I am an electronics and mechanical engineer but i have no experience whatsoever in spraying car parts. Could anybody please give me the idiots guide to spraying the front bumper on my 2008 XF including what paint and materials i would need to buy. I already have a compressor and spray gun. Thanks in advance. Chris

 

Normal modern autopaints consist of (1) primer (2) surfacer (3) colour base coat, (not shiny), and (4) clear coat, (that gives the shine). In your case a bumper would need a special primer for plastic bumpers, the rest is the same. You may not need the surfacer, if the primer is hi-build type. You will have to find an autopaint factor to sell you the paint. If it were me, I'd have a look on the internet for car painting articles and videos. You will, ot course, need the flatting papers used for flatting (sanding) the bumper itself and the primer/surfacer. Normally you wouldn't flat the colour base coat if the clear coat is going on straightaway, but most people tend to "de-nib" with a fine paper before applying the clear coat. A lot depends on where you're doing the job, If you're in a garage, just remember that ll the spiders in the roof, on smelling the paint, will decide to bail out and land on you new and wet paint ! Don't ask me how I know.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ho...client=gws-wiz

 

Because this is your first time, I would recommend removing the bumper off of the car. This is going to make your job a lot easier. Like was mentioned, you are going to sand your current bumper to get rid of any scratches or surfaces where there is paint next to where this is no paint. This step is key as the paint can only hide but so much imperfection. From there, put on 2 coats of primer. Sand smooth using a wet paper process (ie, spray some water on the surface, sand, letting the water act as a lubricant to help get the surface smooth. You will want to use 220 grit to get this fairly smooth, then probably finish it up with 600. From there, apply a coat of color. Let dry, Apply a second coat of color. Using the 600 grit sand paper, wet sand the color to get rid of any imperfections. Do not over sand. You want to keep color everywhere on the bumper. You sand down to the primer, now you will need to add more color. Once you have a nice, smooth surface with 600 grit with the color layer, shoot a layer of clear. Let dry. Wet sand, apply a second layer of clear. Make sure you have the bumper in an area where no dust can land on it. If you have a good surface, then you need to be very gentle with it for the next 72 hours as the part dries. I would not recommend driving the car. Any sort of grain of sand, dust cloud, etc is capable of easily scratching the paint. The only way around this is to have a bunch of IR lights that you can shine on the bumper. Just make sure to not allow the bumper to get over say 150F (70C?). Getting the bumper too warm can lead to the bumper warping and then making it fit back on the car is going to be a PITA.

Like was said, the primer is going to need to be something specific to plastic parts. In short, what makes it special is that it forms a layer that gives some and allows the paint to float on top of the plastic. This way, a little flexing of the plastic bumper will not cause the paint to crack. You don't use that, you will see all sorts of tiny cracks in the paint in a few months time.

 

Put your color code into ebay search and there will be a seller using basf paint premixed for spraying. I have neg onyx white and wanted to touch up the bottom of my bumper. Exact match and i never had painted before. Used an airbrush and it came out great. Prepped with laquer thinner then a tack cloth. The paint is the key. You can do it
2004-2007 Jaguar S Type NEG White Onyx Quart Ready to Spray Paint! This is how i searched mine. Just sub in your color and code. Comes in a quart can. They also have clear. Great urethane base paint. I live in ca so all paint here is water base. Even body shop boss told me to get it

 

Always do a spray out card to verify color match, even if you picked a card from a paint store, as they don't always match the card once mixed and sprayed. I use epoxy as a sealer and find out from the paint store what shade sealer is recommended to go under the color you buy. At times, there can be many variants in a paint code, so you need to find a chip, and have them mixed least amount (like 4 ounces) do a spray out, and make sure its the right color. I own a paint and body shop, and have been doing this type of work since 1982.