Recommend a plastic welder in Dublin?

SmartinMartin

A friend came out to his car to find someone had put their towbar through his bumper. His mechanic said it'll be around a grand to replace and paint the bumper, but it's s an 11 car so he doesn't want to put that amount into it. I reckon to pass the nct he should just get it welded so I'm looking for recommendations for someone to do the job please.

Del2005

I doubt that'll weld well. To get it looking anyway decent after the repair you'll need a lot of filling and then painting so it wouldn't be much of a saving to bodge it and if they ever plan to sell it'll make a difference to a potential buyer.

Check around scrappers and they should have a bumper and could even have a colour match.

SmartinMartin

It's an 11 car with 36k on it, he's keeping it for the rest of it's life! If he could just get some sort of weld on it I'd fill and paint it for him.

Rowley Birkin QC

Off topic, but I will always find it bizarre when people refer to cars primarily by the year and mileage.

SmartinMartin

I mention the year to indicate it's low value, and the low mileage to show that he'll have it for a long time to come. I find it bizarre that someone would find that bizarre.

Del2005

SmartinMartin wrote: »

It's an 11 car with 36k on it, he's keeping it for the rest of it's life! If he could just get some sort of weld on it I'd fill and paint it for him.

If he wants rough and ready buy a fiberglass pack and apply it to the back of the bumper, then fill and paint the front.

Toyotafanboi

Del2005 wrote: »

If he wants rough and ready buy a fiberglass pack and apply it to the back of the bumper, then fill and paint the front.

My thoughs exactly. You'd get a panel beater to tidy that up for way less than €1k.

Quoting €1k for that was either a main dealer obliged to replace the bumper, or it was a PFO price.

SmartinMartin

To answer my question though, can anyone recommend a good plastic welder?

Toyotafanboi

I've never met one, is it an actual trade?

SmartinMartin

I don't think it's a trade, but several companies offer the service and its very well known in the motorbike world for fairing repairs. I was hoping someone here had work done and could recommend.

Stallingrad

SmartinMartin wrote: »

To answer my question though, can anyone recommend a good plastic welder?

The only place that ever offered that service to me on some broken plastic trim was Nolans 01-4569468. Maybe they can advise?

bladespin

SmartinMartin wrote: »

To answer my question though, can anyone recommend a good plastic welder?

Ask in the motorbike forum, that's where you'll find most plastic welding, not sure if there are any 'professional plastic welders' more DIY but I'd say most of us have done it at some stage.

mickdw

Get a body shop to push that back into place, reinforce at the back then do a fill and paint to finish.