Does replacing a bumper require painting?
2 Answers
Replacing a new bumper requires painting. Generally, the bumper is painted before being installed. Composition of a bumper: Typically, a plastic bumper on a car consists of three parts: the outer panel, cushioning material, and crossbeam. The outer panel and cushioning material are made of plastic, while the crossbeam is formed by stamping cold-rolled steel sheets about 1.5 mm thick into a U-shaped channel. The outer panel and cushioning material are attached to the crossbeam, which is connected to the vehicle's frame longitudinal beams with screws, allowing for easy removal. Location of the bumper: Car bumpers are located at the front and rear of the vehicle, covering most of these areas. They are designed to prevent external damage from affecting the vehicle's safety systems and have the capability to reduce injuries to passengers during high-speed collisions. Nowadays, they are increasingly designed to protect pedestrians as well.
Last month I just replaced the front bumper and found that the newly purchased bumper was just a dull plastic shell that had to be repainted. The 4S店 technician told me that bumpers come from the factory in a primer state, and the color doesn’t match the original car at all. I watched them struggle in the paint-mixing room for a long time, carefully matching the color to the car body. After spraying, it had to be dried in a baking room, otherwise the paint wouldn’t adhere properly. Painting plastic parts is indeed more troublesome than metal car bodies, and the baking temperature must be carefully controlled. Although some say you can buy pre-painted parts, the color difference is too obvious, so on-site color matching is more reliable.
