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Showing content with the highest reputation on 05/25/2015 in all areas

  1. rexbella, I'm a backyard mechanic as well as a helper in an automotive collision and antique restoration shop. We are constantly removing, repairing and reinstaling bumper covers all of the time. If yours has just the tear that you describe, a repair and repaint is the cheapest way to go, as I'm sure Lexus will want terrifying amounts of dollars for a new one. And then it'll cost even more to paint it. Removing one is a one man job, but after the repair and repaint its a two person effort. This ensures that you don't scratch the paint upon reinstall. Its been two years since I removed my wife's last ES's bumper cover (04 ES330) for just such a job. Yours should be similar. If there are all those plastic covers over the entire engine compartment, they come off first. Push the center of each plastic plug down until they snap and then lift them out. (To reinstall them, push up on the bottom of the pin until it comes clear of the top, insert into its hole and push the top down until it snaps into place FLUSH across the entire top of the plug assembly. There are 13 (?) to remove, and if you don't get them all back in the correct locations, you'll end up with 3 left over. Pull up the front plactic section and find the 3 places you missed. Start the bumper cover removal by removing any plastic plugs and 10 mm bolts across the top of the rad support between the headlights. Then from under the front of the car, pry down the center of the plastic plugs and pull the entire plug out. There may be some more 10 mm bolts to remove. Then at the seam between the fender and the bumper cover, right at the front wheel opening, there will be a screw or 10 mm bolt the screws straight up into the fender that has to come out. There may be some plastic plugs and screws along the inner wheel well that screw into the front bumper cover to be removed. You may have to remove them first to find that bolt that screws straight up. At this point, with firm but gentle pulling (don't yank on it) pry the sides of the bumper cover out away from the fender and towards the front of the car. Do the same on the other side of the car. Pry the grill section of the cover away from the rad support, and then wiggle/pry the cover straight away from the bottom seam with the headlights. (You'll see plastic grips on the bumper cover that secure under the headlights that need to be freed up. Once the cover is entirely free, reach in behind it and unplug the wiring connectors to the fog lights and you're done. I suggest that you entirely remove the grill assembly and the fog lights from the bumper cover to get a far nicer paint job without masking and overspray. This is pretty easy to see how they're removed when you get it turned over on a bench covered with an old blanket. After repairs and painting, cover all matting surfaces on the car and the bumper cover with masking tape. I guarantee that you'll scratch the paint if you don't. That's the headlight edges, the seam of the fender shared with the bumper cover, and those same areas on the bumper cover. All of the tape can be removed just before you palm push the bumper cover into its final resting positions, but leave it on until just before you seat everything for good. As for repairing the crack/tear, there are special adheasives that are far better than fiberglass. They will cure to become part of the bumper cover, and yet remain pliable unlike fiberglass. You can get it an an autobody supplier, but most require a special grease gun type applicator that mixes the two tubes of chemicals together at the same time. In other words, its not amateur friendly or inexpensive. I would suggest getting a body shop to at least make the repair for you, and depending on your expertise, maybe they should paint it for you. Reassembly is just the reverse, just don't forget to hook up the fog light wiring before you pop the cover back on. Guess how I know to remind you of this? Good Luck!
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