Styling Faded Bumpers?? No Need For Chemicals

[rodmallia]

I'm using normal, clean vegetable oil. Seems to work.

 

[antsuno2]

Mmmmm! deep fried fiat bumper with a peanut butter topping, with a baby oil sauce! i think i'l stick to wurth bumper gel you tight wads!

 

[waynegts]

taking the bumper off wil save you cleaning them. other than that i use bumper stuff and in quite happy with it.

 

[Stu DemonD]

This e-book ever get completed? :chin:

 

[rodmallia]

This e-book ever get completed? :chin:

I think not...

 

[taylor_1874]

Turtle Wax, interior dash cleaner.

Has done the trick for me. Shame i now need a steering column, pricks tried to steal it last nighr.

 

[circolo]

I remember years ago using oil to clean the bumpers. Clean engine oil, baby oil, vegetable oil. They all worked well.

But then I spoke to someone involved with the study of plastics and polymers. (Each to their own I guess...), and he explained that using oils as a cleaner on plastics, will eventually rot the plastic, or at least breakdown the outer layer, so that it becomes even more weathered and possibly cracked over time.

Whether he was "scaremongering" or not, I can't say for sure, but I'm sure my bumpers started to become softer.

I now use Back to Black spray. Which seems to work perfectly well, and the shine lasts for about 3 weeks, before needing to be re-applied.

I guess the alternative would be to have colourcoded bumpers all round. But I quite like the retro (80's) look of black plastic bumpers against the standard bodywork on the Uno.

 

[Seanlr]

I have colour coded bumpers, Man do they look good after a few hundered k's of pebbles and bugs chipping the paint (sarcasm)

Any idea how i could get the paint off?

 

[alexGS]

Seanlr, You can get away with touching-in the paint chips on bumpers using correct paint and a brush - no-one looks that closely below the belt

You can use a hot air gun and a paint scraper - you may find the paint peels off in sheets! - or you can use ordinary paint stripper, doesn't seem to affect the bumper plastic.

And Pronunciation Alert! I suspect that in 'Get a Uno!' you are pronouncing You-no rather than Ooo-no, I think it should be 'an Uno'

Circolo - welcome to the forum! - interesting points there. I remember using oil to lubricate my LEGO Technic and gears started breaking left right and centre. That was an ABS plastic - Uno bumpers are polypropylene. I believe that different plastics are affected in different ways. For example, the wheelarch trims of an Uno Turbo are different, ABS I think, they don't seem to go as grey but might be more susceptible to oil damage.

But I'd still stick to silicone spray for all plastics myself, as a cheaper alternative to the proprietary product you mentioned. I tend to paint the black part of my bumpers (using Bumper Prime or Bumper Coat), which works for me - but under more severe conditions, paint can flake.

-Alex

 

[[email protected]]

wer is ur E-book ,Mr. Nay27uk, and what was ur idea which was in suspense

 

[oldskoolmk1unoturbo]

just paint them black!

 

[ralphnz]

On page 68 of the owners manual it categorically states "Use only black wax, or black shoe polish, on the black urethane or polypropylene bumper".

 

[stealthstylz]

I know the secret just get a heat gun (usually used for scraping gloss paint off wood) and waft it over the plastic, once it gets hot watch in amazement as it goes as black as it was when it left the factory.

Before

After

Matt

 

[Chas Uno]

Heat gun is a good way of doing it (don't overdo it though else you'll melt the bumpers!) Other options are silicone spray, back to black, baby oil or even peanut butter - apparently!

 

[alexGS]

Heat gun is a good way of doing it (don't overdo it though else you'll melt the bumpers!) Other options are silicone spray, back to black, baby oil or even peanut butter - apparently!

I'm pleased that the heat gun approach works for other people, but I've had zero luck with this - for me, nothing happens until the plastic melts (about five seconds in the same spot will do that).

I've heard lots of separate sources recommend the heat gun as the solution, including two local sources, so it seems to be just me that has no success (I've even borrowed two other heat guns). And by the way, I also find the heat gun useless for its intended purpose - shifting house paint - the paint stays right where it is and turns black, the wood chars! - but very useful for drying paint, curing body filler, etc.

At the moment I'm trying to tidy up a Punto (Mk1) and tried the heat gun on the mirror 'triangles' (the formerly-black plastic at the corner of the front door window frame, where the mirror attaches) and again, no dice except to melt and distort the edge. I've been able to darken the grey slightly by applying silicone spray and leaving to soak in.

-Alex

 

[punto5dr]

A can of poundland back to black sorted my bumpers out

 

[Turnip]

I suggest.. .. .

5 tablespoons of margarine ( unsalted )
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil ( must be extra virgin, its the best )
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways, seeds scraped out
2 free-range egg yolks
1 teaspoon of milk

mix in a bowl, then apply by hand... Feeling over every crevice. .. .:yum:


MMMMM Delicious

 

[Jai]

this one was lying behind my shed, neglected for about 6 years, covered in cack and bird poo, hot wash and clean, allowed to dry, can of back to black, and a fairly good result i think

 

[alexGS]

I suggest.. .. .

5 tablespoons of margarine ( unsalted )
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil ( must be extra virgin, its the best )
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways, seeds scraped out
2 free-range egg yolks
1 teaspoon of milk

mix in a bowl, then apply by hand... Feeling over every crevice. .. .:yum:


MMMMM Delicious

I just won't ask why we need the vanilla or the eggs. And the milk... oh my goodness, that will STINK... I'm sure it works brilliantly though

How about chocolate body paint as a solution? :yum:

Even just the title of this thread raises my heckles - "No Need For Chemicals" - never mind that margarine, vanilla, milk (for example), and the bumpers themselves are all made of "Chemicals" - we live in a chemical world...

Jai - nice work (but you used CHEMICALS :nono: ) - of course, now you won't be able to paint the bottom part but it certainly looks in perfect condition as it is!

-Alex

 

[GeorgePayne]

Its peanut butter

it really works the smooth kind