Because repair facilities have seen an increase in the delivery of raw replacement bumpers and other raw parts from some of today’s leading manufacturers, the Automotive Service Association’s (ASA) refinish subcommittee has created a “Raw vs. Primed Bumper Cover” flier to document the additional steps required in refinishing a raw bumper cover compared to a primed bumper cover.
The results of analysis of paint manufacturer recommendations, industry refinish standards, technical data sheets, warranty requirements and p-pages as of March 2008 demonstrated 19 steps for refinishing a primed bumper cover compared to 27 necessary steps for refinishing a raw plastic bumper cover – a 42 percent increase.
“The refinish subcommittee decided to address this topic with a simple side-by-side comparison resulting in the Raw vs. Primed Bumper Cover flier,” subcommittee chairman Dan Stander said. “This flier has the potential to apply to many other soft/plastic raw parts found on numerous vehicles in the marketplace that require additional labor and materials to properly refinish and warranty. This simple tool, which can be given to insurance companies and adjusters, will help explain the procedures shops need to complete to refinish this type of part."
The new Raw vs. Primed Bumper Cover flier is available to ASA members as a downloadable document in the “Members Only” section of ASA’s Web site, www.asashop.org. Nonmembers interested in joining the association can call ASA’s membership department at (800) 272-7467, ext. 295.
