Tape The Damage Together From The Front Side

Use masking tape to hold the cracks together. Do not try and apply the resin between the cracks as this will distort the box. Taping the damage together as tightly as possible will keep the shape while you begin the repair from the back side.

Remove Any Dirt, Grease, or Paint From The Back Side

Remove any dirt, grease, or paint from the back side. You need to get down to the raw plastic. The resin will melt into the plastic and bond the new ABS in the resin to the box. The resin cures in about 24 hours to a hard finish the same as the original plastic.

Apply The Resin Directly From The Applicator Bottle.

Apply the resin directly from the applicator bottle. There is nothing to mix or add. The resin will flow out and smooth as it cures. The resin is about the same constancy as thick yogurt and will stay where you put it. You can apply it upside down or on vertical surfaces and it will stay in place. The resin cures in about 24 hours and turn rock hard.

Continue The Repair From The Front Side

Remove the tape from the front side. I use a Dremel Tool to groove into the cracks. You can also use a knife or file to make the groove. Groove out 50% to 75% into the plastic.

Fill The Groove From The Front

Fill the groove with resin from the front side. You want to fill the groove completely, do not over fill as you will sand the repair. You can add more resin if needed after the first application is cured. Apply the resin directly from the applicator bottle. There is nothing to mix or add. Let the resin cure for about 24 hours. When the resin is rock hard you will know the resin is cured.

Sand The Repair Smooth

Sand the repair flat an smooth with the surrounding plastic. Do not use any two part bondo type fillers to even out the repair. This material will not stay bonded to the plastic and will crack and flake off. Use the same resin as a filler it will weld in place and never come out. In this case the Tule Box was painted a metallic black and I was not going to repaint. I masked the area around the repair to limit the amount of area sanded. There will be small air holes in the resin this is normal. Prime the area and if needed use a single part spot putty to fill the air holes. You can find the spot putty at any automotive store that sell auto-body supplies.

Finish The Repair, Final Sand, And Paint

The repaired area will sand and accept pain the same as the original surface because it is the resin is the same ABS plastic. Trying to repair plastic with any epoxy type product will not sand smooth because the Epoxy is so much harder than the plastic. In this repair the original paint is impossible to match and i did not want to repaint the whole box so I limited the area affected and had a local sign shop make a vinyl flame graphic to cover the repair.

When Finished The Repair Put The White Seal Cap Back On. This Will Ensure Your 3 Year Shelf Life. The Next Time You need it the cured Resin Will Pop Out And Leave The Tip Clean And Ready To Reuse.

3 comments on “How To Repair A Thule Box Car Top Carrier

  1. Robert Granwehr on

    Honestly, there is no comparison when it comes to repairing a Thule box. Easy ABS Repair fixed the 6+ inch hole I put into my Thule box without a problem and returned it to full strength. Considering the box is black you can hardly tell I pieced together the broken bits and essentially just glued it back together. Been through hot and cold weather and its rock solid. Extremely glad I found this product for my repair. Will use on many other plastic repairs as needed.

    Reply
  2. Ben Borromeo on

    I completed a critical repair of a Thule roof cargo box a few weeks ago and I’m very impressed by the results from Easy ABS. I went into an underground parking facility with clearance signage showing I had about 6″, but I drove right into a low tangle of metal pipes and ducting that cracked my roofbox about a foot in length. After a LOT of research, I came across Easy ABS. Simple instructions on Youtube provided the guidance I needed to make the repair and I used an oscillating saw & sander to make things easy as possible. Easy ABS is flexible enough so it’s not brittle and has the same “give” as the rest of the box. The whole repair took about 3 days (lots of extra drying time for the paint too) and the box looks good as new.

    Reply
  3. Dave Berry on

    I had a damaged Yakima ABS rack and actually did not know how to fix it. I was told that using fiberglass to repair it would not hold well.
    I did some research and found this website. I ordered the ABS material and glue and had excellent results. With sanding and a scoring knife I was able to mold the areas well. I also used a heat gun to mold the ABS and this worked well.
    The ABS black glue acts as caulking yet is dries as solid as ever. Once my repair was done it was wet sanded, primed and painted. It looks great and my $1,000 investment is working great.
    D. Berry, Ottawa, ON Canada

    Reply

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