Dents are a very common type of damage on bumpers.
Many body technicians don't know how to repair stretched and deformed plastic bumpers.
This video will show you some techniques that will help you save bumpers that are dented like this.
This 2009 Ford Fusion rear is a perfect example of a bumper dented in the corner.
There is a crease in the middle of the dent,
but the outer part of the dent is pretty smooth and should come out easily.
Using a heat gun or propane torch, heat the area around the dent.
It's most important to heat well around the outside of the dent, at least three or four inches.
Make sure to keep the heat moving constantly.
Be careful not to overheat a certain area, especially when using a torch.
Burning the plastic will cause it to become brittle.
The most important thing is to be patient.
It took us about five minutes of continuous heating on this bumper before we started pushing on it.
Notice that the heat is being concentrated around the perimeter of the dent.
This releases the stresses and relaxes the dent out naturally.
If the dent is not creased, it may pop out from the heat alone.
In this case, the crease in the middle of the dent will prevent that,
but you can see that the dent is getting smaller just with the addition of heat.
Again, be patient, keep the heat moving, and let the plastic heat completely all the way through.
Once the plastic gets too hot to touch with the palm of your hand for more than one second,
it's hot enough to start working.
Using a tool like a screwdriver handle or utility knife handle, start to push on the plastic.
Use gloves to protect your hands from the hot plastic.
Here we push out the crease first, then continue to press in areas to finesse the dents out.
While the plastic cools, keep checking the profile with your bare hand,
and using the tool to push on one side of the bumper or the other to get it into shape.
The plastic will move around as it cools, so keep working it and checking the profile.
Stay with the plastic as it cools to get it as flat as possible once it gets solid.
Let the plastic cool for a few minutes before you start to sand it.
Use a fresh piece of 80 grit on a DA sander.
80 grit is your friend at this stage of the game.
As you sand the paint off, you'll be able to see any remaining low spots easily.
Keep the DA flat on the surface and be patient.
Let the DA remove the paint and get the surface flat.
Don't worry about fuzzy plastic at this point; you can finish that out later.
The most important thing here is to get the dent out and make it flat.
The sanding process heats the plastic enough to make it pliable.
Here, we are pushing out the dents while checking the profile with our free hand.
Again, keep working the plastic as it cools while you finesse out the small imperfections.
Again, let the bumper cool for a few minutes to solidify, then sand again with 80 grit.
If you pushed up the low spots properly, you should see the remaining painted areas disappear.
The goal is to do the entire dent without using any filler if possible.
Using a bit of filler is not a big deal, but it will add time and cost to complete the repair.
The technician who can complete the repair with no filler has certainly earned some bragging rights.
After we complete the face of the bumper, we repeat the same process on the top panel.
Sand it first with 80 grit, keeping the DA flat and moving.
This will allow you to identify your low spots easily.
While the plastic is hot from the friction heat,
use a tool to push up on the low spots while checking the profile with your free hand.
Apply more heat if necessary to get the plastic to move.
Continue to finesse out the minor dents.
Sand again with 80 grit paper until all low spots are removed.
Once you get the profile smooth, sand down the fuzz with 180 grit then 320 grit.
After sanding the plastic with 320 grit paper, apply 1050 or 1051 Plastic Magic Adhesion Promoter.
This will help the primer stick to the raw polypropylene.
After that, high build waterborne primer surfacers.
Sand the first coat of primer with 180 grit.
Fill any imperfections with spot putty, then spray another coat of primer surfacer.
Block with 320 dry, then 400 wet prior to sealing and painting.