Bumper removal is very very easy and can literally be done in minutes. I found some posts here about it but was confused where things were and how to get the bumper off the fenders. I even have the shop manuals and it was pretty vague there too "pull off fender", um ok. This is written for the people that need easy step spelled out.

UNDER THE BUMPER:
You have the black diffuser (the black trim at the bottom of the bumper between the exhaust tips), which is held onto the bumper with 4 push trim pins. Further past these are three push pins that hold the body colored bumper to the bottom of the car (the spare tire well to be exact). A "push trim pin" looks like a round black plug with a smaller round center. Its a black plug that goes into the plastic parts, then a center pin that goes inside the plug and makes it expand to hold the plastics together.

This is sorta what it looks like (image stolen from another car board):
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS9DRPY7_kU_uYxWC2I7yYDEh1N6LJ1A 2UschAN_o8QBs8X30d4Aw

Remove the three push pins holding the bottom of the bumper to the car. How do you remove them? You need to get the center "pin" out, and then the plug itself is easily pulled out of the hole. If you look at the center pin, there are two flat areas on opposite sides. Those are there for you to get under the pin so you can pull it out. I use two small flat screwdrivers on either flat area, get them under the pin, and pull the pin out. Once the pin is more than 50% out of the plig (or totally removed from the plug) the plug easily comes out. Pic:
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5052/5541690566_242bb91cc2.jpg

EACH FENDER WHEEL WELL:
Go to one of the rear tires and look at the black plastic wheel well near the back bumper. You will see two push pins, one at the bottom of the well/bumper, and one halfway up the well. Remove that one too. Pics:
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5133/5574859553_84b46a5033.jpg



The bottom of the bumper and well should now be loose and flapping. Now look at the top of the wheel well where it meets the edge of the bumper. There is a small black phillips screw, facing down. Remove it. Pics:
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5136/5575446038_bdcde5fd5d.jpg
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5256/5541111373_fbbe6d4e14.jpg

FENDERS and TAIL LIGHTS:
Nothing is holding the bumper on right now except for push/pop on clips that surround the fender where the bumper meets it. The lip of the bumper is full of holes and each hole has a clip popped onto it. You literally pull the bumper off at this point, and push it back on when you re-install. The trick which I couldnt figure out was how it pulls off. If you do it wrong, you can rip the holes open. Here is the trick: now that the ends of the bumper are free to flap out away from the car, thats the direction you pull them. You pull the edges of the bumper out to the sides away from the car CAREFULLY so that each clip lets go of each hole one at a time like large bumper velcro. Pics to visualize:
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5012/5541692004_c076dd2f59.jpghttp://farm6.static.flickr.com/5095/5541112303_d3a7f5ca90.jpg

The trick is to pull OUT away from the car and now DOWN, but at a slightly down angle to help the holes get out of the clips. As you pull the bumper away, you follow the holes/clips under the tailights and keep pulling. Pics:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5176/5541692378_477c75d06d.jpg
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5253/5541692508_b7f68df4d5.jpg


Once you get the last clip under the tailights (on both sides) the bumper is totally free. There is a metal lip under the trunk opening, but the bumper itself is just resting on this. Get in the middle of the trunk opening, try to grab the bumper on both sides under the taillight, and step back. The bumper should come with you.

BUMPER INSTALLATION:
Do everything above in the opposite order, but I have one trick that I wish I knew before I did mine. Put the pins and screw in the wheel well in first, and pop the holes back into the fender clips last. In the fender well is a screw at the top, a push pin in the middle and one at the bottom.... When I put my bumper on, I couldnt get the damn holes to get into the clips around the fender and tailights without being loose and not grabbing, it looked HORRIBLE. I got one side on, and went to the other wheel well and found something: the MIDDLE PUSH PIN actually goes through three things, not just the fender and the wheel well. Theres a metal bracket under there with a hole in it and the pin goes through all three things: the bumper, the wheel well, and the hole in the bracket. GET THAT MIDDLE PUSH PIN ON FIRST, before the bottom pin and top screw. Once that middle pin is on and lined up perfect with the metal bracket, all the clips around the fender and taillight area line up perfect with the holes in the bumper and then all pop on nice and easy. If you dont have that metal bracket at that middle push pin, nothing lines up, or pops in the right way, and looks like crap.

Enjoy, and PLEASE reply if I missed anything.

That's one, fantastic tutorial that you've made, TurboMike.

Hey TurboMike,

My rear bumper is bulging out out on the drivers side pin area. I removed the screw and two push pins and noticed that the the insert(little open rectangle) on the bumper is actually broken. It's not broken off or anything just split in the middle.(So hard to explain) Pic's 6 and 7. Im sure thats why it does not "clip on when pushed in. Is there a fix for this?

Thanks

Okay, here is a question for you:

I had my bumper cover repainted, and now where the pieces join (4th last picture where the plastic curves in) it seems to stick out a little, and not follow the same curve. Any idea why?

Okay, here is a question for you:

I had my bumper cover repainted, and now where the pieces join (4th last picture where the plastic curves in) it seems to stick out a little, and not follow the same curve. Any idea why?

Couldn't have said it better...thats my issue!!!! Simply pushing it in doesn't do anything :(

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Couldn't have said it better...thats my issue!!!! Simply pushing it in doesn't do anything :(

Whoever removed/installed your bumper may have damaged/bent one of the plastic tabs that gets inserted into the upper piece...they're not made for multiple removals/installs so it's very easy to permanently bend/destroy the mounting tabs/features that secure the bumper cover/fascia.

At least I think that's what you're trying to describe...

Whoever removed/installed your bumper may have damaged/bent one of the plastic tabs that gets inserted into the upper piece...they're not made for multiple removals/installs so it's very easy to permanently bend/destroy the mounting tabs/features that secure the bumper cover/fascia.

At least I think that's what you're trying to describe...

Thats what I'm afraid of. I plan on taking it off this weekend to get a better idea of whats going on. If the mounting tab is indeed broken, what do I have to do make it flush again? My OCD is bugging the hell out of me! I will take some pics.

Your options are limited unfortunately if a tab was broken but if something was just bent, not broken off, you may able to get it in position again.

If it bothers you that much you're just gonna have to pull the cover and get creative. Good luck !

Hey TurboMike,

My rear bumper is bulging out out on the drivers side pin area. I removed the screw and two push pins and noticed that the the insert(little open rectangle) on the bumper is actually broken. It's not broken off or anything just split in the middle.(So hard to explain) Pic's 6 and 7. Im sure thats why it does not "clip on when pushed in. Is there a fix for this?

Thanks


I think you're saying that all or some of the open rectangular cutouts on the bumper that "clip" into the clips around the fender and under are broken or cracked. That sounds like someone removed the bumper improperly and yanked them out so that they broke instead of popped out of the clips. It happened to ONE of mine when I was learning exactly how the bumper comes off. But it all popped back on perfectly. If you have a few broken in various places you might get away with it, but the more you have broken off the less likely the bumper will stay in places. Are you SURE the middle pin (between the screw at the top and the bottom pin) in the fender well is through the metal bracket (ie: through ALL three things; the fender, the bumper, the bracket). Without that lined up with the bracket nothing else on the bumper will line up.

If it really is just too many holes in the bumper broken open, it sounds like you either need a new bumper, or you need to take it off and bring it to a body shop to try and fiberglass the holes back into shape, or to try it yourself.

Okay, here is a question for you:

I had my bumper cover repainted, and now where the pieces join (4th last picture where the plastic curves in) it seems to stick out a little, and not follow the same curve. Any idea why?


Sounds to me like they missed the biggest trick I discovered when putting mine back on. The fact that the middle pin in the fender well goes through three things, a metal bracket back in there thats hard to see (as well as the fender liner and the bumper). When I had my pin in without that bracket, my bumper just would not line up no matter how many times I tried to push it in. Once I figured out about the bracket when I did the other side, I went back and fixed it and suddenly every single hole in the bumper snapped into every single clip around the fender and under the taillights in one pop and stayed lined up perfectly.

Check that middle pin.