GTI Front bumper.....

[phil miller]

I have always loved the look of the GTI front bumper, and when i got my TDI wanted to fit one, after reading BEN'S how to guide i decided to have a go, so went looking in to it, i found 2 options

1, was to follows bens thread and buy the carrier, bumper and other parts
2, buy one from VAGEN for £300

so after carefull thought i decided i wanted a GENUINE front bumper after looking on ebay i found loads of front bumpers ranging in price from £20 for a bare bumper all the way up to £500 from a complete bumper, im not in a position to spend £500 in one hit on a bumper (cant justify this) so i got a bare bumper with the plan to buy bits here and there and store them away till all the parts are ready to fit

the bumper arrived and was put in the garage, waiting to be joined by trim, carrier, spoilers and fogs (you all know where this is going)

then afew weeks ago i decided to get the dead flies out of my N/S headlight, so after removing the front bumper and getting rid of the flies, i decided to offer up the GTI bumper so i could see why i had to spend £160 on a GTI carrier, it was all to clear why i needed the carrier, but after a little careful thought, a hacksaw blade and thinking if this goes wrong ive lost £40 on the bumper i thought what the hell and removed a small amount of plastic from the bumper (it is hidden behind the honeycombe grill so dont matter to much) i then offered it up again and it still wasnt 100% right so i trimmed a small amount more and hey presto it fits like a glove

pic of it fitted (still in the silver it came in)


so now i knew i didnt have to buy a carrier i sent it off to be painted here is the painted bumper


at the moment after buying the bumper, grill, headlight washer trims and number plate holder it stands me at £220 thats loads better than paying £160 just for a carrier, i should be fitting it one evening this week and will add pictures as i go

[phil miller]

after writing this thread boredom set in, im waiting for my grilles to arrive (should be tomorro) and it was dry, so i thought bugger it im gonna fit my bumper before some one knocks it over and scratches it so this is it fitted, number plate is just there so if i do need to drive it before the grilles arrive im still legal





im really pleased i didnt pay out on a carrier, will add more pics when all the trim is fitted

[Borab0y]

Phil, your are a life (and wallet) saver,

I'm just waiting for my £20 Jetta bumper to arrive and was going to wait for other parts on ebay etc, the same as you.

Do you have any pics of the area you trimmed or is it quite odvious?

[phil miller]

right here goes, i will try and explain what i done then add the 2 pictures ive taken,
right in the centre of the bumper where it bolts to the carrier there is a raised lip cut this upper edge with a hack saw blade (see pic 1 just blade as its easier to control)then i removed my old bumper, the black polystyrene across the front carrier, under both headlights there is a black plastic moulding that the bumper sits on/in this sticks out and pervents the GTI bumper going back in to place so i removed the raised lumps, now trial fit the bumper, you will find that around the headlight mounts/crossmember area you will need to trim the bumper to get clearance, take a small amount off at a time (see pic 2) when you take off enough it will fit round the cross member nice and snug, all of these cuts will be covered when the centre upper grill is fitted, hope this and the pictures help, if you need any more info post up here or pm me

pic 1


pic 2

[phil miller]

by the way by removing the upper centre part when the bumper is all screwed on it is a solid fit, dont worry about removing this part of plastic

[Borab0y]

Thanks Phil, cant wait for mine to get here now

[phil miller]

well today my grille arrived and like a child i couldnt wait to fit it, ive order new number plates which i will fit with double sided tape but for now, to keep me legal i had to screw my old plate

also when i ordered my grille it didnt show the number plate surround so id got one from TPS last week only to find it came with the grille so i now have a spare one lol



and here it is fitted



just waiting now on my lower spoiler and lower grilles

[Borab0y]

Looking good Phil.

How much was the grill and plate holder from TPS?

Have you tried the lower spoiler from the original bumper on the GTi?

[phil miller]

hi mate the grille from TPS was £83 +vat i got this one off Ebay for £57 free delivery (brand new) the number plate holder cost me £6 but one came with the grille so i now have a spare due to it being ordered in i cant send it back, i thought about my tdi spoiler and i think it would fit but im gonna fit a new one cos it may look odd having a shiney bumper and grille and an old spoiler, im really pleased with it just cant wait for the other bits to arrive, have you started work on yours yet mate?

[Borab0y]

have you started work on yours yet mate?

Chased the guy up yesterday who told me the bumper would be sent today so I should get it tomoorow or Thursday. May have a go at trimming it over the weekend.