bumper blackening.

[Jcb]

sort of asked about it before in another thread but didn't work it out.

so what is the best way to get the bumpers looking alot blacker? I'm guessing prepare then pain is the best way, but i didn't want to have to take the bumpers off the car. is there any product which you can say rub on and leaves a black finish which lasts?

[Welsh Dan]

Autoglym bumper gel?

[Jcb]

does that just restore original colour? like simoniz back to black, which despite the name dosen't actually blacken anything. it's just a polish.

Edit: yea just looked it up... "Autoglym Bumper Care cleans and revives colour, restoring plastic trim to its original finish" :(

[Iain]

I can't see any product making your bumpers blacker than they originally were, however I'd like to be proved wrong. They still look good when you've "restored" their colour though, making them a nice dark grey.

[Jcb]

the problem is, the bump strips are black, and so is the splitter. it's not a big difference but if you look, it's there. i'm thinking i may have to take it off and paint it then. just need to find a way to cover that thin red strip (i.e masking tape will be too thick) any ideas?

[Paul]

heat gun, go easy, long strokes, then back to black them

[Austin_Nova16]

Agree with Paul. Heat Gun or gas torch. :thumb:

[Jcb]

that blackens an originally dark grey bumper?!

[Matt2107]

The more frequently you use Autoglym bumper gel the darker your bumper will go... to a point.

[Paul]

yes a heat gun can do awesome things to a grey bumper, see:

http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/1340/newyears073fn6.jpg

It brings the oil back to the surface, protect this by using back to black or similar products.

[craig green]

Hair dryer will do it temporarily. AG bumper care is good, however if you are thinking of painting them, any previous use of back to black etc will mean the bumper is full of silicon & a decent finish/adhesion is virtually out of the question.

Try a brillo pad too, works on Astra GTE bump strips.

[Jcb]

great feedback, will try it this weekend!

[Lee-170]

i use simoniz bumber restorer ment for black bumpers works a treat though