Body/Trim: Rear Bumper Removal - Guide

[mjam]

Hi

This is a great post. I love it. I need to get the bit under the headlights off as I need to replace the wiring loom for the rear offside light cluster (one of the bulb holders contacts corroded). This gives me exactly the instructions I needed.

Thanks

Maz

[Uselesshippy]

just what i needed god i love idiot guides

looks like i've got my job for the kids half term now

[BestGear]

Originally Posted by Uselesshippy

just what i needed god i love idiot guides

looks like i've got my job for the kids half term now

Glad it is of help... always easier with a few pictures.

[GerryS]

Thanks - excellent write-up. Bit depressing, though. I'm starting to get some sporadic "park assist service required" (or something similar) messages. Not all the time - just every few days.

I assume that means one of the parking sensors is on its way out, so hoped it might be possible to replace without taking the whole bumper off. Never mind...

Gerry

[stephenlumb67]

Thanks Bestgear.

Hope I wont need to use it! I installed a towbar recently and the time and effort required to squeeze it in behind the bumper did make me wonder how I would access the rear park sensors if there was ever a problem. Didnt fancy taking the towbar off to fix the sensors thats for sure!

Cheers
Steve

[BestGear]

Originally Posted by stephenlumb67

Thanks Bestgear.

Hope I wont need to use it! I installed a towbar recently and the time and effort required to squeeze it in behind the bumper did make me wonder how I would access the rear park sensors if there was ever a problem. Didnt fancy taking the towbar off to fix the sensors thats for sure!

Cheers
Steve

Yeh, its a shame its a bumper off job to replace a reverse sensor.... I have now had two of the wee bu**ers die now....

[Lucien]

Originally Posted by BestGear

Guys


Undo the four nuts - I say nuts, but they are welded to sleeves.... as see here with a foam cover... I used a short extension and be careful - you dont want to drop the sleeves inside the chassis which is very piossible if you are clumsy when withdrawing them.



Assembly is reverse of removal

Thanks for this useful guide. My rear sensors have been o/s for over a year now so I finally bit the bullet and had a crack. My rear bumper has been replaced before by Volvo. I noticed a neat trick they obviously use. When reinserting those 4 bolts, trap a couple of layers of paper kitchen towel between the nut and the 13mm socket - it makes it much less likely that the nuts/sleeves will drop off into the chassis as they're now wedged into he socket.

PS my attempt failed because I'd forgotten that I had two faulty sensors and not one, so I now have to drive around with half the rear of the car hanging off while I order another one.

I am surprised the sensors fail and not the wiring. The sensors are all sealed up in resin, whereas the wiring loom looks really vulnerable. Does anyone know if there was a recall on the loom, and what year? I seem to recall there was but was surprised to read on here people with 09 cars still having the looms fail in the wet.

Kind regards
Lucien

[TruckbusUK]

Originally Posted by Lucien

I am surprised the sensors fail and not the wiring. The sensors are all sealed up in resin, whereas the wiring loom looks really vulnerable. Does anyone know if there was a recall on the loom, and what year? I seem to recall there was but was surprised to read on here people with 09 cars still having the looms fail in the wet.

Kind regards
Lucien

We have had our loom "sealed" once in 2010, then replaced along with the sensors in 2012 all under warranty due to water ingress, its a 09MY car. So I dont think there was a recall but there is a service advisory active.

Hope it helps

[Arianne]

Thanks BestGear,

Trim tool kit arrived from eBay yesterday. XC90 pulled back into our garage and rear bumper removed in no time at all thanks to your clear guide and pics.

We also have front parking sensors and the dealer has told us that sensors no. 3 & no.6 have failed. So we've also dismantled the front park sensor middle section too.

We've got three sensors on order from eBay. At £17 each we thought a spare might not be a bad idea!

Next weekend we'll refit it all. At the moment the 'girl's' looking a bit weird without a rear bumper but we'll not need to use this car for the week so she can just stand on the drive!

Seriously, if this works next weekend then you've saved us £400. OUr dealer quoted over £400 because of labour - dismantling the rear & front bumper (although the front bumpger is just stuck on with double sided tape!).

Almost too good to be true but I'll keep you updated.

[BestGear]

Glad you have got it underway...

These sensors have certainly reduced in price over the last year or so..£17 is a bargain! I have one spare..having now replaced two of them.

I have noticed the BMW use the same sensor on some 5 series... so does Jaguar, so there will probably be loads around if we knew what to actually look for.

I am not sure what the actual modified loom is... or indeed if I have one! I guess it must have better sealing on the plugs that connect to the sensor, or perhaps better protection around the wires perhaps.

We are also very lucky that these "tanks" have been built with quality parts - if this was a Toyota I am sure half the fastners would have corroded and sheared off when removed!

David