So, I got asked by a friend with an ex-UK M5 with full tupperware kit how he should go about removing his front bumper assembly. I describe it as best I can and then leave him to it. Sunday comes around and I'm watching the Australian GP from Melbourne on the tele and the ads are driving me mental. So I start taping it instead and go down to the car where upon I look at my front bumper and see that one of the rubber buffers which keep open the gap between the bumper and the top grille rail to prevent a water trap being created has been dislodged. The only way to replace it is to remove the entire front bumper assembly. A bit extreme? For sure, but I've had this problem before and I hate the rust stains that build up on the painted bumper if you don't fix it right away.
So, with nothing better to do, I decide to remove and refit my bumper assembly. I took the camera with me and decided I would document what I did along the way to show the chap who asked me how it was done the day before. So without further ado, here is a photo record of how the M-Technic front bumper assembly is held in place. There's no written instructions, just pictures.
Photo gallery link
Very quickly (while these photos upload) the procedure to remove goes like this:
Jack the front of the car up
Remove both front wheels
Remove upper plastic trim piece inside wheel arch both sides
Remove both front tow hook covers
Remove stone guard/engine bay floor cover piece
(On my car this is a short black fibreglass piece that stops at the front pulleys on the engine. On most cars it is a much larger black plastic piece that extends right back around the sump to the cross member)
Disconnect foglamp & indicator power cables at plugs inside engine bay. One above battery, other above A/C & ABS unit
With a small 1/4" drive 17mm socket and as many extension pieces as you can find undo the two bolts securing bumper by inserting vertically upwards at the extreme rearwards & inside corner of the tow hook cover hole each side, but do not remove the bolts entirely. Just loosen until bumper can be moved.
Remove two self-tapping screws either side from inside wheel arches.
Ease bumper forward but not so far that it falls off the rails upon which it sits
With gap created, reach in and disconnect temperature sensor cable plug
Carefully ease the bumper off the car by pulling directly forward. Assembly comes off as one complete unit with indicators, foglamps, brake ducts, licence plate, temperature sensor, bumper and all bracketry attached. There is no need to touch any of the foglamps or indicator lights at all.
Installation is reversal of above precedure.
HTH someone.
