I always thought those plastic weld kits were a gimmick until last month

A customer brought in a cracked bumper from a 2018 Civic, and the crack was in a spot where a full replacement would have meant pulling the whole front end apart... my boss told me to try this plastic welding rod kit he had in the back. I rolled my eyes, thinking it would just melt and make a mess. But I followed the video on the box, used the little soldering iron tip it came with, and after about 20 minutes of work and some careful sanding, the repair held solid. We painted over it and you can't even tell. It saved the customer over $400 in parts and labor. I guess some new tools are worth the shelf space after all. Has anyone else had a good run with one of those kits on a specific type of plastic?

2 comments

2 Comments

wells.james22d ago

Totally agree, it's all about the right rod for the plastic. Had the same thing with a broken lawnmower housing last summer... it was that black ABS stuff. Used an ABS rod from one of those kits and it fused together like it was brand new. Still holding up after a whole season of getting beat up. Makes you wonder how much plastic gets thrown out that could actually be fixed.

jennifer51622d ago

Those kits are legit, but calling them a "new tool" is funny. They've been around for ages, just not in every shop. The real trick is matching the rod type to the plastic, like PP to PP. Using the wrong one is why people think it's a gimmick. It's an old school method that just got repackaged in a flashy box.