Pops-A-Dent and the plastic bumper

i think thats meant for metal where the suction cup thing can get a good grip.

BE wrote in news:BF786BBC.3B31F%n3wsr3ad3r_|@|_sbcglobal.net:

Can't you just reach behind the bumper and push the dent out from the inside?

BE wrote in news:BF786BBC.3B31F%n3wsr3ad3r_|@|_sbcglobal.net:

Some malls have a "As seen on TV" store that sells the same stuff. A local TV station product-tested this device,and found it to be only partially effective;it would not work on some deep dents,especially with creases.It might even lift the paint on your plastic bumper. You can probably get behind the bumper cover and push it out and save your money.

For your reference, these devices are commonly available at Pep Boys.

You could save yourself the shipping charge and also maybe go read the labeling in person.

"BE" wrote

No. I got under the car and there is too much structural material in the way, namely the tailpipe and the bumper bars (that are under the bumper skin). If the bumper skin itself could be removed easily, that would be the only way to do it.

Be

Order cancelled. Thanks for warning me off this!

Be

BE wrote in news:BF79152A.3B4E5%n3wsr3ad3r_|@|_sbcglobal.net:

Reach under and push your hand between the skin and rebar. There ought to be enough flex there for you to wiggle in and push the dent out.

If you opt to push out the dent, it may be easier to heat it up with a hair drier before doing so. Make sure you move it around and heat it evenly (not just the dent, but some of the surrounding area). These bumpers are usually PMMA and PP.

If you can raise the temp of the area to over the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the PP, this will make it easier to push out the dent.

Polypro Tg is about 100°c, or 212°f.

"L Alpert" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:

Interesting. They used to be polyurethane mixes.

PMMA is plain old acrylic. Your taillight lenses are acrylic.

If you buy a tub of macaroni salad from the grocery store, its lid will be polypropylene. Those corrugated plastic promotional pole signs you see at gas stations are also polypropylene.

I wonder why they switched materials?

"TeGGeR®" wrote in news:Xns96F453B287513tegger@207.14.113.17:

I believe the bumpers are polyurethane. Aftermarket bumper covers are advertised as urethane,for better flexibility and no cracking.

Jim Yanik wrote in news:Xns96F4662AA8F57jyanikkuanet@129.250.170.84:

Urethane is also cheaper than anything except vinyl. I've been out of the industry for three years, so I don't know if things have changed since I left. Three years ago, all the molded body parts I was involved with were most assuredly urethane.

Urethane's natural color is light beige, darkening considerably with exposure to oxygen.

Acrylic's natural color is clear. Polypro's natural color is translucent- clear. A bumper skin made of a PMMA/PP blend would look VERY different from one made with urethane.

By the way, I negelected to mention earlier that thermoformed styrene lids are replacing injection-molded PP lids at the grocery store deli. You'd have to buy something off-the-shelf like yogurt to find a molded PP lid.

I wish it were that close. But the dent, as I described, is at the point of the bumper after it comes out of its upward curve around the bottom of the tailgate, below the tail light. The bumper skeleton blocks my access to that reach, and it would be about 8-10 inches up from the opening underneath if there were no bumper bars blocking it. A very thin item (like a long screwdriver) _might_ fit through, but the thinness of the item would then bring on the danger of poking a hole through the skin from the inside. I don't think in any case that I would have the correct angle of attack. I guess I need a really bright light to be sure.

Be

Well, actually, some still are PUR, though the Tg is not much different.......PP and PMMA are less expensive materials (though the petro-chemicals are all going through the roof and some suppliers are claiming Force Majeure.....

The cost depends on the grades used. Most PURs I use are in the +$4/lb range for the Dow grades. I think the bumpers made from PUR are actually estane grades (formerly BF Goodrich, now the Estane group, or something similar) and are not as costly. Most PP is quite cheap. I don't use that much PMMA, so I'm not 100% sure of pricing. Of course, I'm not in the auto industry (medical).

The Honda bumpers, now that I think about it, are PUR, though the process for removing the dent would be about the same.