Auto body repair & detailing: Painting the ABS bumper on the 06 Ford Escape, plastic bumpers, paint adhesion

Question
Hi,
I really want to paint the gray plastic (i believe they are ABS?) bumpers on my 2006 Ford Escape. i would like to have them painted black to match the rest of the truck.  When i went to the local body shop i was told that there are two types of abs plastic bumpers. One can be primed and painted, the other (the one i have) has a somewhat lustre finish  and texture that consists of small bumps, kind of like a golf ball.  I was told that the release agent that is used in the mold when the bumper is made, stays in the bumper, making it very difficult to paint. (because the release is still in the bumper, and adversely affects paint adhesion), is this true? is there anything i can do about it? thank you so much for your time and expertise - 12yan

Answer
Yes unfortunately it is true. Sorry it is not the answer you are looking for. We have had some success getting paint to stick to them but there is no guarantee that it will last a week. Our success comes from baking it 4 or 5 times to cook out the release agents.
            Thank you for the question!
            Ken