The bumper cover on a car is the portion on the front or back end that protects the bumper sections. The lights and grill of a front fender are also housed in the cover. If you get involved in a minor accident or damage the cover beyond repair, you will need to replace the cover with a new one. You can easily buy a replacement bumper cover to match your car’s finish and install it yourself to save the money you would spend on taking it to a mechanic. Bumper covers are available in car parts stores and range from $100 to $400.
Things You’ll Need
- Screwdriver
- Wrench
- Bumper cover
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Engage the emergency parking brake, to avoid causing the car to roll or move when removing the bumper.
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Release the screws holding the wheel well liners in place with a screwdriver. This will expose the screws holding the bumper bolts.
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Release the bolts holding the bumper in place, using a wrench, and have a friend support it while it remains wired to the car.
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Disconnect the wiring running to the bumper to separate the fog lights from the car. Pull out the light fixtures from the bumper cover.
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Remove the grill in the bumper cover, taking out the screws holding it into the cover. This will allow you to separate the grill and the bumper cover.
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Secure the grill and light fixtures into the new bumper cover, using the hardware you removed from the old cover.
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Reconnect the necessary wiring. Support the bumper cover in front of your car or have your friend hold it in place again.
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Secure the bumper cover using the retaining bolts you took out earlier. Tighten the bolts to hold the bumper cover securely against the car.
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Replace the wheel well liners with the screws you took out.
Tips & Warnings
- You can leave out the fog light steps if your cover does not have one of these parts.
- Do not order a replacement cover without being sure that the color will match perfectly, or you will need to repaint it.