1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Fixing cracked bumper

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by gboss, Apr 6, 2022.

  1. gboss

    gboss Member

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2021
    82
    31
    2
    Location:
    Bay Area
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    My bumper is cracked on the passenger side where it appears that the previous owner may have hit a curb - I bought it from the Toyota dealer like this (it was the middle of the pandemic so they weren't flexible on fixing as hard as I pushed). The condition of the body is great other than this. When I bought it, there was some sort of leftover pink substance that I could see within the crack so I'm guessing they may have tried to fill this unsuccessfully.

    I have the touchup pen for my paint color and am wondering if this crack can be fixed without replacing the bumper (plastic welding, some kind of epoxy/resin, etc.). Does anyone have experience repairing similar cracks in their bumper?

    bumper1.png
    bumper2.png
     
    #1 gboss, Apr 6, 2022
  2. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2012
    7,848
    3,102
    0
    Location:
    Honolulu, HI
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    I've seen repairs made on the backside of the cracked area.

    Scuff up around the area extending several inches on each side of the crack, and apply epoxy resin, then reinforce with several layers of fiberglass cloth, with applications of epoxy resin over and between the layers.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #2 xliderider, Apr 6, 2022
  3. gboss

    gboss Member

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2021
    82
    31
    2
    Location:
    Bay Area
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    This sounds like it could work, I'll do some research.
     
    #3 gboss, Apr 7, 2022
  4. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2012
    7,848
    3,102
    0
    Location:
    Honolulu, HI
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    The epoxy and fiberglass cloth is a tried and true method. The only unknown is whether you can get adequate adhesion/bonding to the plastic material of the bumper cover.

    You might need to look into adhesion promoters for bonding plastic.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #4 xliderider, Apr 7, 2022
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)