Ways to mitigate a bumper scratch?

[RogueRodney]

BS' Nation:

So one frustration I had with some recently installed lights was I had these bolts sticking up an inch that looked idiotic...

No problem, ordered a routing tool to saw them off right...

Well, I've never used a routing tool, and though I attempted to put things in place to mitigate damage, I actually found that that just hid the damage I was doing.

Note to self, don't try new skills in visible areas of my new car...

Ok, I did learn quickly so I didn't damage other parts (well not that much, very minor).

But I did scratch the bumper in a few places...
From 5 feet away even looking right at it you can't see it, but from about a foot away you can.

Anything I can do to mitigate the damage (yeah I know replace the bumper, but I'm thinking that that would be extreme).

Note the shiny bolts that no longer stick up...

RR

Sponsored

 

[Barry S.]

BS' Nation:

So one frustration I had with some recently installed lights was I had these bolts sticking up an inch that looked idiotic...

No problem, ordered a routing tool to saw them off right...

Well, I've never used a routing tool, and though I attempted to put things in place to mitigate damage, I actually found that that just hid the damage I was doing.

Note to self, don't try new skills in visible areas of my new car...

Ok, I did learn quickly so I didn't damage other parts (well not that much, very minor).

But I did scratch the bumper in a few places...
From 5 feet away even looking right at it you can't see it, but from about a foot away you can.

Anything I can do to mitigate the damage (yeah I know replace the bumper, but I'm thinking that that would be extreme).

Note the shiny bolts that no longer stick up...

RR

To quote Clint Eastwood, "A man's gotta know his limitations."?

 

[Major Kong]

nice flush cut ?
lock cap nut might give you a better look
the gouge not so good
maybe some kinda fascia piece or trim that works well with the lights

 

[Major Kong]

link posted some time ago by one of the posters here
may provide a cosmetic approach to the problem
https://www.trim-gard.com/bodysidemoldings.html

 

[13MikeH]

I got a bumper rub, direct on the left rear corner. Used fine grit 300 sand paper to remove burs, applied a low setting heat gun to level it out, and added some bumper spray to finish it off. Looks pretty good. Nope...no experience never attempted that level of body work before.

 

[Mark S.]

+1 on the heat gun. Be careful with it! The way it works is it softens (melts) the plastic enough for the material around the gouge to flow and "heal" itself. The operative word here is "melt." Slow and cautious will fix the problem instead of making it worse.

 

[gatornek]

I think ChrisFix on Youtube has a video on repairing plastic bumper scratches with a heat gun.

 

[RogueRodney]

I got a bumper rub, direct on the left rear corner. Used fine grit 300 sand paper to remove burs, applied a low setting heat gun to level it out, and added some bumper spray to finish it off. Looks pretty good. Nope...no experience never attempted that level of body work before.

Thanks Team!

Yeah, everytime I looked as the Nudge bar all I could see were those bolts sticking up.

That problem was resolved...

But then I scratched the bumper and now all I can see is the scratch...

Went by the Ford Dealer Body Shop this morning and they used some Maguier's Ultimate Black.
It does look abit better. I think anyone else looking at the car likely wouldn't even see it. But I know it's there....

I'll check out some of the suggestions... I do have a heat gun so that is a possibility.

13MikeH: Do you have any picks? And maybe a link to the product you used?

RR

 

[RogueRodney]

BS'ers:

Alright, just sharing a current before/after.

The top is yesterday after I applied the router to my bumper, the bottom is after two applications of Magueirs Ultimate Black and some very minor trimming with a knife to remove the plastic spurs...

It's clearly still there, but in bright light at about 2 ft, even I have a hard time seeing it. From several feet away its invisible.

I've watched about a dozen repair jobs online, including copying and reapplying texture, sanding the whole thing down and effectively rebuilding, etc....

I know given time/money I could likely make it better, but I also know with my skill set I have a higher likelihood of making it worse.

Think I'll take Barry S.'s advice and know my limitations.

Thanks for everyone's input though.

RR

 

[Mark S.]

It's clearly still there, but in bright light at about 2 ft, even I have a hard time seeing it. From several feet away its invisible.

 

[Escape2Bronco]

RR, it’s a Bronco, scratches show you’ve taken it to places other than the mall. Those are badges of honor. Don’t sweat it! Even if those places happen to be tools you never used before, it’s still a learning experience!

 

[Winds of Change]

I second E2B

 

[Winds of Change]

RR, it’s a Bronco, scratches show you’ve taken it to places other than the mall. Those are badges of honor. Don’t sweat it! Even if those places happen to be tools you never used before, it’s still a learning experience!

Are you going to go to Bronco SuperCel Wisconsin in the Dells Next weekend?

 

[Escape2Bronco]

Are you going to go to Bronco SuperCel Wisconsin in the Dells Next weekend?

Probably not. Grandkid ball tournaments seem to fill our weekends. I’ll have to see where they are at next weekend. Probably Oshkosh or Waupan.

Are you coming up? If you do, bring up some rain. It’s dryer than a popcorn fart up here. I think the Dell’s got some of that rain on Saturday but not so much here. We were out in Moab over Memorial Day and it hasn’t rained an inch since.

 

[Winds of Change]

I will try and bring some rain, Yes I will be up there for the weekend.

Sponsored