It got hot this summer. Not hot for places that usually get very hot, I’m not talking death valley hot, but hotter than a healthy planet should get. This caused my rear bumper center trim to fall off. When that happened I found out it was held on with a variety of sealants, all of which were fairly weak in the heat.
Before, you can see some of the adhesive along the top edge
Taking off the drooping trim I found blobs of silicone, and a much thicker and more tar-like substance. Using plastic razor blades I was able to get off some of it, but if you’re very careful and use only brand new metal razor blades then you can get off the material much easier and faster without hurting the metal.
A drooping problem that no pills can fix
Once cleaned up on the bumper I turned to the trim itself. The adhesive was very strong and uneven. It seems if this had stuck to the bumper as well as it stuck to the trim that there wouldn’t be a problem. As it turns out it stuck to dirt and twigs pretty well which did not help the situation. I used degreaser, soap, grill grate scrub brushes, brass and steel wire brushes to get off all the bits of adhesive. In the process I scored up the back pretty bad but that doesn’t worry me too much since it will now sit flush on the bumper.
Clean bumper ready for install
For installing the trim I used 3M 03614 Scotch-Mount 1/2″ x 15′ Molding Tape and put two strips along the metal bumper before peeling the protective coating off. I don’t know how well this will hold up over time, but I’m willing to change it should it fall off again. I would recommend using a roller to ensure good adhesion as this type of tape will very quickly adhere to dust or anything in the air and if you go to press it on later it will never stick in that spot. I would also recommend centering it as there is now a sizable gap on the passenger’s side of my car. I suppose these need room to expand in the heat.
A little to the left…
The home page for this project is here, it has a link to the album of pictures.
Evan's Techie-Blog 