Front bumper popped out

[Jonty3962]

Hi Guys my dad reversed around in the yard and tapped the front of my car, broke headlight bracket which I've sorted but the side of my bumper has popped out and wondering what's the easiest way to relocate it thanks in advance Jonty

[DMitch16]

It's the bumper cover - the real bumper is a big lateral iron bar covered in polystyrene. To reset the cover you will need to undo a few things pull the cover off a bit to enable realignment. The cover is slotted into two grooves in the wings at each corner of the front of the car and bolted from inside the wheel arch (splash covers will need to be removed). The bolts are in the form of static threads attached to the bumper cover frame and secured with 10mm nuts. A long 10mm socket is best. There is a plastic guide section in each of the wing holes. To align the cover correctly you must first undo the top screws holding the top lip section of the cover onto the frame. There are 2 sets of screws, those that secure the centre grill and those that secure the whole cover including the grill. You'll want to remove only the bumper cover mounting screws not those that secure the grill to the cover. The cover is also secured to the lip of the wing with one screw each side accessed from the inner edge of the wheel arch and underneath securing the botton valance edge and plastic filler sections to the underside. Once you have undone the necessary fixings you should be able to work the whole bumper frame forward but not too much as there will be an electrical loom supplying power to the indicators / spots (if you have them). The whole front section is a little heavy and awkward for one person but can be lifted but two doing it is better. This will enable you to correctly slot the sides into the wing guides and push the whole unit back into alignment. Refit all the fixings removed and you're done. If the plastic has been torn at the screw hole where the cover is fixed to the wing at the arch then it may not be streamline and a DIY repair necessary.

If it is just one side it is possible to loosen the fixings for that side and wrestle the cover ends back into their slots but you risk bending or breaking something. Imo it is better to release the whole unit from tension and put it back on correctly. You would also see any otherwise hidden damage.

This is from memory and I hope I have covered everything necessary.

[RichardSEL]

I've put together a help .doc with diagrams and marked pix that could also help you in addition to Mitch's excellent reply.
I did it coz was considering upgrading my front to Votex style. But then realising that the bumper removal procedure was so
involved, never got around to it.

PM me an email address for return attach