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Front bumper removal


henry.0112
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I've been trying to get the front bumper of my lupo se off. I realised that you have to split the upper piece from the lower piece but i cant figure out how to do it. If anyone could point me in the right direction it would be much appreciated.

thanks Henry

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start by removing the two screws holding the black plastic grill in and the clips on the top, once that is off wobble the corners from the wings by hand then pop it away from the bumper, can't remember precisely but just tug lightly and look for fittings.

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I tried to get the bumper off the sdi, got as far as getting the grill off then gave up as I think the bit that goes around the headlights is held in place with plastic clips but didn't want to force it, break it then end up with more repairs

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On 13/04/2017 at 6:26 PM, Rich said:

I can get the front end of a lupo off in under ten minutes.

Yeah, but is all the plastic still 100% once done...?

I've been working on it for an hour (to get 6X0853661B off- the grill holder, that goes under the headlights).

I have come to the conclusion, that this is a disposable item. There are 4 clips that couple the panel to the front of the wings. The material the panel is made of ABS- a very cheap brittle plastic that doesn't age well (gets more brittle with time)- think CD covers. The rubber clips that are meant to stay soft and pliable, don't. This means that the simple operation of pulling them out is no longer possible after a few years, so the panel will always break. No question about it. There is no access to get to them from behind as the headlights need to come out first. Not possible. Catch 22.

To remove the bumper, you must remove this panel. Same goes for replacing a headlight.

It is possible to remove the grill section and indicators though. Some flexing is required. Hair dryer...

Needless to say I broke it. :(

But I have since found out through a few people I know in Vdub, that any time a headlight needs replacing, generally it means you've had a front end crash, so it doesn't matter.... The panels are available from Vdub, ready painted and finished, and are designed to snap in place. Yes, I agree it's no consolation that they not cheap at about £62 a pop. When I refit my old one, I will glue it in place with something like 'stixall'- with a thin spacer in there to get the gap just right- like tiling.

My quest continues. I'm respraying the front end anyway, so no hassle. Pics will follow when I reassemble in a week or three.

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I've been doing some experiments with those 4 horrid fasteners- that hold the grill retaining panel in place.

I have discovered that if you can get some warmth on them, the 'rubber' (which is actually a soft plastic, like nylon 66 or LDPE) does become more pliable. But it still takes some effort to separate them. So I added some silicone spray lube in the mix, along with some warmth and they pop in and out effortlessly.

So, my penny's worth of advice- spray some silicone lube into the gap between the front of the wing and the panel. Then with a hairdryer on low heat for five mins blow air aiming at the front of the wing from behind the headlight. Try and get the warm airflow to 'slide' down along the inside of the wing so that it ends up right at the seam where the two clips are. Not easy. ...

I think that should do it.

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