i didnt realise what a pain in the bollocks it is to remove the front bumper! the retaining bolts under the headlights are fooked. completely rusted on. snapped one off lastnight trying to 'undo' it, now onto the second one. think im going to hacksaw it off. if i can bloody get to it! fact is, is there an easier way of getting it back on or do i just need to grease the fucker up so i dont encounter this next time?

thanks, ben

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fifi

What iv done with mine is just slide the fog cover out because it comes out pretty easy with abit of messing, then when iv done with what im doing, just pushed it back on and it holds.

People do put vasline and other similar thinks on to stop them rusting but I cant be arsed with that.

As for removing the front bumper its just 2 nuts behind the front valance and a few screws on the arches, simples.

sorry lou i mean the retaining bolts that are holding the bumper on! on the valance part. paint to get to too. not sure if its because its the 1.4 and things are in diff places but bloody hell!

but yeah, my fogs are fucked too

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fifi

If there's stuff rusted on, the best thing in the world to use, by far, and it absolutely gobsmacked me was a mixture of diesel and oil! Slap it on with a paintbrush and leave it to soak for a bit and it will do more than a whole tin of WD40 ever could! It's amazing!

I always copper grease bolts if I think they'll need undoing again in my lifetime with the car

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Quote Clarkson, Top Gear, 17th July: "I'm not having a stroke... just driving a Nissan!"
Quote Ry, Mallory Park, 3rd Dec: "Ahhhh crap... Just a bit too over eager really!"
"I used to be an adventurer like you, but then I took an arrow in the knee"

ha! if i had diesel with me i would have right copper grease it is, luckily theres just enough of the nut to come through the valance to be able to be bolted and ill just have to get a thinner washer! hope the other side has plenty left on too! had to move something out of the was on the drivers side too... like a black box, something to do with carbon it says in the haynes?

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fifi

Oh yeah the mysterious black box lol, nobody knows exactly what it does apart from sumat to do eith carbon lol.
Them bolts are a pain, I just used brute force on one and hacksaw on the other lol.

yeah brute force on both and both have snapped off lol! need new nuts and hopefully there will be enough thread to re attach!

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fifi

that black box is the carbon canister basically its there to reduce emissions and give you better fuel economy at the same time. it collects hydrocarbons and feeds them back into the engine to be reburnt. basically the hydrocarbons are the produce of fuel vapour in the fuel tank.

anyway, front bumper... such a common problem mate! one of my bolts is snapped. on my old car, one snapped. as for the one that wont come off, des is right on that combo, but if you cant get hold of any, soak it in wd40 and/or proper penetrating spray, and keep spraying it every hour or so, leave over night, dry the bolt off (so you dont slip on it) get a 6 sided socket if you have one and then give it a bash. if it doesnt come off, leave it

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cheers danny! the all knowing

well lads, got hold of 2 new nylon threaded nuts... they fit, now its just to see whether there is enough thread to take it through the valance and tighten them up... i will have to invest in a new bumper at some point as i imagine ive weakened the fuck out of it, and added more weight due to the splitter

one quick question... i dont have washes as the others wont come off, and if i did it will reduce the amount of thread even further... does this matter????

thanks boys. splitter looks awesome btw!

oh and ill be knocking out my inner wing also!

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fifi

Yeah will be fine without a washer

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we hope. really dont like the splitter lol. oops

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fifi

As said with the diesel and penetrating spray really, if both do snap off you won't need a new bumper, just take the bumper to someone who can mig weld, you'll need 2 13mm bolts, cut the heads off, and then weld the threaded part of the bolt on to the stub left on you bumper, then just refit the bumper with over sized washers to fit over the weld, job done

true buddy, but it sounds soooo much easier buying a new bumper really want a welder of my own tbh, would be epic

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fifi