A bumper's job is to protect a car. Therefore, it can easily get scratched and dinged up. Removing paint and scratches from a bumper go hand in hand. Giving a bumper a new look can greatly increase the value of any car, and making a bumper look good is a task that can be accomplished by any car owner with a little time and patience.
Wash the bumper thoroughly with dish soap and water. Dry it off with paper towels and make sure all dirt, debris and grease are removed from the bumper. Clean down into the scratches with a rag to make sure no debris is left over or wedged down in the scratches.
Attach a buffer pad to the end of a drill and buff out the scratches. Work in slow, circular motions, covering the entire area of each individual scratch. Put buffing compound on the buffer pad to evenly buff out the scratches.
Allow the bumper to dry. Apply paint stripper to remove the paint. Spread stripper across the entire bumper with a paintbrush. Work from left to right across the bumper. Go over the entire area of the bumper, and then cover it with plastic so the stripper can adhere to the bumper.
Wait 45 minutes, and then remove all the plastic. Repeat the entire process, applying the stripper in the exact same manner, and covering the bumper with plastic. Wait 45 minutes and take the plastic off again. Apply a third, lighter, coat of stripper, and then brush it off with a scour sponge pad. This will remove most of the chunks of paint.
Wipe down the bumper with lacquer thinner, using cloths to remove any paint and dried stripper. Sand over the entire surface with 80-grit sandpaper.
