What kind of epoxy or glue does anyone have experience with for plastic? Not sure of the type, poly?, it's the black plastic shield/cover that goes below a car engine. Cracked, piece missing, need an epoxy that will hold it together with a small new piece of additional plastic material. I know Loctite, JB Weld, Permatex make epoxy that's for plastic. One of those better than the others? Or is silicone caulk an option? Other choices?
Thanks in advance.
*if* you want to use an adhesive, you could try some G-Flex with some filler.
However, why not bolt the new plastic to the old? Same method as above, but put short bolts in the holes to hold the pieces together. Or maybe the standard clips that hold the panels on? My vehicles use these type of clips where panels overlap. Lots of styles here:
Gluing plastic, that gets hit by rocks when you drive, is going to be tough.
Don't know about your car but for my 2005 toyota, replacement splash shields (it has 2) are available at a moderate price, what most would call a low price, at AutoZone and places like that. One of mine was drooping for months but I only heard it when I backed out of my parking place, but not when i drove into it, or when I drove! I was at toyota for something else so I decided to spring for the maximum quality and price for those clips. He looks them up on the computer and I bought three. Lay on my back and put them in, the kind with a center pin to lock them in. 3 months later, the shield is drooping again and rubbing on the ground when I pull out of the parking place.
There is a "glue" made for repairing plastic bumpers. Dynatron is one branf I have had experience with. "stapling" first makes a solid joint - basically pressing heated rings into the material spanning the gap, then covering with the bumper glue
The two OEM pieces are close to $200. Which is why I bought aftermarket on Ebay for $60. Problem is that those are more flimsy, not shaped correctly, etc. The original is far superior. So the plan is to cut about a 5 inch square piece off the aftermarket and attach it to the original. There may be better aftermarket parts, but at higher prices and no way to tell if they are any better than what I have without all the process of obtaining them to find out. Might as well do the $200 dealer option at that point.
I see JB Weld has a plastic epoxy. I may buy that and try it on a test area. Clare pointed me to Bondo, which also has a bumper repair product that may work.
Should have done this before, but I examined the panel for any markings that would show what kind of plastic it is. It's marked as a "5" PP. So, it's polypropylene, which apparently is the worst plastic to glue. But JB Weld says their product works:
I'm thinking glue plus rivets.
It doesn't need to be watertight. I was thinking maybe silicone just because it seems to stick to everything, but now I see JB Weld has a plastic epoxy that they claim works on polypropylene, which is what I figured out it is.
Don't stand in front of his car. Or behind it.
...and if I may, shouldn't you be encouraging him not to drive as opposed to fixing his car? Option: While you are under the car, cut some wires. Make it too expensive to repair.
Yes, I've given him my input on that. Worse part is that he drives 600 miles each way every couple of months back to where his daughter lives, where his various doctors are. There are probably millions of seniors driving that couldn't pass a vision test if they had to. I think a few states may require testing for seniors, but I don't think it's many. Likely because the consequences of those people not being able to drive outweigh the safety increase. He also likes to go 65 in the left lane on highways, then complains about all the people passing him on the right. I've told him about that too, that the law is to keep right except to pass, he says f*** em, he's going the speed limit. He was an annoying driver 40 years ago. I remember riding with him, he'd be in the right lane on a highway, you could see a big slow truck entering a quarter mile away. Instead of moving to the unoccupied middle lane, he'd just keep going in the right lane, wind up having to brake, slow down, then follow the truck doing 50 for awhile until I yelled at him. Only so much you can do.
Maybe you are doing too much.
I know it's easy for me to say, but you could tell him that you won't enable him anymore by fixing his car. If he chooses to drive with panels hanging off his car, that's on him. At least you made your (probably symbolic) point.
That;s the current plan, rivets with washers, JB Weld plastic repair. Will test the JBW first, see if it sticks.
Fix rod speed? That's just crazy talk.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.