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Caring for plastic bumpers

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by eurosteve, Jun 22, 2008.

  1. eurosteve

    eurosteve Member

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    I've been carefully washing and waxing my car but I'm not sure what to do about the bumpers. Should I clean and wax them the same way I do the painted metal parts of the car? What about bug and tar removal?

    I assume that the bumpers are painted plastic and I don't want to do anything to ruin them. Do they require any special treatment?
     
    #1 eurosteve, Jun 22, 2008
  2. Sheepdog

    Sheepdog C'Mere Sheepie!

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    I zaino mine and bugs dont stick. waxes looks the protective ability in the heat. If you zaino nothing else you might want to zaino the front of the car against bugs.
     
    #2 Sheepdog, Jun 22, 2008
  3. chrisspaulding

    chrisspaulding sexy, high tech, fun

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    Treat them [bumpers] like any other painted surface on the car.
    You're not treating the material(metal/plastic), you're treating the clear coated paint on top of the material.

    For protection and good looks, a combo of paint sealer and wax is your best bet (imo)!
    :)
     
    #3 chrisspaulding, Jun 22, 2008
  4. eurosteve

    eurosteve Member

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    Bugs: I bought a "bug and tar remover" and it took off the surface bugs but you can still see the remnants of the bigs on the finish. On my hood I used a small amount of car polish to get the final remnants off - and then I re-waxed it. You think it's okay to also use car polish on the bumper? Is the clearcoat the same (as durable) on the bumper as on the hood?
     
    #4 eurosteve, Jun 23, 2008
  5. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    Same paint as the other panels so treat it the same.
     
    #5 patsparks, Jun 23, 2008
  6. GatorJZ

    GatorJZ Member

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    Agreed. Wax offers more environmental protection than a sealant. For a sealant try Ultima Paint Guard Protection....ten times easier to apply than Zaino and looks better.
     
    #6 GatorJZ, Jun 23, 2008
  7. chrisspaulding

    chrisspaulding sexy, high tech, fun

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    YES

    Don't think of it in terms of surfaces, think of it in terms of what's covering the surface: you're washing/claying/sealing/waxing/polishing/etc the paint, and even more so, the clear coat on top of the paint - wherever it is (hood or bumper).
    --So, in that respect, your thread title could read: 'Caring for clear coated paint'.

    Protect away!
     
    #7 chrisspaulding, Jun 23, 2008
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