PSA: a painter in Reno talked me out of using adhesion promoter on bare plastic bumpers
I've been spraying bare plastic bumpers with adhesion promoter for like 12 years, ever since a guy at a shop in Sacramento drilled it into me as the one step you never skip. Last week a painter in Reno told me he stopped using it years ago and just scuffs with a gray pad and cleans with wax and grease remover, and he said he's had zero comeback peel in 6 years. So now I'm second guessing a habit I never even questioned, and I want to know if anyone else here has dropped it or if he's just been lucky.
Been spraying off and on for about 15 years and honestly the promoter thing depends way more on the plastic than the promoter itself. Some bare bumpers are polypropylene and nothing sticks to that without help, but a lot of what guys call bare plastic these days already has a factory primer or e-coat on it, and scuff plus wax and grease remover is plenty for that. Six years with no peel sounds believable if he's working mostly newer OEM bumpers and prepping right, but I'd want to know what he's spraying and whether he's doing raw aftermarket stuff too. Your mileage may vary by product line, take it with a grain of salt, but I wouldn't throw out the promoter on unknown plastic just because one guy in Reno got away without it.