97 Outback Busted the bumper surround! How to fix/replace?

[LostWater]

I parked my tractor next to the Outback, thats the 1st problem. I lifted the bucket today because it has been cold and the hydraulics are docey when it is real cold, anyways, I lifted the loader a bit soI could load it on the trailer if needed.

 

Something must have shifted and when the loader came down on its own (seals or valve must be leaking) it scraped the side of the bumper surround on the back left rear. It tore a hole in the surround and scratched it up.

 

Here is my question, How does one get the bumper surround off? I know that the whole thing has to be replaced and I hope that I could find one at a Junkyard that was crashed in the front and use that one to replace mine.

 

I do have full coverage insurance, but I am hoping to avoid a claim.

 

Anyone want to clue me in?

 

Thanks a bunch!

[mwatt]

I parked my tractor next to the Outback, thats the 1st problem. I lifted the bucket today because it has been cold and the hydraulics are docey when it is real cold, anyways, I lifted the loader a bit soI could load it on the trailer if needed.

 

Something must have shifted and when the loader came down on its own (seals or valve must be leaking) it scraped the side of the bumper surround on the back left rear. It tore a hole in the surround and scratched it up.

 

Here is my question, How does one get the bumper surround off? I know that the whole thing has to be replaced and I hope that I could find one at a Junkyard that was crashed in the front and use that one to replace mine.

 

I do have full coverage insurance, but I am hoping to avoid a claim.

 

Anyone want to clue me in?

 

Thanks a bunch!

I had to remove and reinstall the rear bumper cover on my '99 Legacy GT wagon recently; when it comes to body-related repairs, this is not for the faint-of-heart:

 

1. remove 10 mm bolt located inside each rear wheel opening (at the rear of each wheel opening arch). The bolt holds the upper forward corner of the bumper cover to the quarter panel on each side. The bolts may be hard to find because they become covered with crud over the years...

 

2. There are five or six 10 mm bolts on the underside of the bumper cover that secure the cover to the steel bumper bar. Remove them. As I recall, one of those bolts is conveniently positioned directly above the tailpipe, so I had to remove the 2 muffler "donut" hangers to drop the muffler slightly for access to that one bolt....

 

3. There is a row of plastic push-pin type fasteners on the TOP forward edge of the bumper cover---just forward of where the bumper step pad is. They are difficult to see and even more difficult to remove because you need to get a screwdriver between the bumper cover and the liftgate surround weatherstrip lower pinchweld to pop the push pins loose from the fasteners. How the hell they ever assembled this is beyond me because it's virtually impossible to get those push pins back into the holes when you reinstall the bumper cover. It may help to pull the lower part of the liftgate surround weatherstrip loose from the pinchweld so you can see better between the bumper cover and the rear body panel. I believe there were also more of those plastic push-pin type fasteners on the underside of the bumper cover. Again, use a screwdriver to pry up the push pin in the center of each fastener, then pull the fastener out.

 

4. The bumper cover slides rearward when you've finally removed all of the fasteners and bolts. Note that on each end of the steel bumper bar, there is an upright "support arm" that serves to keep the bumper cover aligned perfectly with each quarter panel. MAKE SURE THEY ARE NOT BENT DOWNWARD WHILE YOU'RE WORKING ON REMOVING/REINSTALLING THE COVER. If either support arm is bent down, the bumper cover will "sag" downward from the quarter panel on that side, giving an unsightly appearance because there will be a larger-than-normal gap between the bumper cover and the quarter panel.

 

5. You should also make sure the styrofoam insulator is positioned properly on the steel bumper bar before installing the new bumper cover back on the car..

 

Hope this helps you. A couple of Heinekens helped me. By the way, I did this on a warm October afternoon when the bumper cover was softened by the sun. I'm sure you're aware that an ice-cold bumper cover and other plastic body parts are not flexible, and cracking of fasteners, etc. is more likely.....

 

Mark