Advice needed please

My trusty (until recently) 2011 TDI Passat B7 estate seems to have developed a coolant leak under the lower end seams (both sides) of the radiator. VW wanted £495 to complete the work including 3 hours labour and £200 for the part so i thought i'd contemplate doing the job myself. I mean, how hard can it be? Part number 1K0121251AB.

Famous last words and now puzzled before even removing a screw or bolt.

Haynes (manual 6361) suggests it's a fairly straight forward job to remove the rad. In brief: firstly remove the Cooling fan assembly from the rear of the rad and lift upwards out of the engine bay, then unbolt and disconnect the rad and again lift out. No where does it suggest having to remove the front bumper but I've seen some posts for the B6 suggesting the front bumper needs to be removed. A quick chat with a VW mechanic also suggests it's a lengthy job (his sharp intake of breath through the front teeth spoke volumes!) and the bumper needs to be removed but not sure if that's to discourage diy'ers from taking potential business.

I've always found Haynes Manuals to be spot on but I couldn't find any guidance on the radiator replacement for the B7 in this forum to compare. Any ideas?

All help gratefully appreciated. Thanks