I have benefited greatly by the 'how-to" posts of others, so I thought I would share my experience removing, repainting, and reinstalling the two silver rear bumper guards that come on the LC. Below is some step by step advice, but first here are some takeaways:
Removing the Guards:
First step for each side is to remove the three plastic clips located along the bottom edge of the guard. If you have strong fingers you may be able to do this by hand, otherwise use the side of the short screwdriver to compress the center tab of the clip. Here is a diagram showing the location of the clips (indicated by arrows).
Here is a close up of the clips:
Once you have the three bottom clips out, use your plastic body tool to pry up the top cover of the bumper. Once started, it comes off very easily.
Now, this next step will require a steady hand. Looking down through the indicated slots where the bumper top cover goes, you will be able to see the two top clips that need to be removed. Use a small flashlight to illuminate from the side.
(NOTE: This picture was taken after the clips where removed and the guard is upside down... the tabs for the clips show on the right rather than left)
Now, with the long-handled screwdriver, reach down through the appropriate slot and release the clip. With good lighting this is much easier than it sounds.
The clips will pop off and the guard can easily be removed by hand (if it hasn't already fallen off when you removed the top clips!).
Painting:
Reinstallation:
The top clips are going to require some finagling, but it is not necessary to drill any access holes. It is possible to position the clips BEFORE inserting the guard tabs and then slide them into place with the screwdriver. It is a bit slippery and the clips are prone to falling before you get the guard into position.
Ta-Dah:
Note that my camera highlights the small difference between the painted guards and the rest of the bumper. In real life the difference is not really noticeable.
Hope this helps someone!
1. The Rustoleum Trim and Bumper paint claims to be matte but it is actually quite shiny and stands out compared to the black plastic trim. You will see that after applying that paint, I added a thin coat of flat black and found the color and texture a very close match.
2. The two guards would only be $200 in total to replace them so I will always have that as a back up if the paint does not hold up. Normally I would just buy the new ones, but I enjoyed the challenge of matching the paint.
3. At first, removal was a struggle and I almost gave up. Thanks to another member of this forum, I was able to learn the tricks and became quite proficient at getting them off and on (I did it twice since I installed them first with the Trim and Bumper paint and then reinstalled them with the flat black.
The tools you will need are:- Plastic body tool
- Long handled flat blade screw driver
- Short handled flat blade screw driver
- Small flashlight
- Possibly a 10mm socket wrench if you need to create more access by removing a couple of bolts on the bottom of the bumper
Removing the Guards:
First step for each side is to remove the three plastic clips located along the bottom edge of the guard. If you have strong fingers you may be able to do this by hand, otherwise use the side of the short screwdriver to compress the center tab of the clip. Here is a diagram showing the location of the clips (indicated by arrows).
Here is a close up of the clips:
Once you have the three bottom clips out, use your plastic body tool to pry up the top cover of the bumper. Once started, it comes off very easily.
Now, this next step will require a steady hand. Looking down through the indicated slots where the bumper top cover goes, you will be able to see the two top clips that need to be removed. Use a small flashlight to illuminate from the side.
(NOTE: This picture was taken after the clips where removed and the guard is upside down... the tabs for the clips show on the right rather than left)
Now, with the long-handled screwdriver, reach down through the appropriate slot and release the clip. With good lighting this is much easier than it sounds.
The clips will pop off and the guard can easily be removed by hand (if it hasn't already fallen off when you removed the top clips!).
Painting:
- Fine steel wool to abrade the surface
- Two coats of Trim and Bumper paint
- One light coat of flat black.
Reinstallation:
The top clips are going to require some finagling, but it is not necessary to drill any access holes. It is possible to position the clips BEFORE inserting the guard tabs and then slide them into place with the screwdriver. It is a bit slippery and the clips are prone to falling before you get the guard into position.
- My Trick: I put a small dab of maple syrup on the bottom of the clip to keep it from sliding off while positioning the guard (finger-licking good!)
- Once the clips are positioned near the tab openings, simply mount the guards and slide the clips into place! The second time I did this it took literally one minute to do each side.
- Now that the top clips have been clicked into place, reinstall the three bottom clips and voila.... SILVER BE GONE
Ta-Dah:
Note that my camera highlights the small difference between the painted guards and the rest of the bumper. In real life the difference is not really noticeable.
Hope this helps someone!
