Volvo xc70 2001 rear bumper surface flaking

martyk · Feb 21st, 2011, 15:39

I have a Volvo xc70 2001. I notice there is a patch underneath the rear lights at the drivers side where the surface of the plastic bumper seems to have cracked off. There is another patch on the plastic wheel arch.
Is this just some sort of lacquer that has come off? If so can I just fix it by brushing it over with clear coat lacquer? I want to get these patches fixed properly as I planned to use gtechniq C4 to restore the bumpers back to new.
This stuff apparently only binds to plastics so I want to make the repair areas will take it ok. Anyone seen this on their bumpers? Is it just a problem with the lacquer?

Thanks for any help.

cbee · Feb 21st, 2011, 18:44

Hi Martyk,

We have a 2004 XC70 and I'm pretty sure there is no lacquer on any of our plastic.

I think I would see if thinners or something gets it all off (try small area out of sight) then treat sparingly with a plastic reviver.

martyk · Feb 21st, 2011, 19:47

Thanks for the reply! Its a bit odd. The front bumpers and side door trim look more brown in colour but the rear bumper and rear wheel arches look more grey in colour.Its almost as though the rear bumper and wheel arches trim were sprayed with a grey paint/lacquer. That is a lot of Lacquer to take off!
Maybe the previous owner got it sprayed in order to try and reduce the amount of polishing required!

I need to establish for sure what is going on. Is the brown showing through on the wheel arch trim the true plastic bumper or should it have this grey black film over it?

If it should be brown I will need to strip the grey black film off everywhere on the back end. (what should I use to strip it?)
If it should be grey/black I need to seal the 2 patches with lacquer.

Once I know what to do I can then apply the bumper restorer!

Clan · Feb 21st, 2011, 20:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by martyk

I have a Volvo xc70 2001. I notice there is a patch underneath the rear lights at the drivers side where the surface of the plastic bumper seems to have cracked off. There is another patch on the plastic wheel arch.
Is this just some sort of lacquer that has come off? If so can I just fix it by brushing it over with clear coat lacquer? I want to get these patches fixed properly as I planned to use gtechniq C4 to restore the bumpers back to new.
This stuff apparently only binds to plastics so I want to make the repair areas will take it ok. Anyone seen this on their bumpers? Is it just a problem with the lacquer?

Thanks for any help.

Volvos don't suffer paint problems , thats why even 30 year old ones will have perfect paint if cared for properly . This kind of thing you have is typical of a poorly repaired paint job from some time after it left the factory i am afraid ...

martyk · Feb 21st, 2011, 20:25

Yes its starting to look as though the rear bumper and side wheel arch trim has been painted over at some point. Cant see any physical damage to the bumper but I guess it may have a crack somewhere that has been repaired then sprayed over. Any suggestions as to how I could go about removing the paint without damaging the plastic underneath?

Feb 21st, 2011, 18:44	#2
cbee VOC Member Last Online: Yesterday 15:41 Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ruislip	Hi Martyk, We have a 2004 XC70 and I'm pretty sure there is no lacquer on any of our plastic. I think I would see if thinners or something gets it all off (try small area out of sight) then treat sparingly with a plastic reviver.

Feb 21st, 2011, 19:47	#3
martyk New Member Last Online: Mar 10th, 2023 17:21 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Glasgow	Thanks for the reply! Its a bit odd. The front bumpers and side door trim look more brown in colour but the rear bumper and rear wheel arches look more grey in colour.Its almost as though the rear bumper and wheel arches trim were sprayed with a grey paint/lacquer. That is a lot of Lacquer to take off! Maybe the previous owner got it sprayed in order to try and reduce the amount of polishing required! I need to establish for sure what is going on. Is the brown showing through on the wheel arch trim the true plastic bumper or should it have this grey black film over it? If it should be brown I will need to strip the grey black film off everywhere on the back end. (what should I use to strip it?) If it should be grey/black I need to seal the 2 patches with lacquer. Once I know what to do I can then apply the bumper restorer!

Feb 21st, 2011, 20:25	#5
martyk New Member Last Online: Mar 10th, 2023 17:21 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Glasgow	Yes its starting to look as though the rear bumper and side wheel arch trim has been painted over at some point. Cant see any physical damage to the bumper but I guess it may have a crack somewhere that has been repaired then sprayed over. Any suggestions as to how I could go about removing the paint without damaging the plastic underneath?

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