Learned a trick about bumper repair from a guy at a shop in Phoenix

I was down in Phoenix last month helping a buddy at his shop and this old timer came in with a 2004 Camry that had a cracked bumper. He pulled out a heat gun and a plastic welding kit I'd never seen before, fixed that crack in like 15 minutes flat. I always just used filler on plastic bumpers, but he showed me how welding them holds up way better over time. Has anyone else tried plastic welding on bumpers instead of filler?

2 comments

2 Comments

king.andrew14d ago

Plastic welding is the only way to go once you try it. The bond is way stronger than filler and it doesn't crack or shrink over time like bondo does. Did he use a specific type of plastic rod for that Camry bumper, or just a generic one?

kim_west14d ago

Actually that TPO rod from the Polyvance kit is a pretty safe bet for most modern bumpers, but Toyota uses a specific blend on those 2016-2019 Camrys. It's a TPO/TPE hybrid that needs a slightly different melt point. I found out the hard way on a customer's '18 Camry last year. The generic rod stuck but started to lift at the edges after a few hot days. Had to redo the whole thing with their "universal" rod that's meant for mixed plastics. The bondo comment though, I still use filler for bigger gaps on fiberglass stuff where the plastic welding just doesn't grab right. Different tools for different jobs, you know?