G'day guys,
I just got an email back from Mick's Motors with a price for a front bumper for my bug. They made a point of letting me know that there was no warranty on rust. I presume it must be a cheap Brazilian one.

Can I slow the rusting process?
Can I give it a clear coat of paint?
What about regular coats of fish oil or something?

I’d love to be able to afford a German bumper but it’s just not in the budget.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Cheers.

Most people will not warranty on rust. While a cheap bumper will probably rust quicker than a more expensive one, it should still last a while. I am assuming the bumper is chrome plated. In this case a cheap bumper probably has a thinner chrome layer and may not have the nickel layer that gives most corrosion protection. I would advise against painting the bumper as scratches in the paint may cause localised rust, which will cause more damage in the long run. If your budget allows, have the bumper rechromed.

If you do re-chrome such a bumper, or anything for that matter, do you need to prep it in any way?

:sandrine
as I'm currently going through this process myself I though I might tell about it.
I enquired about either rechroming an old bumper bar or buying new, and was told by experts to go and buy a new one.
but german costs too much.
So I bought a new Brazillian one & have taken it to the chromers to get it chromed again. As we all know brazillian ones will rust easily.
I'm picking it up on Friday. So hopefully with that on my bug will look pretty "smick'.
Hopefully in some small way, I have answered any thing you may have wanted to know..
Bug (o\|/o)

I have just done the same thing i just bought some nipple style hubcaps which i took straight to the chromers without even trying them on, they were made in Thailand and even though the spinning job was good, the chrome looked crap. the chrome Guy assures me that he will have them looking as good as the german one I showed him.... costs more now but better than throwing away the initial cost if they rust out :thumb

another choice is silver/chrome powder coating

Looks god and a whole lot cheaper!

What sort of $'s are we looking at here guys? For rechroming, powder coating etc.

$40 each hub cap.. for chroming... think long term and not price. sometimes it's cheaper to pay more!

[Edited on 9-4-2003 by silver]

Hey Silver where did u get those thailand hub caps from?

I want some for my bug:bounce

It will definitely be cheaper to get it chrome plated properly now than have to get it stripped later when it is rusting and peeling.

:sandrine
In answer to your question on how much
to rechrome my new Brazillian bumper bar,
I was quoted roughly about $110.00.
I'll let you know.....I'm picking it up on Friday.
Bug (o\|/o)

Thanks for all the help guys. I'll have to way up the options and try to decide what to do.

However does anyone have any info. about the powder coating option mentioned by blue74l?

What about POR15 clear coat?I am told once you apply it according to their instructions it will keep your chrome bumpers looking like new for years.Has
anyone out there tried it?

PAUL

Nothing will save cheap chrome no matter what you try.

the only way to fix it is get it copper, nickle n chrome plated when the item is brand new.

Paul could you please find out more about the clear coat you mentioned.

I'd be interested to see if this is a viable option.

I have heard of people giving cheap bumpers a coat of clear paint.

I like this quote so much I actually use it in my company profile brochure that I send out to clients.

"It's unwise to pay too much. But it's unwise to pay to little. When you pay too much you lose a little money, that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing you bought it to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot - it can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it's well to add something for the risk you run. And if you do that, you will have enough to pay for something better."



John Ruskin 1819-1900
Author, Critic, Philosopher, Artist

Says it all really