Rear Bumper Protector - Removal

[Mence]

Hi all. I have a rear bumper protector installed, genuine Skoda, black shiny one, been on there since i picked the car up new over five years ago.

 

It's done well, plenty of dog traffic plus trips to the tip etc. have all taken their toll on it and it's looking pretty tatty. I have decided on what will replace it, where to get it and for how much, only issue is how to remove the old one without damage.

 

There is little or no gap to get anything under it to try to lever it off plus i'm worried about the paintwork so am a bit stuck as how best to go about it, any foolproof suggestions?

 

Thank you.

[Rahr85]

for an absolute starter you will need to heat it up to try and soften whatever adhesive they used. And have some sort of glue removal product to clean it all up after.  Get it warm enough and then if you have anything plastic to pry underneath it'll make a start. Once it starts to go it should come clean off but the hardest part is warming it up evenly. 

[BoxerBoy]

As above.  Heat is your friend for removing almost anything that’s been stuck on.

 

Stick to a hair dryer - not a hot air paint stripping gun. Guess who bubbled a bumper once when removing a number plate.

 

You’ll soon figure out where to hold and pull as you singe your fingers till it gets going.

 

If you’re going to replace it with a new cover, then you don’t have to worry about scratches when you scrape off the adhesive.

If you’re not, then you do - so no abrasives and a gentle solvent attack. I usually steal one of her old perfume bottles or maybe my least preferred after shave.

[pdtrewern]

I almost shed a tear removing mine.. I had to get the new one on quick, as looking at the state of the bumper after removal is horrid! Allow at least an hour...

[pist0nbr0ke]

What a coincidence - I just did exactly this last night - replaced my rearguards one because an Autoglass technician spilt some solvent on it whilst replacing the rear screen and bleached it (which they deny, but that's another story, involving a small claims court...).

 

Heated it at the rear edge with a hair dryer (the adhesive tape is along the rear edge) and pulled it up with my fingers. It requires quite some force, and I was worried about pulling paint off, but it didn't. It did split in two places, but otherwise came off in one piece.

 

It does leave quite a mess behind - dirt gets trapped behind, and the remaining tape is a b***h to remove. I heated up the tape and used my fingers to rub it off, (got the blisters to prove it ) with the assistance of copious quantities of AG Tar & Adhesive remover (which is a trade product and pretty strong).

 

Cleaned it all off and polished, then used the panel wipe supplied with the new protector to remove the wax again, leaving a clean surface for the new one to bond to.

 

I also discovered that the newer Rearguards vRS estate protector has changed design since I bought the last one - it no longer goes right back and up to the boot seal, but finishes about 10mm back. Looks fine though!

[Mence]

Many thanks guys, having very little hair myself, time to pay a visit to SWMBO...

[buaan]

Hmm I bought a genuine one same as this for mine, I'm glad I've not fitted it yet then, seems a bugger to get off if I needed to!  I hope you manage to get it off OK.

 

I might just sell mine it's sitting under the bed still in the packaging, I've kept it incase the wife scratches it before it goes back (Leased) 

[Mence]

Well, had a little bit of time earlier so had a go.

 

Managed to get the blade of a screwdriver under one end and lifted it enough to get a finger under it. I lifted a little more and to my suprise the whole damn thing just popped off, protector, adhesive strips, the lot, only thing left was 5 years accumulated dirt!

 

Happy days...

[j1mg]

Late to the party, but to remove such things, I've always found that getting some fishing line in and sawing your way through the adhesive works well.

What protector did you go for?

As my VRS has acquired a scratch on the lip, so I'm now after a glossy protector that goes over the lip slightly, can't seem to find one.

[Daz1972]

On 29/03/2019 at 03:20, j1mg said:

Late to the party, but to remove such things, I've always found that getting some fishing line in and sawing your way through the adhesive works well.

What protector did you go for?

As my VRS has acquired a scratch on the lip, so I'm now after a glossy protector that goes over the lip slightly, can't seem to find one.

Here's mine on a hatch 

[j1mg]

Cheers, that wouldn't cover the damage on mine though I'm afraid.

[gregoir]

On 30/03/2019 at 12:41, Daz1972 said:

Here's mine on a hatch 

With a shine like that, you'll  need a protector for your bumper protector.

[Mence]

Here's the replacement fitted, apologies for my finger appearing, i rushed as it was raining.

[Pastieboy6]

On 02/04/2019 at 09:50, Mence said:

Here's the replacement fitted, apologies for my finger appearing, i rushed as it was raining.

Looks great, where did you get it?

[Mence]

3 hours ago, Pastieboy6 said:

Looks great, where did you get it?

 

https://www.tuning-art.com/en/bumper-protector/for-skoda/stainless-steel/

[Pastieboy6]

8 minutes ago, Mence said:

 

https://www.tuning-art.com/en/bumper-protector/for-skoda/stainless-steel/

Thanks!

 

[silver1011]

Time for a new number plate, water ingress from the top and stress discolouration around the screws, it detracts from what looks to be a very tidy car.

[j1mg]

6 hours ago, silver1011 said:

Time for a new number plate, water ingress from the top and stress discolouration around the screws, it detracts from what looks to be a very tidy car.

 

First thing I did to my car, I've never liked dealer plates.