of the car is CC'd, the bumpers are, too. They generally do have a flex agent added, too.
 
Totally agree with Round Rock, Tex. above -

If this truck has painted bumpers, they will be shiny and smooth, not grainy or dull like a plastic would be.

So, you can almost always get paint scuffs off - I see them all the time, and remove them with a compound and a smaller pad - 3" or 4", smaller the better because you just want to get the product on that spot.

And as already said, you have to go easy, do not press too hard because this will heat the painted plastic (if that is what you have), and plastic is a very bad conductor of heat - it wants to start melting and softening and changing its shape - a very bad thing to do here..

Just buff a little, wipe off, see if its coming off, buff a little more, etc., until its done.
Start off with a medium agressive product and a medium pad like a white one if its L/C.

Me, I hit it with Meguiars 105 and a 3" 3m purple foam pad, but then I have experience.. :)

Good luck,
Dan F
 
I have seen people use throttle body/ carb cleaner to remove paint scuffs before. Took the transfer mark right off with no issues. It probably has the same effect that the adhesive remover has that ct3 was referring to.
 
Stokdgs said:
Totally agree with Round Rock, Tex. above -

If this truck has painted bumpers, they will be shiny and smooth, not grainy or dull like a plastic would be.

So, you can almost always get paint scuffs off - I see them all the time, and remove them with a compound and a smaller pad - 3" or 4", smaller the better because you just want to get the product on that spot.

And as already said, you have to go easy, do not press too hard because this will heat the painted plastic (if that is what you have), and plastic is a very bad conductor of heat - it wants to start melting and softening and changing its shape - a very bad thing to do here..

Just buff a little, wipe off, see if its coming off, buff a little more, etc., until its done.
Start off with a medium agressive product and a medium pad like a white one if its L/C.

Me, I hit it with Meguiars 105 and a 3" 3m purple foam pad, but then I have experience.. :)

Good luck,
Dan F
Click to expand...

my bumper is color matched so i presume it is painted and clear coated. its not the non-color matched black plastic.

i have ultimate compound and ultiimate polish available. i think i'll try and remove them with those by hand. i'll hold off on using my GG DA unless it's too tedious or doesn't work. i'll keep in mind that the DA could potentially melt the plastic.

thanks for all the input so far.
 
A good cleaner wax (Meguiars is one for example) will usually remove scuffs and is not very abrasive. WD-40 can work too.
 
I've used the 3m eraser wheel for drills in this case. it leaves minimal marring even on soft paint and only requires a mild polish to clean up. This doesn't correct if it went through the paint though.

02LexusFancher030.jpg


02LexusFancher058.jpg


02LexusFancher050.jpg
 
mwtaco I used MUC just the other day on a painted plastic bumper with a rotary and a sponge pad and had no problems finished out nice. As others have said without pics were kind of shooting in the dark.
 
OK...got some pics here. What do you guys think? Can you help me get rid of these?

Most of them are flat or raised relative to the surface. The last pic has two parallel linear scratches that are below the surface.


mwtaco-albums-tacoma-bumper-picture685-img-0396.jpg


mwtaco-albums-tacoma-bumper-picture687-img-0402.jpg


mwtaco-albums-tacoma-bumper-picture684-img-0394.jpg



Below are scratches that are below the surface:

mwtaco-albums-tacoma-bumper-picture688-img-0403.jpg
 
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