Can You Use A Window Repair Kit On A Cracked Plastic Headlight Lens

Different the classic American cars on the 1950s and earlier, modern automobiles are full of plastic. From door panels and dash pads to the engine cover, plastic is everywhere. While this may exist an affordable way for today's auto manufacturers to build cars, the fact remains that plastic but does non last as long as metal. Eventually, these plastic components fade and fissure, leaving you lot with the job of replacing information technology or living with busted parts on your car. Only yous can fix broken plastic trim if you lot follow a few steps.

The 1960s saw the biggest change over from metallic to plastic. As metal became more expensive and plastic forming applied science grew, the automakers chop-chop grabbed onto plastic as the material of the future. Not only is it cheaper to make, plastic components are much lighter and weigh a fraction of what metal counterparts would. By the 1980s, everything on the within of a car was plastic. Pop the hood on merely about any motorcar fabricated from the belatedly 1990s and you will likely find engine components that are fabricated of plastic. General Motors has fifty-fifty been using composite plastic components inside the engine itself. While our example repair hither is on a classic muscle car, renewed interest in 1980s and 1990s cars means the aforementioned repair techniques can be applied too.

In that location is not much yous can practise when composite engine components fail, that is ordinarily a replacement detail. On the other mitt interior and cosmetic components are easily repaired if y'all take the time to work it out yourself. All you lot need are a few products that are readily available at any NAPA Auto Parts Store to fix broken plastic trim parts.

Supplies

Items needed to fix broken plastic trim:

JB Weld Plastic Repair, Kwik Weld, or Original epoxy

Masking Tape

Dupli-Colour Interior Paint

Dupli-Colour Truck Bed Liner Aerosol

Dupli-Color Adhesion Promoter

320-Grit Sandpaper

Wax & Grease Remover

Prepare To Repair

Cleaning the panel with wax and grease remover is the best way to get the part clean without damaging the plastic. — Cleaning the panel with wax and grease remover is the best fashion to become the part make clean without damaging the plastic.

We had a pair of sun-bleached plastic door panels from a 1974 Dodge Challenger that were in need of some restoration. Over time, the lord's day eats away at plastic and somewhen information technology starts to flake off, much like how steel rusts. In addition to the crusty surface, 1 corner on each console had divide. These panels are hard to notice and expensive. Repairing the panels costs less than $20 and 3 hours (not including cure times).

We used some lint-free shop towels to clean the part. You have to wipe the wax and grease remover on and then wipe it off with a dry cloth. — Nosotros used some lint-complimentary shop towels to clean the part. You accept to wipe the wax and grease remover on and then wipe information technology off with a dry out fabric.

The process begins with a quick clean upwards. The panels were wiped down with wax & grease remover. Y'all can use window cleaner, or even soapy h2o, yous but want them to be clean before you start.

Corners are a high stress area, cracks are common here. — Corners are a loftier stress area, cracks are mutual here.

Side by side, the crevice was located and assessed. For this repair, the epoxy volition be added to back of the panel, which makes the final cease much easier.

The crack was closed and taped up with masking tape as a backing for the epoxy. — The crack was closed and taped up with masking record as a backing for the epoxy.

Using the masking record, we closed the crevice and secured it.

The Set up Is In

JB Weld Quick Weld works great on metal, fiberglass and plastic. It is metered out in the proper ratios with the plunger. — JB Weld Quick Weld works nifty on metal, fiberglass and plastic. It is metered out in the proper ratios with the plunger.

The tube just measures out the material, it has to be mixed by hand. — The tube just measures out the material, it has to exist mixed past paw.

Adjacent, we mixed the JB Weld Kwik Weld. You don't need much, just enough to cover the repair.

Next, the epoxy gets pressed into the split from the back side. This reduces the amount of finish work required on the visible side. — Next, the epoxy gets pressed into the divide from the back side. This reduces the amount of finish piece of work required on the visible side.

The epoxy was spread onto the crack, pushing it into the split. The crack was then pushed together and taped again to ensure it would stay airtight. The Kwik Weld hardens in 6 minutes, and fully cures in 4 to 6 hours.

After about 15 minutes, we removed the tape exposing the repaired crack. It could be left like this, but there is some texture loss that needs to be addressed. — After about fifteen minutes, nosotros removed the record exposing the repaired crack. It could be left like this, simply there is some texture loss that needs to exist addressed.

The panel was sprayed with a white guide coat before sanding. This helps us see all the damaged areas. — The console was sprayed with a white guide coat before sanding. This helps u.s. encounter all the damaged areas.

Finishing

In one case the repair was consummate, we sanded the panel with the 320-grit sandpaper. Anything more coarse than 320 will leave sanding scratches in the final finish. The goal here is to smooth out the oxidized layer, taking off the chalky plastic, leaving the adept layer intact.

In order to remove any loose material on the panel, we sanded it down with 320-grit sandpaper. — In order to remove any loose material on the console, nosotros sanded it down with 320-grit sandpaper.

The sanding action removes some of the grain, though much of it was already gone due to the chalky plastic. We can't replace the exact grain, only nosotros can get pretty close with spray-on bed liner. Plastic is inherently hard to pigment, so we demand to prep information technology well. First, information technology is cleaned with the wax & grease remover (you demand to use this product for this step).

Plastic is hard to paint, as it is an oil-based product. Adhesion promoter helps soften the material, providing a chemical bond as well as a better mechanical bond for the paint. — Plastic is hard to paint, as it is an oil-based product. Adhesion promoter helps soften the material, providing a chemical bond also as a better mechanical bond for the paint.

Next, we sprayed the console with Dupli-Color Adhesion Promoter. This slightly softens the plastic, providing a mechanical bond that the paint needs to stick.

Spraying the adhesion promoter is done in two medium coats, with 15 minutes dry time between coats. — Spraying the adhesion promoter is washed in two medium coats, with 15 minutes dry out time between coats.

Adhesion promoter requires two coats with a 15 minute balance between coats, and then a height coat inside one hour.

Spray-on bed liner works really well for this process. experimenting with different spray distances, angles, and even mixing bed liner and bumper trim paint can yield different results to match grain. — Spray-on bed liner works actually well for this process. experimenting with different spray distances, angles, and fifty-fifty mixing bed liner and bumper trim paint can yield different results to match grain.

To recreate the grain, we need a paint that not only is durable, but also formulated for texture. At that place are many unlike paints that nosotros could utilise for texturing. A lite grain is best matched with bumper trim paint, but the heavy grain on the Challenger panel needs a larger texture, making the truck bed coating a amend friction match.

Several light coats are best when working with bed liner. Too much build up at once will not look right. — Several light coats are best when working with bed liner. As well much build up at once will not expect right.

The pull a fast one on to spraying this stuff is to utilise several light coats, sprayed from eight to 15 inches away. The distance gives the pigment a gamble to dry slightly in the air before hitting the panel. This ways the droplets vary in size, the event is a simulated grain that mimics the original grain of the plastic.

Here you can see the various droplet sizing and how the grain is recreated. — Hither you can see the diverse droplet sizing and how the grain is recreated.

The bed liner requires a minimum of iii-4 hours of cure time before touching, simply yous need to look 24 hours before reinstalling them.

All done, the repaired door panel is ready to be re-installed. — All done, the repaired door panel is set to exist re-installed.

You might discover that the panels are black. Bed liner is always black, which while that works out well for black interiors, information technology might not fit your tan, red or whatever other colored interior. All is not lost, however. Once cured, the bed liner tin can be top coated with any paint to match your interior. That is all there is to this unproblematic plastic repair and refinish project. This process is expert for door panels, consoles, A-colonnade trim, but about any plastic component that needs repair and restoration.

We used the same process on all 4 door/rear seat trim panels so that they would match. — Nosotros used the aforementioned procedure on all 4 door/rear seat trim panels so that they would match.

Check out all the paint & body productsavailable on NAPA Online or trust one of our 17,000 NAPA AutoCare locations for routine maintenance and repairs. For more information on how to fix broken plastic trim, chat with a knowledgeable skilful at your local NAPA Car PARTS store.

Jefferson Bryant View All

A life-long gearhead, Jefferson Bryant spends more time in the shop than anywhere else. His career began in the car audio manufacture every bit a store manager, eventually working his way into a position at Rockford Fosgate as a product designer. In 2003, he began writing tech articles for magazines, and has been working as an automotive journalist ever since. His piece of work has been featured in Auto Craft, Hot Rod, Rod & Custom, Truckin', Mopar Musculus, and many more. Jefferson has besides written 4 books and produced endless videos. Jefferson operates Red Clay Rodz, his personal garage studio, where all of his magazine manufactures and tech videos are produced.