trd front bumper

[TRD69]

Hey guys

below is a pic of a gap on my bumper that's gradually getting worse. im a complete noob to cars and probably wont try to attempt a DIY, can anyone recommend me a place in sydney that will fix and secure the bumper flush without costing an arm or have some idea what it would cost so i wont get ripped ones.

cheers

Edited November 18, 2011 by TRD69

[DJKOR]

Not answering the question here but making an observation... it's quite interesting to see this because I've seen this start to happen on a few Aurions already, mine included.

[byw]

Yesterday I was sitting near my car and also notice the uneven gap appearing with the front bumper.

[TRD69]

Not answering the question here but making an observation... it's quite interesting to see this because I've seen this start to happen on a few Aurions already, mine included.

Yesterday I was sitting near my car and also notice the uneven gap appearing with the front bumper.

yeah this sucks :(

i noticed mine about a month ago but the gap wasnt as noticeable, just today i was thinking of getting eyelids when straight away i noticed the gap getting worse.

[jeffy]

You could add an extra screw where that section is,

[Steven]

Fixed it on mine - will post how later

[Steven]

Okay I'm back from work so I can write this up properly.

Essentially the problem lies with the side retainer clip that the bumper clips onto. The clip is probably best described as a U channel lying on its side. Over time the weight of the bumper plus the elements (ie hot summer days etc) causes the plastic to soften and the U channel to expand slightly, which results in the bumper dropping slightly as well.

This can be fixed in one of 2 ways. The obvious is 2 replace the side retainer clips from new ones from Toyota (no idea on cost). The other method involves using a heat gun to soften the plastic and close the U channel back up (even going further if you want). I did this on mine and the gap has come up perfect.

The image below shows the points that need adjusting. Ignore the lower red circled area, it's the upper 2 red circled areas that often need fixing.

You don't need to remove the front bumper to remove these retainers, simply popping out the sides will give enough clearance to remove the clips from the vehicle. Once you remove the retaining screws they come off fairly easily. If you need more help on popping off the bumper check the FAQ for detailed instructions.

[Adamsy]

"Bumper creep" is a bit of problem with all modern cars with low slung spoilers from all brands and is usually caused by but not limited to bottoming out on driveways, speed humps parking bay stoppers. If you’re lucky sometimes you can adjust the bracket the bar sits on just enough to fix the gap. Sometimes even just taking the bar off and back on can help a little.

[chicken]

had the same problem with my zze corolla

[TRD69]

Okay I'm back from work so I can write this up properly.

Essentially the problem lies with the side retainer clip that the bumper clips onto. The clip is probably best described as a U channel lying on its side. Over time the weight of the bumper plus the elements (ie hot summer days etc) causes the plastic to soften and the U channel to expand slightly, which results in the bumper dropping slightly as well.

This can be fixed in one of 2 ways. The obvious is 2 replace the side retainer clips from new ones from Toyota (no idea on cost). The other method involves using a heat gun to soften the plastic and close the U channel back up (even going further if you want). I did this on mine and the gap has come up perfect.

The image below shows the points that need adjusting. Ignore the lower red circled area, it's the upper 2 red circled areas that often need fixing.

You don't need to remove the front bumper to remove these retainers, simply popping out the sides will give enough clearance to remove the clips from the vehicle. Once you remove the retaining screws they come off fairly easily. If you need more help on popping off the bumper check the FAQ for detailed instructions.

Hey Steven

I'll try bending back the plastic with a heat gun, ill let you know how it goes.

Cheers for the info