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Best adhesive for this plastic repair?
- Thread starter Oro_O
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I thought I'd follow up with what I did. There were a lot of good ideas here and I learned a few things. I'm interested in that Fusor above and will check that out.
I liked this idea:
I was going to tack it in place with superglue but this abs was simply impervious to super glue, oddly. So I tacked it with JB weld and propped it to set and cure. Afterwards I put dental tape around it and then built up the JB weld and filled in the angle to give it more strength. it is really strong now compared to the other side, and flexible. In fact, I'm going to do the other side pre-emptively.
The reason it's worth this effort is these things break if you look at them wrong - even when you know the exact install/removal procedure and use caution, they snap. Just a bad design. So it's worth fixing it once vs simply buying a new one over and over.
Also, if this repair doesn't work out great, I bought a same year S60 awd 2.5 turbo last night to keep my XC70 company, so I could take the ones off of it. ;
I liked this idea:
I was going to tack it in place with superglue but this abs was simply impervious to super glue, oddly. So I tacked it with JB weld and propped it to set and cure. Afterwards I put dental tape around it and then built up the JB weld and filled in the angle to give it more strength. it is really strong now compared to the other side, and flexible. In fact, I'm going to do the other side pre-emptively.
The reason it's worth this effort is these things break if you look at them wrong - even when you know the exact install/removal procedure and use caution, they snap. Just a bad design. So it's worth fixing it once vs simply buying a new one over and over.
Also, if this repair doesn't work out great, I bought a same year S60 awd 2.5 turbo last night to keep my XC70 company, so I could take the ones off of it. ;
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If the clip breaks off, I'd just glue it to the body with rtv gasket maker. It will hold it in place but not too strong so you can still remove it easily.
The only correct answer in this case is duct tape. 
Glad it worked, i'd have put a few more wraps of floss under the jb weld, but its working for you!
Plastic weld would have worked with strips of carbon fiber along the surface of the tab. Some carbon fiber makers will send you samples. Carbon fiber is a handy item to have around the house. Many glues and epoxys do not bond well with plastics, get a specific adhesive.
I don't think anything is going to work short term either.
Do you get superglue to harden if using globs of it like that? The one or two times I tried it, I felt as if it was not going to harden because I used too much.
+1 for JB Plastic Bonder Epoxy works really well
Actually this is substantially better now than a new replacement.
I appreciate the constructive feedback (dental floss, cf reinforcement, etc.). This is one of those poorly executed things on these cars that is a constant headache. Now I can avoid having the issue going forward.
atikovi said:
That is what most people do - toss the molded rubber gasket underneath (not pictured) and then rtv the signal lens/case to the sheet metal. Not a terrible solution at all. I had the time on my hands and all the materials already on hand so I could try something a little more involved in order to retain the gasket and ease of removal.
tshephard said:
Oh that's a good idea when the crazy glue didn't work. I used to do that with plastic models as a kid and forgot.
For example, I fixed a piece of door trim (lower sill cover) that was cracked at the same time I fiddled with the light above. I tacked it together with crazy glue and then reinforced it from beneath with stringers of wood (old paint stirrer) and epoxy (JB Weld since I already had it out).
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A big blob of crazy glue does take a long time to dry. The big blog disappears, mostly with time.
Now a big blob with fiberglass or carbon fiber roving across the break wicks the superglue and spreads the load across the break.
I've got lots of brokenABS plastic, broken where a screw holds it fast, and repaired it with super glue and fiberglass.
No way it will break in the same spot when I am done, as one can add more and more layers and spread the load further and wider, if they choose, but I'd not go thicker than 1/16 at a time and try to add more, if required, before it fully hardens, to achieve a chemical bond.
Glad you got it. I use unwaxed dental floss or dento tape for many things, usually sewing neoprene or clothes, but never considered saturating it with an Adhesive.
I'll keep it in mind, for future repair potential.
Thanks.
Now a big blob with fiberglass or carbon fiber roving across the break wicks the superglue and spreads the load across the break.
I've got lots of brokenABS plastic, broken where a screw holds it fast, and repaired it with super glue and fiberglass.
No way it will break in the same spot when I am done, as one can add more and more layers and spread the load further and wider, if they choose, but I'd not go thicker than 1/16 at a time and try to add more, if required, before it fully hardens, to achieve a chemical bond.
Glad you got it. I use unwaxed dental floss or dento tape for many things, usually sewing neoprene or clothes, but never considered saturating it with an Adhesive.
I'll keep it in mind, for future repair potential.
Thanks.
My thoughts also. I would still try. But have a new one ordered.
Your repair with the dental tape looks pretty good. When I do repairs like this I use a good slow set epoxy, but I saturate thin cloth with the glue. The cloth can then wrap the entire repair, maybe even multiple times if needed.
The plastic JB weld looks like a good option using the same cloth idea, but I don't know how viscous it is, it may not penetrate the cloth.
The plastic JB weld looks like a good option using the same cloth idea, but I don't know how viscous it is, it may not penetrate the cloth.
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