How do I prep and paint my plastic fenders for my ATV

A. You can buy a product called Bulldog Tie Coat [affil links] at an automotive paint supply house it is a bonding agent.

A. There are quite a few different plastic adhesion promoters on the market, but it's not really necessary. Get some Ajax [on eBay or Amazon] or SOS pad [on eBay or Amazon] from the grocery store (powder stuff with bleach) and get something along the lines of a Scotchbrite pad and rub the plastics till the shiny film comes off and they have a dull finish, then you can prep them and paint them and you shouldn't have a problem with adhesion. I don't even know if your plastics will have the shiny coat on them since they are already painted...

Did your ATV come with paint on it, or do you repaint it often? I don't know if I can think of any ATV's that come painted, they usually have hydrographics or printed graphics on colored plastic... I've painted plastic on dirt bikes a million times, and never used a adhesion promoter, this method works great, maybe in the long run it slightly less durable, but I don't think its realistic to expect paint on a ATV to last 10 years anyway...

Hope this helps.

A. Some good answers are above, Steven, but Krylon has recently come out with their Krylon Fusion [on eBay or Amazon] spray paint specifically made for painting on plastic, so that may be another alternative.

A. I tried krylon paint on my 85 tri z 250, after scotch brite and getting rid of the shine... it did not fuse to the plastic, and made a heck of a mess. I am sandblasting it all off and trying an adhesion promoter, but last time I tried that, the promoter cracked, and required a lot of sanding...

A. I just finished painting my '03 Honda Foreman. I DID put down three coats of primer first. Should always be used anyway! The job turned out great!

A. You should ask that Q to the supplier of the hydrographic film, he knows better and has personal interest in helping you.

A. You can definitely use Hydro Graphic for outdoor applications. We've done many of wheels for motorcycles.

A. After my father saw my Foreman, he wanted his '96 Honda painted. This time I tried the Krylon Fusion... wrong idea. It isn't holding very well, even though I did primer the four wheeler first. It just won't hold! I recommend priming with at least two coats and let dry completely. Then use the regular Krylon (flat or matte) paints. I finished with two coats of flat clear. I will be painting another four wheeler for a friend. Remember, use the regular Krylon.

A. I've got 3 ATV 4x4's that I've camo'd out over the last several years w- no chipping or cracking. What I use for the foundation is 3m rubberized spray, I spray this straight onto clean surfaces of the fenders and baskets. allow to dry the recommended time and then spray with Krylon colors of your choice, this works great and requires no sanding at all. Touch ups are easy after hard trail work - you just spray some more rubber coating and re-camo up, super easy to do. It's kind of like Rhino Lining your bike; also helps reduce noise and vibrations a little. Do not get the rubberized spray onto your engine or exhaust system, hope this helps.

A. Hello,
As a Professional Auto Painter I can tell you that there is only one way to make paint stick to plastic:
Clean Clean Clean, Sand Sand Sand, Clean Clean Clean

To start I would Thoroughly wash the Plastics down with a degreaser/Soap.

1) I would DA the entire plastic surface with 180 Grit Dry on a DA Sander

2) I would then take 320 Grit WET over the entire Surface Until Smooth with no Shine

3) I would Wipe the whole surface down with a pre paint Wax and Grease remover, Spray with a Good quality Plastic adhesion Promoter, then take a good HIGH BUILD Primer / Surfacer PPG and put a good 2 coats on .. Let Dry

4) Mist Surface with a cheap black paint as a guide coat and Wet Sand Entire Surface With 400 or 600 Grit Wet sandpaper..

5) Thoroughly wash and rinse let air dry..

6) Final scuff with a red scotch pad and a Final Scuff Paste to get in all the cracks and crevices good..

7) Wipe down with Pre paint wax and grease remover again

8) Use the Base coat / clearcoat method of painting so that it is easy to take care of and easier to repair if needed..

A. I have a motocross bike and I am painting the gas tank black over the blue plastic. I have a lot of experience in this as I have had another bike that I spray painted and the paint never chipped off after months of use.

First the original paint needs to be REMOVED if there is any on there, then the plastic needs to be RUBBED DOWN with an 800 grain sandpaper or wet and dry until the plastic looks scored or scratched all over, any smooth shots will result in flaking of the paint. Then a PLASTIC PRIMER spray is applied to the plastic in light coats (2-3 leave overnight to dry for best results). Then a PLASTIC PAINT needs to be applied (7-10 coats with 2hour intervals in between coats) but between each 3 coats leave for a 6 hour interval before carrying on with the rest. THIS TECHNIQUE WORKED FOR ME AND THE PAINT LASTED FOR 2 YEARS WITH NO FADING.

A. Check this link out.

I have not tried this myself but it seemed to work well. Make sure to see the pictures. Again, I have not tried this method myself. I just found it while searching for a way to paint an ATV.

www.urethanesupply.com/atvpainting.php

Thanks,

A. I painted my 400 ex with Krylon Fusion [on eBay or Amazon] paint for plastics. it bonded good. I put 3 coats of paint and 2 coats of clear. it looks good and I haven't had any trouble with chipping.