How to remove the bumper

17. Instruction: how to remove the front bumper RIGHT and SAFELY

Hi all! Yesterday I was doing some work on the exterior of the car, namely installing the mesh and grille overlays. It was necessary to remove the bumper for this purpose. There is a lot of information on this subject on the internet, and on the drive itself there are seemingly detailed instructions. However, faced with the harsh realities, I had to improvise. In this post I will tell you how to remove the front bumper of last generation Kia Rio.

First of all, you need to unscrew 4 bolts under the hood with a 10 mm wrench. In general, for the entire process we will need only a wrench 10 and a Phillips screwdriver (preferably a long one with a handy handle).

Next, let’s move on to the fenders. I disassembled the left (driver’s) side, but the order does not matter. Find the joint between the plastic part of the bumper and the metal fender. From inside the arch, this joint is secured with a #10 cap bolt. You can also unscrew it with a Phillips screwdriver, it is more convenient.

Next, I advise to unscrew the lower part. That is under the car bumper is attached pistons with screws screwed into them. On each side there are three pieces. I did not take a picture, it is very simple and clear.

Let’s return to the connection of the bumper with a fender. This is the hardest part, I wrote the video for it. Although, someone tears it off just like that and everything is OK. However, there are a lot of crying people on the Internet who have broken their mounts. Let me explain the scheme of fixing BEFORE removal. There is a plastic rail attached to the bumper with side mounts. This black lath itself has a number and can be purchased if necessary (300-400r per side). But we do it right, so everything will be tic-tac-toe. So, with the side mounts, the rail is attached to the bumper, and with the white pistons-eggs it’s inserted into the fender. This is what it looks like after it’s removed:

And to keep the pistons from falling out, there are bolts tapped inside them. So, what is my advice and what is not in the instructions. Once we’ve unscrewed the bottom of the bumper, we can bend back the inside of the regular fenders. We bend back and reach in there with our hand. First, feel for the 2 holes, and then use a 10″ socket wrench to unscrew them. This is important because once you unscrew them you will not break anything! No photo, you can’t see it with a phone

After you unscrewed them, you can pull the side of the bumper down. Carefully, without efforts and pistons will go out of a fender.

Next, you need to disconnect power to the fog light. Squeeze the tabs and pull down.

After that, repeat the procedure for the other side by analogy. Now we have the bumper held on the underfender latches. You have to be careful not to break the bumper mounts. In principle, the moment is easy. I couldn’t take a picture as I had to hold the bumper with two hands. So, congratulations, the bumper is removed!

Put it back on in reverse order, but with a little nuance. The plastic side rails are best removed from the bumper and installed under the fenders in place. To do this, lightly tighten the bolts, so as not to suffer later and insert the white herringbones in the fender.

The red arrows show the bolts, and the blue circles show the latches that secure the bumper from the side

At first we tighten the bolts completely, so that the herringbones are loose, and then we put the bumper BACK on until the characteristic clicks

Basically there is nothing difficult. The most important thing is to be prepared and to know all the “plastic” nuances.

Stage-by-stage dismantling of a car bumper

There are many different types of work on repair or tuning of cars, which require first to remove protection from the car in the form of a bumper. Although different models of different vehicles have some differences in the attachment of this part, the basic principle of action will be approximately the same. In this review, we will try to answer the question concerning how to remove the bumper, front and rear.

What you need to prepare

In order to properly remove the protection element we need, it is advisable to prepare in advance:

• A socket wrench with a head for 10;
• Phillips screwdriver or a thin flat screwdriver;
• ratchet;
• wrench with a tip TORKS.

Getting to the planned dismantling of any of the bumpers, you must wash all available surfaces, and rusted and stuck bolts are recommended to pre-lubricate the brake fluid.

Disassembling the Front Bumper

Beginning motorists often have the question of how to remove the front bumper. Before starting to dismantle the front guard, the car must be placed on a flat surface in a well-lit area. The ideal option can be considered an opportunity to carry out all manipulations over an observation pit. The car owner gets a free access to all the hidden mounts. Then starts the disassembly itself.

The main mass of the bumper is made of plastic and attached with different bolts or pistons. The first task for the vehicle owner will be to find these fasteners.

1. Open the hood and find the protective plastic pads. They are located under the radiator. Remove the shroud that protects and covers the existing screws and clips. Put the protective cover aside – it will need to be put back in place after all the manipulation.
2. Find the middle screw and loosen it slightly. Then start loosening the other bolts one by one, going from the center to the sides of the bumper. Do the same, but completely remove the bolts and carefully put them together. Usually you have to remove about 12 fasteners. If you have to dismantle the part from an old passenger car, you will also need to unscrew the four bolts that fasten the bumper to the frame of the car.
3. Carefully remove the headlights and fog lights, if any, pre-disconnecting all wires. If there are headlight washers, disconnect the hoses from the nozzles and seal them as tightly as possible.
4. Separately, disconnect the decorative linings. Unscrew the license plate holder.
5. Examine the adjacency points of the detail to the fenders of the car. Find the fasteners and remove them. Grab the bumper by the edges and carefully pull it out from under the other parts. Designers often use a small “overlap” of parts to increase structural rigidity and our sloppy actions can cause damage to some of them.
6. The only method of attachment is now clamps. There are usually four clips. Find them. Here it’s a good idea to get a helper to support one side of the element while you remove the other. There are two types of clamps – hooked and snap clamps. With hook-and-loop fasteners, it will be enough to lift the bumper slightly and then pull it toward you. If the fasteners are made in the form of snaps, they will need to be squeezed with a screwdriver.
7. Now gently pull the bumper toward you. If you suddenly feel resistance, check again if you have disconnected all the fasteners and wires.

The whole procedure for disconnecting the front body protection may take you something like half an hour and not require much effort.

Removing the rear bumper

Removing the rear bumper is pretty easy, too. At the beginning of the job, you need to gain access to the mounts. The easiest way to do this is in a car with a “sedan” body. You just need to remove the mat from the trunk, and access is open. Somewhat more difficult is the case with the “universal”, in this case, sometimes you have to remove the entire rear trim, and remove the side panel from the fasteners and move it aside. Next, you can proceed to the removal of the bumper fasteners.

1. Find the fixing bolts, insert a socket wrench with an extension of 5-6 cm. and unscrew in turn all the fasteners.
2. Disconnect the locks of the connection of the rear bumper and fenders, which are located on both sides. Usually they are self-tapping bolts.
3. We press the element until it separates from the brackets located on the body, and carefully remove, while lifting it.

The process of removing both elements is not time consuming, and even a novice can do it. Now you can replace the protection element with a new one or perform the planned work and install the dismantled bumpers in their original places. Installation of these protective elements should be carried out carefully and slowly, otherwise you risk damaging the fenders.

In the event that you are an inexperienced motorist and afraid to do something wrong, you can always enlist the support of more experienced friends. Everything is not as complicated as it seems at first glance.