joseph_ellis85•5d agoProlific Poster

Overheard a guy at the paint supply shop talking about flex additives in single stage

I was grabbing some hardener at the shop over on River Road and this older guy was telling the counter worker how he adds like 20% flex additive to single stage paint for bumpers and plastic trim. He said it stops the cracking around license plate holes and edges for years. I've always used the flexible primer for plastic parts but never thought to mix additive right into the topcoat. Has anyone else tried this on a repair that gets a lot of vibration like a trunk lid or a door panel? I'm doing a 2005 Civic bumper next week and wondering if it's worth the extra cost of the additive.

2 comments

2 Comments

karen_roberts45d ago

I read somewhere that a lot of body shops do this for plastic bumpers because the paint stays flexible and holds up way better over time. My neighbor used it on his truck's tailgate and said it never chipped around the handle or edges even after a few winters. For a Honda bumper that gets vibrations and weather changes, it sounds like a smart move to keep the paint from cracking later.

carter.gavin5d ago

Used to be dead set against anything but factory paint on bumpers, thought it would look weird or peel off. But hearing about the flex additives and your neighbor's truck holding up that well through winters makes a lot of sense. Ngl, I'm kind of reconsidering for my own car now.