Removing Scuffs and Scrapes from Black Unpainted Plastic Bumper Trim

[Matt (SG)]

Hello all,

I'm in the process of restoring an old Honda, and am having some difficulty finding a way to remove, or at minimum mask/hide, some small imperfections on my rear bumper. Specifically on the trim piece. Its all one big plastic bumper fascia, but the "trim" part isn't painted)

I've read of using heat guns to melt the plastic back to shape, but I think this would just make it worse... The trim is also slightly textured from the factory, so melting it would remove this I suspect.

I tried using Mothers "Back to Black" with essentially no results. It does a decent job hiding the scratches but its extremely temporary, and anyone with a decent set of eyes can still see the scratches.

I'm tempted to try this : http://www.foreverblack.com/products.html Forever Black bumper and trim. Unlike the Mothers product, it actually permanently stains the trim. I don't think this would eliminate the scratches, but I think it would make them much less visible (they are particularly easy to see in the sunlight)

Or, something like this : http://www.amazon.com/Mar-Hyde-4911-.../dp/B000GTJITY Mar-Hyde Bumper and Trim coating. Essentially just spray paint specifically designed for plastic and vinyl trim. Again I dont think this would eliminate the scratches, but the paint would probably fill them in slightly, and make them less visible.

Pics of the bumpers for reference;

This one is the worst:



This is actually a different (unpainted) bumper I picked up from a salvage yard, that I thought was in better shape than mine. If I cant repair mine to an acceptable level, I will use this one instead.

You can see the textured effect in this picture too...



Buying new ones seems to not be an option, as Honda has long since discontinued them for this particular car.

Any help/advice is much appreciated.

Thanks,

Matt

[Murr1525]

Yeah, you're in a tough spot.

Remiving it will likely remove texture, so it stands out.

And the trim detailers or blackeners will try to hide it.

I'd say try hiding first....

[The Guz]

Re: Removing Scuffs and Scrapes from Black Unpainted Plastic Bumper Trim

I agree with Murr. There is not really a way to fix those deep gouges. Your best bet is to clean the bumper with some APC and use a trim dressing You may need to use a brush to get into the texture and remove any oxidation.

[STRIFE]

Re: Removing Scuffs and Scrapes from Black Unpainted Plastic Bumper Trim

Since you have another bumper, I would use Bondo glazing/spot putty to fill the deep scratches, sand lightly to flatten putty and minimize sanding off any texture.
I would then mask and spray with automotive grade paint. Plastidip would work nicely too as it finishes with a texture similar to the original black strip.

I personally would find this to be a fun DIY project...good luck!