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How to Unfold & Prep Your Bumper Cover for Installation

If you’ve just received your bumper cover, you may be wondering why it’s folded. Most aftermarket bumper covers come folded to assume a more compact form. Folding our bumper covers allows us to help our customers enjoy savings on shipping costs. Since they’re made of shape-memory plastic, they will unfold into their proper shape once they are warmed up properly.

Outdoor Method

This approach makes use of the natural heat from the sun to restore the bumper cover to its original shape. It takes much longer but does not require any tools.

  • Find a spot that gets a lot of direct sunlight (it will need to be in the sun for up to 4 hours).
  • Open the packaging and remove the bumper cover.
  • Arrange the packaging to lie flat on the ground. This will serve as a clean surface for your bumper cover.
  • Place the bumper cover on the surface in the position facing you.
  • Let the bumper cover sit in the sunlight for three hours.
  • Once you hit the three-hour mark, reposition the bumper cover so that the front part is facing the floor. Leave it in this position for the remaining hour.
  • The unfolded bumper is now ready to be prepped for paint, or installed on the vehicle.

Indoor Method

If direct sunlight is not available or if you have no outdoor space, you can also unfold the bumper cover indoors using a heat gun. This takes less time but requires more effort and care.

  • Use the foam packaging as your work surface and place the bumper cover on top.
  • Look for creased areas on the bumper cover. Apply heat to those areas with the a gun.
  • Avoid pointing the heat gun at one spot for too long, as excessive heat can distort or melt the plastic. Keep the gun moving to spread the heat evenly across the surface of the bumper cover.
  • Once the last patch of creased plastic is straightened out, you can consider the bumper cover fully unfolded.

Reminder:

  • Take extra care when using a blade or knife to open the packaging to avoid accidentally damaging the surface of your bumper cover.

Still need a hand? Call or email us:

1-888-719-8297

info@partify.store