What attaches the front bumper cover to the impact beam?

[JWhitehead]

G'Afternoon everyone-

It's been months since I've posted, so a little background:

Purchased an E39 525iT at the end of December 2014 with 58,800 miles on it.

Style 5s
SLS
Black on Black with the standard wood trim.

556443

Here's the issue: I was backing out of a parking spot on Saturday and my front bumper cover got caught on the parking block, pulling it *almost* off the car (Driver's side was fully detached from the impact beam).

What holds the bumper cover on to the impact beam? Plastic clips? Adhesive? Bolts?

Does the bumper cover pulling away from the impact beam mean that the bumper cover plastic actually broke, or that the attachment hardware failed?

What's the best case scenario to get it re-attached? I know worst-case is buying a used/new bumper cover.

I will be pulling the bumper cover when I get home tonight (commuting via bicycle. Yay LA!) and *hopefully* re-attaching it.

I found a YouTube video that shows pulling 3x8mm bolts from each wheel well and then the two TX50 bolts that are under the grille inserts, so I have the procedure down (this would have happened Sunday if it weren't for an emergency, 30 hour cross-country document retrieval. LAX-DTW-LAX).

This was the car the night we purchased it. Just under 18,000 miles on it so far this year.

I have searched and have not found what I am looking for.

Thanks

-Jim

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And if I missed the thread and it was an easy search, I apologize. I've slept maybe 6 hours in the last 48.

-Jim

[Mach540]

Dunno the answer, other than "pull that off and get an M5 bumper"

[JimLev]

The plastic bumper is held on to the aluminum bumper with a bunch of plastic push pins.

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

The push pins are pretty tough, for the bumper cover to be pulled off the reinforcement beam, the thin strips that have the holes that match the holes on the beam, held on by the pins, has got to have been ripped out. If so, I have repaired them by using a right angle drill, drill from in between the reinforcement beam through the plastic strip on the cover. As long as you do this next to the old locations, you should be fine. I would order a bunch of the pins from BMW, or a parts supplier that sells them. I'm sure some of them broke when you backed up. Learn your lesson, those stupid parking stops with rebar poking out are notorious for what happened to your bumper.

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One more thing, the screws that fasten the cover to the fender liners, you will have damage on the liners, and maybe the bumper cover, cheap fix, move the clips up, or down on the cover, drill holes to match the location, or, repair the broken section with epoxy and fiberglass.

- - - Updated - - -

Another thing, inspect the slides on each side, on the bumper cover and on the car. On the car, two screws hold each one on, you can adjust them up or down, on the cover, they should be glued on, these break loose, especially after what happened to you. It's easy to determine where they sat, clean off the area, epoxy them back on.

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One other thing, have a beer.

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And then....

[JimLev]

Hi Steve, nice to see you're back.

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

Yep Jim, Great to be back. Been super busy with the new job, nothing to do with cars anymore, not used to having spotless hands.

[RuskiE39]

These:

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NDY3WDcwMA==/z/8ooAAMXQ97RRGrC8/$(KGrHqZ,!hYFDvHereoMBRGrC8bDi!~~60_35.JPG

Part number:


51111908077 (http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/part?id=DT53-USA-02-2001-E39-BMW-530i&mg=51&sg=15&diagId=51_4252&q=51111908077)

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

Not those, these:

[RuskiE39]

Tru

[JWhitehead]

The push pins are pretty tough, for the bumper cover to be pulled off the reinforcement beam, the thin strips that have the holes that match the holes on the beam, held on by the pins, has got to have been ripped out. If so, I have repaired them by using a right angle drill, drill from in between the reinforcement beam through the plastic strip on the cover. As long as you do this next to the old locations, you should be fine. I would order a bunch of the pins from BMW, or a parts supplier that sells them. I'm sure some of them broke when you backed up. Learn your lesson, those stupid parking stops with rebar poking out are notorious for what happened to your bumper.

- - - Updated - - -

One more thing, the screws that fasten the cover to the fender liners, you will have damage on the liners, and maybe the bumper cover, cheap fix, move the clips up, or down on the cover, drill holes to match the location, or, repair the broken section with epoxy and fiberglass.

- - - Updated - - -

Another thing, inspect the slides on each side, on the bumper cover and on the car. On the car, two screws hold each one on, you can adjust them up or down, on the cover, they should be glued on, these break loose, especially after what happened to you. It's easy to determine where they sat, clean off the area, epoxy them back on.

- - - Updated - - -

One other thing, have a beer.

- - - Updated - - -

And then....

Thanks for the information. It'll be coming off momentarily. I will post pictures of the damage.


These:

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NDY3WDcwMA==/z/8ooAAMXQ97RRGrC8/$(KGrHqZ,!hYFDvHereoMBRGrC8bDi!~~60_35.JPG

Part number:


51111908077 (http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/part?id=DT53-USA-02-2001-E39-BMW-530i&mg=51&sg=15&diagId=51_4252&q=51111908077)









Not those, these:

Why yours and not Ruski's? Do you have a part number? I did a reverse Google lookup and came up with this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/20P-Push-Rivet-Fastener-Wheel-Arch-Cover-Clips-For-BMW-3-5-7-Series-E38-E39-E46-/261652388157

[RuskiE39]

It doesn't matter. Either will work, the ones bummer posted will be easier to remove.

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

The push pins that Ruskie posted are for other things in E39's, like on the radiator support and such. For the bumper, you want the pins that I posted, if you use the ones that Ruskie put up, they would work, but in the future, when the time comes that you have to take the cover off the reinforcement, you'll be cursing Ruskie's name, if you used the right ones, like I posted, a pry tool would have something to pry on.

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Once you pull the bumper cover down, you'll understand.

[JWhitehead]

I see it now. Thanks.

[auaq]

The ones that Ruskie has posted are not only found on the radiator fan shrouds but are the same ones used on the rear parcel shelf as I found out not too long ago for dropping the rear struts.

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Actually, cross that ....

I said it wrong. What bummer has posted are also found on the rear shelf.

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

Who's bummer?

[auaq]

^

;)

[JimLev]

Snotty is correct as usual. The ones Ruski posted are used on the outside rear edge of the front fender liners.

[RuskiE39]

The push pins that Ruskie posted are for other things in E39's, like on the radiator support and such. For the bumper, you want the pins that I posted, if you use the ones that Ruskie put up, they would work, but in the future, when the time comes that you have to take the cover off the reinforcement, you'll be cursing Ruskie's name, if you used the right ones, like I posted, a pry tool would have something to pry on.

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Once you pull the bumper cover down, you'll understand.
It's not rocket science to remove them, both sides are easily accessible, the only time you really don't want to use them is when you don't have access to the other side to hammer them out. Anyways, like bummer posted, get those and buy one of these to make life easier:

http://toolmonger.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/snapontool.jpg