Before:
http://www.casuallivingsc.com/matt/bumper1.JPG

After:

http://www.casuallivingsc.com/matt/bumper2.JPG





HOW TO:

step 1: Open hood
step 2: Locate the bumper bolts im pointing to, there are 2, one on each side
step 3: Remove the 2 bolts
step 4: find a spacer, larger the better, to space out the preasure when you bolt the bumper back down, i would say about 1/4" to 3/8" thick by about 1 inch sq or round, a very large thick washer could do
step 5: find a longer bolt, about 1/4" long with the same tread pitch and
step 6: find a nice large washer.
size
step 7: insert the spacer, also insert the bolt by hand and get it started, it helps if you push the bumper up while doing this so you dont cross thread the bolt

http://www.casuallivingsc.com/matt/bumper4.JPG

http://www.casuallivingsc.com/matt/bumper3.JPG

Nice work. Looks alot better.

much better, I'm going to try this.

definitely looks better on top of the grill area nice job!

Looks good, did you try screwing in the rubber hood bump stops so it closes closer?

Looks good, did you try screwing in the rubber hood bump stops so it closes closer?

no, because it already closes very close to the headlight, i really didnt see any problem with any other area other then the bumper, if i made the hood go down more then it wouldnt be level to the front fenders

What is Step 6 for...find a large washer and do what with it?

nice, are there issues of rubbing anywhere after doing this?

What is Step 6 for...find a large washer and do what with it?


depending on the new bolt you use, i used a small head bolt, so i needed a large washer so it didnt pull though the plastic bumper

nice, are there issues of rubbing anywhere after doing this?

not that i can tell, i closed the hood slowly, and it closed very easly like normal, i also watched the bumper and when the hood closed the bumper stayed still, so im sure its fine, also no marks on anything

Wow that looks great!

i went outside to try to get the grills out to paint the chrome black, figured out its a PITA to get them out, so i quit, it was cold out

i pushed the bumper up, and tried to think of a way to keep it in the up possition, this is what came out of that idea

i went outside to try to get the grills out to paint the chrome black, figured out its a PITA to get them out, so i quit, it was cold out

i pushed the bumper up, and tried to think of a way to keep it in the up possition, this is what came out of that idea


Posted about this gap thing a while back. Been experimenting with the same bolts. Didn't think about putting spacers underneath.

Thanks again, will finally satisfy my obsessive compulsive disorder.

Looks much better - will try this soon tomorrow weather permitting.

JAM

A must do when it gets above freezing out. :driving:

Any idea what the thread is? Is it metric?

Not sure the bolt head is 10 mm it's a fine thread if I took a guess it would be 8 by 1.25 but that's just a guess

but it is metric

Nice find! First you figured out the wheel issues, and now this. A master crafter for sure. Keep up the ideas......

wheel issues? not sure exactly what i did with that. maybe i had some insight on the offsets.

Nice work, going to have to try and remember to do this when I get my car out of storage in the spring.

Awesome. Nice work man. Looks like a spring project

What did you use for the spacers?

looks great, and very interested in what parts to buy. a little more info would be appreciated!

Not sure the bolt head is 10 mm it's a fine thread if I took a guess it would be 8 by 1.25 but that's just a guess

but it is metric

Thanks.. Sounds like a M6X1 if it has a 10 mm hex across the flats.

I'll have to take a look at this.. once I get my car back from the dealer.

I don't mind the gap. Makes the car look like it has an overbite.

I don't mind the gap. Makes the car look like it has an overbite.

Even better than an overbite, makes it look like a cat with its mouth open slightly, sensing the situation and danger around it before it goes into attack mode.

What kind of cat? If the car is black, then a "panther" of course!

I don't mind the gap. Makes the car look like it has an overbite.

really? i think it sticks out on white. i guess its pretty subjective, but its been a pet peeve of mine. im definitely gonna try this out as soon as we see some good info on what bolts and which spacers will work out best.

Very nice job. Moving to the DYI section.

so i found the bolts and got some washers and really didnt see a difference! i must have done something different, or the washers were not big enough. what did you use for the spacers?

I found another way to accomplish this without having to track down longer bolts and spacers. I had some 3/4 inch 19mm Vinyl Rubber Bumpers from Home Depot (they come in clear and black), also known as "rubber feet" made by Shepard Ind. called "Surface Guard". Then, I took off the 2 bolts mentioned along with the 2 plastic connectors along the top of the bumper cover and ran about 6 or so of these rubber bumpers along the cross member along the front edge between the crossmember and the bumper cover where the bolts screw in (they have adhesive backing), then pulled up the bumper cover over and tightened the 2 bolts and 2 connectors back down. Accomplished the same objective in about 5 minutes and $2 without having to track down bolts/spacers. Same result, different method. Really, any rubber spacer material placed along the front edge of the crossmember and underneath the bumper cover will "lift it up" for a better fit. Thanks for the idea Matthewo!

hmmm sounds easy enough...

Yeah really any way you can find to lift up the bumper will work

I found another way to accomplish this without having to track down longer bolts and spacers. I had some 3/4 inch 19mm Vinyl Rubber Bumpers from Home Depot (they come in clear and black), also known as "rubber feet" made by Shepard Ind. called "Surface Guard". Then, I took off the 2 bolts mentioned along with the 2 plastic connectors along the top of the bumper cover and ran about 6 or so of these rubber bumpers along the cross member along the front edge between the crossmember and the bumper cover where the bolts screw in (they have adhesive backing), then pulled up the bumper cover over and tightened the 2 bolts and 2 connectors back down. Accomplished the same objective in about 5 minutes and $2 without having to track down bolts/spacers. Same result, different method. Really, any rubber spacer material placed along the front edge of the crossmember and underneath the bumper cover will "lift it up" for a better fit. Thanks for the idea Matthewo!

someone give this guy an award! worked to a tee. muuuuuch improved for 3 bucks!! i didnt tighten the bolts down too much and i used about 10 of them lol

My wife insisted that the hood was opened one time because of that stupid gap. I had to prove otherwise. This will be a good fix.

I tried with washers and it didn't work too well, only made the hood hard to close. The rubber bumpers sound like the trick though! Guess I'll have to try that next.

yup, they are in a smaller package that contain 12 of them. it took me a while to find them for sure, but they are the one's described above.

someone give this guy an award! worked to a tee. muuuuuch improved for 3 bucks!! i didnt tighten the bolts down too much and i used about 10 of them lol

Can you post up some pics? I'd alos like to see shots of where the rubber spacers go exactly. Thanks in advance!

Looks like something easy to do when I put it back together after getting my halos instaled , thanks man.

Can you post up some pics? I'd alos like to see shots of where the rubber spacers go exactly. Thanks in advance!

ill try for you asap bro. once you take out the two clips and the two bolts, you are going to want to put the little blocks wherever the bumper sits flush on the crossmember, or the black bar that the bumper sits on. the crossmember maybe has 1.5 inches of area that the bumper rests on and i dont think i could have put many more on there, about 10 or so total. once you take out the bolts and spacers, you will see exactly what im talking about. im very happy with the way it looks! great mod for the money. looks just like the OP's pic.

I am going to go back today and double-up the "rubber bumpers" in the center part of the cover, as this seems to be the place where there is the most gap. I still have a little gap in the center area. I only used 6-8 before, evenly spaced on the crossmember, but more is probably needed (or thicker) at the center point nose area where the gap is the worst. I'll try using 10 like BigRob did or double them up in the center area.

I've never seen this type of poor fitment on BMW body panels, this should have been something that Holden's quality control should have caught and fixed before shipping. Holden should provide a custom fix for this issue. From day one I have always hated that gap on the car--even mentioned it to the dealer on the showroom floor! Thanks for the idea Matthewo!

This worked for me and I love the way it looks now. Thanks for the how to fix!!!

I haven't even noticed the gap on mine...MUST do if I do have a big gap like that!!! Thanks man!!!

I tried it with a stack of washers on each side the other day, just to test it and see what it looked like. The bumper looked raised a little bit, but the hood still had the overbite over it.

I went back and put in all 12 vinyl bumpers across the crossmember that came in the $2 package, evenly spaced across the crossmember beginning from the outside bolt that was removed all the way to the other removed bolt. That seemed to work the best for me. Any larger thickness in material and the bolts won't go back down well. I was just tooo lazy to go out and look for new bolts and spacers. LOL. Still has a slight overbite...thats probably gonna take an adjustment up in the hood brackets for that one.....that one is beyond my pay grade. LOL Keep those great ideas flowing Matthewo!

Just did mine this morning. Used 3, 1/16" washers under each bolt. Lifted the bumper right up and now looks much better. I did lose one of the black plastic clips from one of the holes near the hood latch (fell into the engine area somewhere!) during the process. I just inserted another bolt and nut in the hole to secure it. Thanks for the tips.

Awesome! Thanks for posting this easy fix!!

wheel issues? not sure exactly what i did with that. maybe i had some insight on the offsets.

how's the finish holding up on your forgestars?

Where'd you guys get the rubber bumpers?

mine is perfectly fine, im not the one who had the problem with forgestar. i have the f05 wheels. the other guy had f14s that had the problems. my finish is fine not a scratch on it, except for where they installed the wheels, and scratchd up the front ones with the lug nuts.

Thanks for the tip. I'll definitely try one of these methods. That gap is really visible on a white car. I only wish there were an easy fix for the hood and trunk edges not matching the lines along the fender panels. Sitting in the driver's seat, it bugs me to be able to see the edges of the fenders sitting up above the hood.

Clever idea thanks for sharing. Looks clean

Thanks to both members for their ideas. This is one mod that makes the car look much more refined.

If anyone has a picture of the Home Depot rubber stick-on bumpers (showing where they are placed), that would be much appreciated.

Update:
Ignore picture request. Once I had the bumper bolts removed as Matthewo suggested, it was obvious. A big thank you again.

I just did this on my GXP. I'm wondering if the bumper design is slightly different because the spacers I used were about 1/4" thick and mine doesn't look nearly as tight as matthewo's pics. It looks better but there's still a noticeable gap.

My main concern is that the added stress of the bumper pulling up against the bolt head might eventually crack the bumper around the head of the bolt. Mine was pretty tight just running the spacers that I used. I went with 1/4" thick rubber matting that I cut to shape. I also used 3 thinner rubber spacers in the middle.

I just did this on my GXP. I'm wondering if the bumper design is slightly different because the spacers I used were about 1/4" thick and mine doesn't look nearly as tight as matthewo's pics. It looks better but there's still a noticeable gap.

My main concern is that the added stress of the bumper pulling up against the bolt head might eventually crack the bumper around the head of the bolt. Mine was pretty tight just running the spacers that I used. I went with 1/4" thick rubber matting that I cut to shape. I also used 3 thinner rubber spacers in the middle.

I was thinking the samething and it seems that some of us have a more noticeable gap than others (as seen with some of our local G8s). So with that thought, some of us may need to use longer bolts and make sure you don't allow the bumper cover to bow. This could cause it to crack, chip, break, whatever. I'm not going to start mine until this weekend (yes, I will keep a photo journel to share) and I'm planning on drilling out some holes on the bumper stops and using them at the bolt locations. That way it doesn't stress the cover.

Someone asked earlier.......You can get the bumper stops/pads at Home Depot, Lowes, your local hardware store. I'll post pics of what I use as well. Sorry, but this is the earliest time I have.

yeah, fine tune it to what you feel works, for me it worked fine, i didnt feel it put too much stress on the bumper mounts, thats why i used very large spacers, mine are about 1.5" by 1 inch rectangle. it distributes the extra force pretty well and i used large washer on the bolt also to distribute the preasure, its not going to pull though

I love easy mods....Thanks for the bumper fix guys. I modified mine similiar. I got 4... 1inch thick bushings from advanced auto. They work great.. I placed one close to the center black clamps and one in the normal screw hole. The pressure of the screwed down stopper will hold the stopper closest to the clamp in place without tape or glue. I did the same to both sides of the bumper. I Went to Home Depot and got some longer machine screws... I looks perfect... loving my g8 more everyday....regardless how many times its been to the dealer to be repaired....its well worth it!

I too just did this mod to my GXP and the results are not nearly as tight as matthewo's. I'm pretty sure it is slightly different. I'm going to go to the Depot and pick up some rubber spacers and place them all across the crossmember and see what difference that makes.

so if you liked this mod send $5 donation to help matt get some headers fund :)

yeah, fine tune it to what you feel works, for me it worked fine, i didnt feel it put too much stress on the bumper mounts, thats why i used very large spacers, mine are about 1.5" by 1 inch rectangle. it distributes the extra force pretty well and i used large washer on the bolt also to distribute the preasure, its not going to pull though

I used a pretty good sized spacer. Mine were probably almost 2" by 3". I think I'm going to use a much larger washer under the bolt head to distribute the pressure more evenly.

so you put the washer under the bolt/on top of the paint? There's a nice indentation in the paint on mine where the stock bolt was sitting. I don't want to make a larger indentation by adding a washer...

so you put the washer under the bolt/on top of the paint? There's a nice indentation in the paint on mine where the stock bolt was sitting. I don't want to make a larger indentation by adding a washer...

If you go to H. Depot or Lowe's, you can get a rubber washer at the same size as the steel washer. Use that as a "buffer" between the paint and the steel washer.

Not sure the bolt head is 10 mm it's a fine thread if I took a guess it would be 8 by 1.25 but that's just a guess

but it is metric


The bolt is a 6mm x 1.0 pitch thread.

Mine only has plastic clips, no bolts in the locations you show.....early 2008 before they started bolting the bumper on.....


EDIT - sorry I was wrong on this, one of the few times, but from memory I thought mine only had clips, I remember somewhere that later on they added bolts, or more bolts....Hmm......:(

Does anyone think by raising the bumper cover that there is a chance the bolts will cause the cover to crack?

Nice fix!!!! Wow...you guys are a tribute to this site!

Mine only has plastic clips, no bolts in the locations you show.....early 2008 before they started bolting the bumper on.....


Really? I'll have to check that one out. What is the build date on your car?

Can anybody post pics from a profile perspective so we can see what it looks like? I would like to see what kind of "overbite" is left over after you raise the cover.

Really? I'll have to check that one out. What is the build date on your car?Sorry, I was wrong, see my edit above. I was rightfully corrected by Manaro

I kinda showed my wife what it would look like raised (lifted the front bumper with my hands)...now it has to be done...Home Depot here I come...

The "overbite" could be fixed by loosening the 2 bolts on both sides of the hood hinges and moving the entire hood 1/16" to 1/4" back toward the windshield. It wasn't mounted right. Probably a 2 man job though or a body shop could do it. I'm not going to bother on mine though.

Credit to Lazarus Man for naming of this as the "overbite" condition. LOL

Here are the pics and steps on mine.....

http://www.g8board.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27037

Is there a way to lower the hood? I did this mod and put as many rubber stoppers in as possible without needing longer bolts and it looks maybe 25 percent better, but not great. It's like the catch that holds the hood down needs to be adjusted lower so that it holds the hood more snugly. Ideas?

So I tried this today and used a slightly longer bolt with a 3/16 spacer I believe and it didn't help all that much. I did notice the gap between the hood overhang and bumper by the headlight was significantly closer when you looked at from the side. Did you do anything to the plastic tabs in the middle? I was thinking about taking them out and using the rubber stops like the other guy. Any suggestions?

I just left the plastic clips out and put enough rubber stops in the middle areas by where the clips used to be to keep it taut. Some improvement, but still annoys me. Will probably get two more bolts and use them to replace the clips as the clips aren't gonna fit back.

Yea I'm determined now. I ordered my GXP diffuser also so I'm trying to fix all of these little issues before I tackle performance.

Awsome mod, I'll be doing this very soon. In fact I'm starting to think I need to go and look at the new Lowes tonight. Thanks a bunch guys!

When you look at my pics, I used about 3/4" of material. If you go any more than that, the hood latch will strike the cover. I wouldn't move the hood much forward since you would probally create a misalignment with the hood and the fenders (at the windshield line). Granted, it's not a perfect fix. But it makes it look better.

Ok great mod I agree, do you think the "gap " was there to allow more air into the engine area?
Just curious? some one post a pic of the stoppers you bought @ the depot please.
Thanks again.

I took some ideas from this thread and came up with a different approach. I created 4 brackets cut from 1/8" thick aluminum. The brackets are sandwiched with rubber floor matting to provide thickness, grip, and maybe eliminate some vibration. The floor matting was sold on a spindle and was $3 per foot (only need 1 foot).

Each bracket has a hole cut for the existing 2 bolts and 2 more bolts to replace the plastic rivets. The 4 brackets extend past the edge of the G8 crossbar creating more surface area for the bumper cover to rest on and should eliminate any future sagging. I replaced the smaller stock washers with larger ones to distribute the weight.

The inner bracket on the drivers side required a small cutout for the hood latch to go through.

When I had the bumber bolts off I noticed the bumper naturally pulls back to effectively reduce the hood overbite. So to permanently fix this I extended the 2 outside holes on the bumper cover near the headlights by less than 1/8" back towards the engine using a drill (put drill bit in existing hole and apply pressure up towards engine). When the bolts are tightened the "rubber sandwich" should keep the bumper cover from sliding forward and back. I recommend using a permanent marker to dab the area you will be drilling just to make sure you don't extend the hole too much. If you take out too much then you will end up with an underbite which could be harder to fix.

The before shots are below. The brackets are laid out pre-installation on the other side of the bumper cover.

http://i1000.photobucket.com/albums/af124/tweeedle/G8/hoodgapbefore1.jpg
http://i1000.photobucket.com/albums/af124/tweeedle/G8/hoodgapbefore2.jpg
http://i1000.photobucket.com/albums/af124/tweeedle/G8/hoodgapbefore3.jpg

The after shots are below with the brackets installed.

http://i1000.photobucket.com/albums/af124/tweeedle/G8/hoodgapafter1.jpg
http://i1000.photobucket.com/albums/af124/tweeedle/G8/hoodgapafter2.jpg

Are you guys removing the rubber bumpers on the bottom edge of the hood when you putt hese spacers in? Cause I've tried this twice now and the gap never closed up any at all. Tried it with my GT bumper and new GXP bumper and came up with the same gap. I MUST be missing something.

Are you guys removing the rubber bumpers on the bottom edge of the hood when you putt hese spacers in? Cause I've tried this twice now and the gap never closed up any at all. Tried it with my GT bumper and new GXP bumper and came up with the same gap. I MUST be missing something.

I didn't need to remove mine. Even after raising my bumper there is still some space there and the rubber stops never hit the bumper cover. They remove easily so you could try and see if it helps. If it doesn't help then they can be pushed back on easily too.

I'm bringing this thread back from the dead. LOL I noticed that over time the rubber bumper fix detailed previously has been warping the top of the plastic bumper cover so I found a more permanent solution, so I thought I would share for your consideration.

1) I removed all the rubber bumpers as detailed previously herein and left the top bolts out
2) I put the vehicle up on a jack and had a 2nd person lift the front bumper cover up as far as possible till it was snug.
3) I got under the vehicle and drilled and installed (3) 1/4" self tapping screws, (one near the center and the other 2 about 10 inches from the edge of the car. The screws were tapped into the plastic and into the bottom cross brace.
4) Tightened up the top bumper cover bolts....but did not put the rubber bumpers back in.

Now there is no play in the bumper cover at all and the gap has been fixed pretty well. This is a more permanent solution. In effect, the play was taken out from the bottom, rather than from the top.

This actually raised the front bumper about 1/4 to 3/8 inch, which was a big help since I am lowered on Pedders. I am hoping that the plastic cover at the top of the bumper cover will smooth out over time (with the heat of the engine), just as it had become deformed due to the heat and stress caused by the rubber bumpers.

Pic shows self tapping screw in the bottom of the bumper cover under the vehicle. Sorry for the crappy cell phone pic. LOL

isn't it funny that we need to do these mickey mouse fixes to our 30k cars?

not a bad idea. i recently found those grippers at Lowes and used those under the bolts, but I may do this instead.

isn't it funny that we need to do these mickey mouse fixes to our 30k cars?

I agree. I can't take credit for the idea....it came from the paint/body specialist who works on Lexus and Mercedes at Brumos in Jax....this is the same fix that he uses for this same issue they are having on some of those cars. So this is a common problem with many makes according to him. So, mickey mouse or not, this is how at least one pro is fixing the issue.

so you completely left the two bolts out of the top holes, right? I imagine with the way it shifted after putting in the screws underneath, the holes on top didn't line up anymore?

so you completely left the two bolts out of the top holes, right? I imagine with the way it shifted after putting in the screws underneath, the holes on top didn't line up anymore?

The top 2 bolts and 2 plastic pins were only taken out temporarily to maximize the upward movement and make it easier for the 2nd man to push up the bumper cover up as far as possible, then after the 3 screws were drilled and tapped in, they were put right back in as per stock configuration.

Basically, the 2nd man just pulled up on the bumper cover as far as he could till it stopped and all play was removed, while a man under the vehicle drilled a pilot hole then screwed in self-tapping screws from bumper cover to the cross brace. Once the screws were in, the bumper held this position and the man holding the bumper cover up was able to let off the upward pressure he was applying. The holes at the top of the bumper cover still lined up OK, the difference in play was made up in the flex of the bumper cover (which greatly reduced the bumper gap). Then the 2 upper bolts and plastic pins were replaced (minus the Lowes rubber bumpers that was causing the deformed plastic). There is no play in the bumper at all now.

You probably could even skip taking out the top bolts altogether and just lift up the cover and have a 2nd man get under it and drill and tap the 3 screws. Once the screws are in, the bumper stays up where is should and does not "droop". This whole thing only took about 10 minutes.

Sorry I didn't take more pics, but this mod was pretty straight forward.

I am hoping the deformed plastic caused by the stress from the rubber bumpers from Lowes will gradually flatten out again. LOL

The plastic on my bumper became deformed even before I put those rubber bumpers in, so I don't think that's the issue. It's just the way it's made.

The top 2 bolts and 2 plastic pins were only taken out temporarily to maximize the upward movement and make it easier for the 2nd man to push up the bumper cover up as far as possible, then after the 3 screws were drilled and tapped in, they were put right back in as per stock configuration.

Basically, the 2nd man just pulled up on the bumper cover as far as he could till it stopped and all play was removed, while a man under the vehicle drilled a pilot hole then screwed in self-tapping screws from bumper cover to the cross brace. Once the screws were in, the bumper held this position and the man holding the bumper cover up was able to let off the upward pressure he was applying. The holes at the top of the bumper cover still lined up OK, the difference in play was made up in the flex of the bumper cover (which greatly reduced the bumper gap). Then the 2 upper bolts and plastic pins were replaced (minus the Lowes rubber bumpers that was causing the deformed plastic). There is no play in the bumper at all now.

You probably could even skip taking out the top bolts altogether and just lift up the cover and have a 2nd man get under it and drill and tap the 3 screws. Once the screws are in, the bumper stays up where is should and does not "droop". This whole thing only took about 10 minutes.

Sorry I didn't take more pics, but this mod was pretty straight forward.

I am hoping the deformed plastic caused by the stress from the rubber bumpers from Lowes will gradually flatten out again. LOL


Any way you could possibly take some more detailed pictures? I'm not entirely sure of the location of the self tapping screws.

You are essentially unbolting the top bolts, pushing up the cover from the bottem, installing 2 self tapping screws to help hold the cover up, then reinstalling the upper bolts?

THanks!

Jx.

Any way you could possibly take some more detailed pictures? I'm not entirely sure of the location of the self tapping screws.

You are essentially unbolting the top bolts, pushing up the cover from the bottem, installing 2 self tapping screws to help hold the cover up, then reinstalling the upper bolts?

THanks!

Jx.

Bump for pictures! Would like to do this, but I'm a visual person and need to see it.

Any way you could possibly take some more detailed pictures? I'm not entirely sure of the location of the self tapping screws.

You are essentially unbolting the top bolts, pushing up the cover from the bottem, installing 2 self tapping screws to help hold the cover up, then reinstalling the upper bolts?

THanks!

Jx.

I'd have to get the car up on a lift in order to get more pics, as I am heavily lowered on Pedders....no room to squeeze my big butt under there. Next time it is up on a lift, I will take pics of exactly where we put the screws.

Yes, what we did was just remove the top 2 bolts/2 plastic pushpins, remove the old Home Depot rubber bumpers, then with one person pushing up on the bumper all the way till it stops, the 2nd man goes under the car and drills a very small pilot hole where the lower bumper cover meets the lower cross brace, then tap in a 1/4" self tapping screws (1/2" long were used). We put one in the center and one on each side where the edge of the bumper cover meets the cross brace. The cell phone pics I took above show the small silver screws in place.

Once the screws were in place, the man holding the bumper up can let it go and then the top bolts/pins get replaced. No there is NO play whatsever in the bumper now.

Like I said, this is how body shop pros are fixing the Mercedes and the Lexus bumper covers, which have the same issue.

Thanks for the work on this and reporting it here. This is something that I've found an annoying visual element of the car which otherwise is a mean looking sadan. I'm going to post a picture to show a few of this "issues" I see on the car.

This is something that I've found an annoying visual element of the car which otherwise is a mean looking sadan.

My thought exactly. If you do happen to need to take the bumper cover off in the future, so what if you have 3 more screws to take out. LOL I think this is the more permanent, cleaner fix than any other method posted to date, and we probably all have the screws needed already in our toolboxes.

I'll try to get some better pics up.

Yes, better pics would really help. I'm glad you keep updating us because one of my worries was if there were any side effects when you do this.

This is in the back burner of future visual mods, so thanks again.

OK, I just squeezed my big butt up under the car and took these pics with better definition camera. Sorry, but I don't have a photobucket account so I have to put these up as attachments. Feel free to fix it.

1st pic shows driver side placement of screw
http://www.g8board.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=8583&d=1276268989

2nd & 3rd pic shows passenger side placement of screw
http://www.g8board.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=8584&d=1276269011

and

http://www.g8board.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=8585&d=1276269054
4th pic shows center placement
http://www.g8board.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=8586&d=1276269409
Last pic is a closeup of center placement
http://www.g8board.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=8587&d=1276269512
All screws were placed just ahead of the plastic pull out pins.

In hindsight, it probably would have been a nice touch to use a black screw rather than silver, but who looks under there anyway. LOL

Also, while this does greatly improve the "overbite," and eliminates the play in the bumper cover, it is still far from perfect. It is probably going to take a combination of these methods, perhaps even moving the hood back 1/8" (from the hood mounts) in order to get it just right.:(

Where are these screwing into? Metal, plastic, etc?

Thanks by the way for the updated pictures.

Just went through the plastic.

bump for before and after pix- links are borken

i reuploaded the pictures to my server.

i think the bumper is ment to have some play, like if you pull up to close on the curb it will just push the bumper up instead of cracking it. also if you bump a car, it allows it to move some. even with my mod the bumper still has some movement like it does from the factory, just not the ugly gap.

I am bringing this back up as the photos are red x's for me...can these be fixed so us "newer" guys can take a look and hopefully fix this issue.

Thanks!!

Sorry, somehow my pics got deleted from the attachment section....here are some more I just took. Basically, just a screw installed just ahead of each of the 3 plastic fasteners....don't forget to "lift" or "push" up on the bumper cover all the way before installing the screw or it defeats the purpose. LOL

^Me too, but I thought it was because I was at work...???

Awesome! Thanks Badpenny, much appreciated!!!

Great work! I am definitely doing this. Looks very clean!

oh I gotta do this, I was looking at mine and felt if I could get the play out of the bottom side it would align better, the self tapping screws will do that

I definitely need to stop being lazy and do this easy mod...

Can this be done with one person using a floor jack to apply light pressure from the bottom?

yup, worked like a charm!

My first thought when seeing the pics is that I'd want a decent sized washer to increase the load bearing surface on the plastic. The push pins don't seem to be doing the same job as the screws will be doing. The pressure to hold the bumber in place will be moreso witht he screws. I'm picturing years of that bumper taking the hard jounces of our suspensions over Michigan roads and the plastic being supported by a very small diameter on that screw head.

Of course, this is just from looking at the pics and thinking out loud. But thinking back on the job, does it seem robust/solid? Or would you consider a washer?