- My model of MX-5 is: ND
- I’m based near: UK
- I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on: Bumper clips
Not my car in the photo, but is useful reference. There are three notches on this part of the bumper - one large one to the far left (which is actually broken off in this photo) which is I think where the hex-bolt behind the wheel liner goes through (seem odd to have a hex screw going into a square hole but idk).
The next two smaller notches, seem to go into where there are some… clips or something? It’s hard to see. I’ve seen vague reference to there being clips though. However on mine, the far-right notch isn’t clipping onto anything (and I dont think the middle one is either, but its not noticable cos the main screw/bolt is holding into place pretty well).
I can’t quite figure out how the clips are meant to work. I think its fixable just by slightly bending the clips back into place, but I dont know if I should be bending them down or up.
From what I can tell at the moment, the bumper is sliding into that gap and ending up on top of the clips. So I’m wondering if maybe it’s meant to slide under the clips…
So yeh anyway no idea, so thought I would ask before I start bending things!
Have a look here:
…and here:
They show removal and installation of the front bumper, with the way the clips and screws attach it to the bodywork.
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Ahh hmm ok. So it looks like theres some bits its meant to go under, but the actual ‘hook’ parts it is indeed meant to go over the top of. So I wonder why I’m not able to get it to line up correctly. (Nothing appears to be bent or damaged that I can see, I did originally worry it might have had accident damage but there’s nothing apparent anywhere).
Next time it’s dry I may try and bend those clips upwards slightly , so they are more grabby. Can’t really think of another solution at this point.
It’s advisable to remove any wheel arch liner clips and any screws/clips at the bottom edge of the bumper where it meets the plastic undertray area so that you’re more likely to be able to present the cutout slots in the bumper to the plastic ‘slider’ in the correct sequence and at a suitable angle. When I removed both front and rear bumpers completely, they clipped back onto the ‘sliders’ with a solid click quite easily, but that was following the full sequence indicated in those workshop manual instructions. With the rest of your bumper already firmly fixed, it’s possible the slots aren’t aligning and engaging with the slider properly. Good luck.
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Yeh, I’m mostly trying to do it ‘the easy way’, by only removing the wheel arch clips on that side and then the one bolt. But I had already had the thought that I would need to remove several more bolts in order to get the leeway to line things up a little more correctly.
Which would be a pain, but may just need to be done.
Thanks for the tips though, pointing me in the right direction!
