Bumper Cover Repair - How to Repair Broken Slot Tabs 

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The first look better i think!

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Thanks for watching and for the nice comment! We've got other videos aimed more toward at-home DIYers versus these nitrogen plastic welding videos that are aimed more toward body shops. Have a look around :)

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It shouldn't pull the bumper out of shape enough to be noticeable. If it was heated to that point, a little too much heat was probably applied. Distortion is less of a problem with nitrogen welding than with airless welding because the duration the part was heated is much shorter than an airless weld. Even then, its not as much of an issue as with metal welding.

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@@epiphgd4302 Specially locks

it's cheap and convenient..

My sons dodge avenger is RIDICULOUS! the rear bumper cover all the flanges broke and where you want to feel the back of the plastic clips are inaccessible. I fkin agree with you

I would rather have a clip break than having a bumper crack.

@@ameralshaher6041 I wonder how much it is to repair / replace plastic bumper covers and chromed ones

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En español x favor

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It's not an adhesive. It's a welding rod that matches the plastic we are repairing (we would use a polypropylene welding rod on a polypropylene bumper). That's why it is so strong. When you fusion weld, you are fusing the new plastic with the base plastic. It becomes one piece again.

yes, that should also work on a round tab. I sometimes weld completely over the area being repaired, then simply redrill the hole in the right spot.

@@scottb7600 Right on, thank you for the feedback. I'm going to try this 🤞

The welder is one of our nitrogen plastic welders (meant for use in a collision repair shop) and this particular plastic welding rod was polypropylene.

R02-01-03-NT Polypropylene

The main thing for fusion welding is that the rod needs to match the plastic type. However, the FiberFlex rod uses a different technique - it isn't a fusion weld. The FiberFlex work great on PP and TPO. What kind of equipment do you have and what kind of damage do you have? You can give us a call and speak with a tech for more detailed help if you would like.

We're using one of our nitrogen plastic welders to melt the rod down. We use the integrated airless plastic welder to smooth the welding rod.

Its a nitrogen welder. Hot air could also be used, but is not quite as strong.

@@scottb7600 Hot air guns reach over 1000 F and all you need for plastic is a few hundred so a hot air gun with the proper tip should be just fine. No need for nitrogen.

@@Marcoosianism In theory yes, but most heat guns will overheat when the air is reduce to a small enough size to be able to control where youre putting the heat. Then the second issue is the volume of air is too high to effectively weld with a heat gun. It kind of like saying I only need one screwdriver for all screws. You don't, you need the right screwdriver for the right screw. You also need the right heat source for each repair.

Here is a link to the products used. www.polyvance.com/video/nitrogen-hot-air-fusion-welding/bumper-cover-repair-how-to-repair-broken-slot-tabs

No, we do not.

That "bar" is just foil tape to give it some support while welding. The plastic weld is plenty strong, there is no need for additional reinforcement.

Yes, polyvance makes a welding rod specifically for repairing that.

We're using Polyvance's polypropylene welding rod. We used polypropylene welding rod because the bumper cover plastic was polypropylene. All of our R02 polypropylene welding rod can be found here: www.polyvance.com/Polypropylene-1/

The same repair can also be done for about $70 using the 5211 Polypro airless welder. Just weld over the entire area, then re-cut the slot with a dremel tool and sand to the original thickness It takes A LOT longer, but it will get the job done for the DIYer who doesn't want to replace and repaint the bumper.

Se utilizaron dos productos para la reparación y se pueden comprar contactando a info@Polyvance.com Polyvance puede realizar envíos a todo el mundo. Los números de pieza son: R02-01-03-NT y R02-04-03-NT

Just to be clear, forget epoxy on anything made of polypropylene for any structural repair, it will not work. Are you missing the flange the slot tab goes in? I mean, if you are missing the edge of the slot tab, just shape it out of melted PP and then trim it to shape like in the video. If you are missing a large piece of the flange itself, you can sometimes build one out of a thin sheet of PP, like those sold by polyvance and manually cut the slots in in the appropriate places. This would be a more difficult repair and if you are doing this in a shop (for profit), depending on the cost of a new bumper, may relegate it to the scrap pile unless you have another similar bumper you can scab the flange in from.

@@scottb7600 I'm missing a large piece of the flange itself. I have some scrap PP that I can make a template of and try to cut in the slots. This is personal - not for profit in a shop so I can take my time and try to salvage the bumper. If I was charging by the hour I would already be on to a new bumper by now

@@76rmyers Good deal. Check that piece to see if its about the same thickness as the original flange, if it is not, you may need to sand it down before trying to weld it in place in order to make it snap into the body clips. But doing what you describe will be worth the effort, I think and is definitely "doable."

No. You must use polyurethane welding rod. PUR is thermoset polyurethane and cannot be fusion welded. Our R01 polyurethane rod can be melted. You must use the R01 welding rod to make an adhesive repair. You can view our thermoset polyurethane playlist for more information.

We manufacture plastic welding rods. We currently have 22 different material types to match a wide variety of plastics! www.polyvance.com/Welding-Rod-List/

R02 polypropylene welding rod (www.polyvance.com/Polypropylene-1/). We used the round rod and a ribbon that we cut to make more narrow.

It depends on the product. email polyvance directly, with the product you are looking for and they will be able to help you.

A "tab" or "flange".

Hi. We used polypropylene welding rods for this repair (because the bumper cover was polypropylene). You can find all our polypropylene rods here: www.polyvance.com/Polypropylene-1/

Hi Leair! We used our brand of Polypropylene welding ribbon. You can find it at the link below: www.polyvance.com/Polypropylene-1/R02-04-03-NT/

In this video, we used our R02 polypropylene welding rod. www.polyvance.com/Polypropylene-1/

@@polyvance Nice, Lots of material for little money. I already have the mini heat gun and welding spoon. The aluminum duct tape too!

You can, but you would want to embed some 2045W stainless steel mesh into the repair to tie the FiberFlex to the base material. Because FiberFlex doesn't make a true weld, the mesh is needed to increase the sheer strength; it's definitely doable though.

@@scottb7600 Isn't FiberFlex supposed to have a good bond because it is somewhat like "hot glue" jbut supposedly even better than hot glue. so would it be a bit weaker if done with FiberFlex? how much bonding strength does the FiberFlex have (in PSI)? How does FiberFlex compare to a true fusion weld that is done with the correct and compatible plastic rods?

@@lethaldriver Since a true weld with the same material the bumper is made from is just that...a weld and fiberflex is a bond which relies on surface interaction, FiberFlex by nature is weaker. There is no mechanism for separating two things welded together without destroying both parts, but bonds tend to be strong in on direction and weaker in another...in this case peel strength is the weak link. FiberFlex is strong in sheer, strong in tension, but weak in peel. If you distribute the load over a larger area, FiberFlex is plenty strong for just about any bumper repair, the problem with a slot tab is there just isn't a whole lot of surface to work with, so that's where the mesh would make up for that.

hey bro can you explain more?

Filling screw holes is very, very easy.

No.

The filler rod we are using is our R02 polypropylene welding rod. We used polypropylene because the bumper cover we were working on was polypropylene. www.polyvance.com/Polypropylene-1/

You are correct. This not for most people. This video is targeted toward a collision repair professional at an auto body shop.

No clue why RU-vid would recommend this to me

I was thinking the same, on the other hand, this method will save money on a new paint job.

Use a heatgun with a narrow tube, soldering iron with a flat tip,

The tools are only uncommon if they are difficult to find or prohibitively expensive. None of the tools used are either of those. With the exception of the hot air welder/soldering gun there was nothing special or expensive about the tools. Most people have a dermel type tool, soldering iron, clamps of different sizes and sand paper. The hot air soldering gun can be picked up on amazon for $50. Even if you have to buy a dremel, again 30-40 on amazon for an off brand. Your local hardware store will also have tools you can buy for this project for less than the links provided. The cost of having this professionally repaired costs far more than those two thing combined. So, people’s choice. One time outlay to have a pro do it and have no tools or invest into some tools than can be used on this repair that you then own for the next project and save money in the process.

They will melt, but so will the surrounding area and you'll end up with a distorted mess if you don't end up with a big hole.

Search amazon for "hot air rework station". You can set the exact temperature, volume of air, and use one of the narrow tips that comes with it. I got one for 50$.

@@aromaticpillow what temperature is best??

@@efrainsanchez1999 Depends on the plastic. Each type of plastic has its ideal melting temperature. Usually between 250 and 500 Farenheit is a good range to be able to heat to.

Our R02 polypropylene welding rod: www.polyvance.com/Polypropylene-1/ (We used polypropylene filler rod because the bumper cover was polypropylene. It's important that the filler rod matches the base material).

Polypropylene welding rod: www.polyvance.com/Polypropylene-1/

Because the bumper cover was made of polypropylene, we used polypropylene welding rod. www.polyvance.com/Polypropylene-1/

This bumper was made of polypropylene, so we used our R02 welding rod. www.polyvance.com/Polypropylene-1/

Thanks for watching!

In this case yes, but for the DIYer the same thing can be done, albiet in about 10x the time using an airless welder like the MiniWeld Model 7 from Poloyvance. If you wanted to spend even less, the 5211 PolyPro welder will also do the trick.

61 - Most of what you say is accurate. You are right about the fiberglass repair of old, which worked OK on urethane, but not for all that long. However with newer polypropylene bumpers, as far as an adhesive repair being faster and cheaper, that is completely wrong. If you screw a mixing tip on an adhesive tube, you've already spent more than you would have on filler rod making a weld. With welding, the prep takes essentially the same amount of time or less than that for an adhesive repair because the area you need to prep is smaller for a weld. The time to apply adhesive compared to filler rod is generally faster, but the problem then lies with cure time. As soon as a weld hardens, you can sand it, adhesives take a minimum of 5 minutes, but most are 20 to 30 minutes before they are strong enough to handle and sand. Both require some filler after the repair, so that's a wash. Strength wise, welding is still a slam dunk. Even with the advances in adhesives, if you flex an an adhesive joint or try to bond a tab on with adhesive, it will only have a limited amount of strength. Its not that the adhesive is bad, it does have its uses, but polypropylene doesn't have much affinity for things being bonded to it, so like the fiberglass repairs of old on urethane, modern adhesive repairs have the same problems on polypropylene.

Body shops

Polypropylene

@@polyvance Thanks

@@Sam-to1zg You're welcome!

This is polypropylene. About 95% of late model bumper covers are made of polypropylene. You cannot do a fusion weld with hot air or nitrogen on thermoset polyurethane because thermoset plastics do not melt. You have to use a special technique to repair it. Themoplastic urethanes can be fusion welded, but they aren't as common. If you need information about repairing thermoset polyurethane, you can view this playlist: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rUV1qpnKxlg.html Repairing thermoset polyurethane is definitely not a company secret! The founder of our company created the first plastic welding kit designed to repair thermoset polyurethane in the early 1980s. Here's a video on common plastics and how to identify them: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-NUYfC79r0A4.html

@@polyvance wow, thank you, I didn't expect such a swift and substantial reply, it's a nice feeling to have a company be so receptive! I am really not just blowing smoke. ok, now to the facts, my specs.. I was shocked, very disappointed to find out that my bumper (2007 R-Class, lots of fond memories, I just love this car, I do all my repairs, coding, everything) is this thermoset goo, because I was all set to fuse, then I read the PUR-RIM designation on the inside of the skirt, central, next to the Mercedes part number, I thought what kind of primitive shit did I get here!! I was flipping! I knew your products for a while, I mean, you're legends out there in the business, but I wanted to stay away from gluing, because this is what it actually is, right, it's gluing, you create a concave, wide space with a very adherent surface, and then you fill it with the fused thermoplastic, those vids you linked are old already, I've known them for years, I really never thought I'd be applying the tech on my own damn bumper! question, is this solution, for PUR bumpers, really so durable, lasting and permanently elastic, what's the track record on these repairs? I couldn't find real testimonials from the other side, different perspectives, because now I'm stuck with this bumper material, I have to learn to live with it! 3M also has a solution similar to yours, well, not that similar, I think, but the basics go in the same direction. I was going to try everything out and test the living crap out of it, compare, you know.. on a sacrificial bumper or something. I don't think I have the time, I'd have to expose the repair surface to weather/temp differences, mechanical stresses, I don't think my curiosity will prevail here, because I lack the time and I'd have to buy everything for the sole purpose of this test. it would be epic though, I'm a depraved perfectionist, if I say I would, I really will test the crap out of it! the water molecule is an insidious little bastard, if you let it, it'll creep everywhere, in all its 3 states! I was looking for the 2k flex filler, it's sold out everywhere, has been for a while.. or can't be shipped abroad. I don't live in the States, I should mention that.. I have to repair several cracks in this bumper, I have a spare bumper as well, also in need for repair, same polyurethane crap! it's made in the US, practically the whole car is made in the US/MX, is PUR cheaper to manufacture? why did they have to do this to me?!?! I second what the guy below my comment noted! second the outrage, too! and then some! bastards! mercedes, for f's sake, they could have done better, in that generation, I mean, late 2000s, cmon!

@@darealpython Thanks for the kind words! Yeah, the thermoset PUR is used as a hot-melt adhesive. It's a similar process to brazing. But because the PUR is thermoset, it can't be melted and it has to be repaired with an adhesive process. Other companies make some two-part adhesives that are supposed to work on urethane, but we can't vouch for how well they work. Our FiberFlex welding rod also sticks to urethane. It's also applied as a hot-melt adhesive. I'd recommend using the thermoplastic PUR welding rod repair method. We've been doing these types of repairs for about 40 years, and we've always had good results. It sounds like you'll be doing your research on the best products and methods to repair this car you love. We wish you the best of luck!

@@darealpython They still use urethane because making a mold for a urethane bumper is far less expensive than making one for a PP bumper. So on lower production cars, the higher cost of the raw urethane material is more than offset by the low cost of the bumper mold. ITs still good stuff, its just not as easily repaired as a PP bumper. If I were you, I would look at Polyvance's 5210 230V Fiberflex Kit (if you are in Europe) or the 5210 (if you're in North America or where 120V power is used). While it won't make a true weld, it will make a good repair and has excellent flexibility when done. It will not be as strong as a weld in a PP bumper in terms of peel strength, but that is not a stress your repair will ever see unless you hit something. But it will flex with the bumper and not pop off like a lot of adhesives will. Be sure to use an adhesion promoter over the repair before filling and again before painting and paint adhesion will be great too.

This has been brought up at least a dozen times... JB weld does not stick to polypropylene....

C'est ta perte. Vous pouvez gagner beaucoup plus d'argent en réparant les pare-chocs qu'en les remplaçant et vous aideriez à garder beaucoup de plastique hors de la décharge. Bien sûr, comme pour toute réparation, vous devez peser le coût de la pièce de rechange avec le temps qu'il faudra pour réparer, mais à moins que la pièce ne soit très bon marché, facilement disponible et ait beaucoup de dommages, la réparer est généralement le moyen de aller.