How To Patch Your Car Body
Fiberglass is common on car surfaces. It is often used on door handles, rear view mirrors and bumpers. If your car does have some fiberglass parts, you should consider patching them yourself. The job is quite simple and the supplies are affordable. You can start out by practicing to patch the small holes. When you get more comfortable with the process, you can start to work on large dings and holes. This article explains the simple process and the best tools to use.
Using Fiberglass Resin
Fiberglass resin needs to be activated by mixing in a liquid hardener. This comes in a small, separate tube. In fact, for convenience you should look for a kit that includes the resin, hardener and some cloth. This way you don't need to buy an unnecessarily large amount of cloth for your small job. You will also need some sort of mixing tray or plate. You can use a disposable plastic plate. You also need a plastic putty knife. This works better than a metal one and reduces the risk of scratching your paint. You can use a little bit of masking tape to hold the cloth in place over the hole while you are spreading the resin on it.
Mixing the Resin
First, you need to cut the cloth to the right size before you mix the resin. This way you will be prepared to apply the resin onto the cloth immediately. The resin will dry very quickly once the liquid hardener is added, so you need to mix it nearby. Most brands are slightly different, so read the instructions to see how much hardener should be added to a given amount of resin. Stir them together quickly and then get ready to spread it with a stirring stick.
Applying the Resin
You want to spread the resin on thick, but you also want to try and match the existing contours of the car body. If you spread it on too thick, you'll have to do a lot of sanding to make it look good. Basically, you will need to be patient and try to make it look natural. However, don't work too slowly, because the resin will become harder to work with as it dries.
As you can see, patching small holes in your car's bumper is simple. The more holes you fix on your own, the faster and more professional your patch jobs will get.