Cartisan recently received a service request from a customer who owns a 1.8L Audi A4 TFSi.
First, the broken pieces of the bumper were joined together by means of plastic welding. Body filler was applied to the portions of the bumper where there were dents and surface imperfections. These portions were then rubbed with sandpaper so that they are level with the surrounding surface. After the sanding is completed, the bumper is sprayed with surfacer or a primer coat. After this, the bumper is again sanded, although this time wet sanding is done to ensure that the entire surface is smooth and of the same level. The car is then driven into the paint booth where the bumper that is to be painted is cleaned with a degreaser to remove any dust or dirt that might be stuck to the bumper.
The bumper is first sprayed with a dull black base coat. Once the base coat quickly dries up, the bumper is sprayed with the actual body color of the car, in this case, metallic black. This layer of paint is re applied another 2 more times.
After the black metallic paint is applied, the bumper is sprayed with a clear coat which gives the bumper its glossy finish. The paint is then left to dry for around 4–5 hours.
After the paint is dried, the newly painted bumper is sanded and the paint is slightly dulled. This is because fresh paint is always brighter than the existing paint on the body of the car. In order to match the paint with the car, the bumper is polished repeatedly.
After the polishing process is completed, the newly painted bumper will match the entire body of the car.
The car is then washed and delivered back to the customer.
Originally published at Cartisan.
