Front bumper removal (B5 pre-facelift) - washer line on UK model?

[defever]

Good morning forum users,

This is one of the few minor things I want to sort out, mainly for aesthetic point of view.

The bumper doesn't sit right (the fender keeps coming off the side clip) and the NS headlight is slightly off in its alignment so I want to re-adjust the bumper and the headlight cluster.

Found couple of useful pages:

Audi A4 B5 Front Bumper Removal And Installation | Happy Wrenching



They are both American A4, facelift models. And they both talk about disconnecting the headlight washer line.

My bumper looks like this:

IMG_0775.jpg

It's a 2-piece headlight cluster with smooth bumper (there’s no headlight washer insert on the bumper).

Would there be any headlight washer line from factory on UK models even if the bumper is “non-washer” bumper?

Otherwise, the removal of the headlight cluster and bumper to adjust the alignment should be fairly simple job.

I should contribute to this forum so I’m happy to do a write up on how to do this when I do it!

[Doctle Odd]

People in these Islands could only dream of headlight washers on the B5! Do you know how to get the bumper off, try to find a video there's a little knack to it, hard to describe but when you do it once you'll see what I mean

[green A8]

Yes there is a knack, but it's not hard to master it. WhatI do is realease and tug forward both corners by pulling outward and forward at the same time, and then grab the central part of the bumper, give it a tug as if opening a slightly stubborn drawer. I've never had a problem with removing the front bumper on a B5. The rear bumper on a B5 Avant can sometimes be a bit more of a sod to get off, it depends how much abuse the cars owner has given it.

A couple of little tips. To ensure that you have something to drop the bumper down onto, rather than have it bashing the floor. I use some old thick carpet underlay with a couple of old cardboard boxes underneath to make for a soft landing for the bumper.
Also seeing the air con rad(evaporator) just resting against the kerb as in the video you posted makes me cringe, it's not a cheap part that can be very easy to damage. Do yourself a favor and at least give it some protection from any knocks by wrapping it in bubble wrap or cardboard, rather than just laying to one side.

[defever]

Thank both as usual, on very useful tips.

The current position of the bumper sits just off the "nack". The fenders on both sides constantly come off the plastic clip and everyday (driving or not), I have to shuv them back in but doesn't quite clip in. This is because the NS headlight cluster sits too low and sort of pushes the indicator cluster to the side... Hence I want to do this.

Thank you for the soft landing tip, I'd suspect the bumper is heavier than I think. I have some sleeping mat to spare and couple of cardboard so I'm sorted!

Away for couple of weeks so this will be an August DIY!

[green A8]

Having looked at the photo you've posted, your car the silver Avant, seems not to have headlamp washers fitted. To test the theory turn on your headlights then activate the screen washers. If you have headlamp washers expect a plume of screenwash to be visable. You'll have wet headlights and a somewhat damp bonnet. If not, then there are no headlamp washers fitted.

[defever]

Update on this!

I fiddled with the headlight clusters and they are in much better position. I have the split cluster so I had to move the indicator cluster first to get to the bolt on the side for the headlight cluster. That side bolt was loose so I adjusted a bit and the clusters are now sitting much better.

However, the bonnet still keeps popping off on the near side. I think the garage people forced it in with the headlight cluster not in the right place and it might have warped the corner a bit. If I jiggle it a bit I can feel it “clipping” in to where it should be but soon pops off with small knock. Offside has no problem, I can't get it off so that's fine.

So I’m still working on this. Just trying to find some time to properly look in to it!

[defever]

Update and now sorted!

So, I noticed that the front bumper wasn't sitting perfectly on the fender. I've been focusing on the top bit of the plastic clip on the fender (pic from Google):

eng35-bumperclip1.jpg

But upon close inspection, the bottom clip wasn't placed at all, hence the bumper constantly dropping down. So I placed the bottom clip with a bit of a force and now it sits perfectly secured!

So now that the bumper sits where it should be, I adjusted the headlight by unscrewing all three T25 bots (two from the top, and one on the side; pic from Google):

bpvchange_012_label.jpg

Now the headlight and the bumper looks like how they were before the cambelt change!