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Front bumper is pretty hammered... replacement time. (torn at bottom)
Picked up a 2004 R53 from a friend that was relocating to UK. Her daughter drove it pretty hard and it looked like it hadn't been washed in years!
Anyhow, I'm still trying to figure it all out. 217K miles, but they gave me tons of receipts of repairs and even a supercharger replacement.
I think it needs PS pump, it is intermittently not working. Stop/Start car and it generally works again. Also, likely need brakes so I may do a "little" bit of an upgrade there. My intent is just to keep it around as a weekender or around town car. Needs a front bumper as well, so that is likely the first priority. Also, seats show wear, so I'll see about getting them redone or do they make nice covers?
Thought I'd say hello and add a few pics (here's my early before/after)
In case you were unaware, you have what's called an aero kit on your car. It's just a body kit, but the aero front bumper alone can be tricky to track down. Hover over the classifieds as much as you can and one will pop up eventually. Looks good!
In case you were unaware, you have what's called an aero kit on your car. It's just a body kit, but the aero front bumper alone can be tricky to track down. Hover over the classifieds as much as you can and one will pop up eventually. Looks good!
Ah! Thank you so much! I was about to ask where I could find a replacement bumper. (I was unsure about the Aero kit as well)
The PS pump should be covered under a factory recall if it hasn't already been done. If it is failing, it probably hasn't. I drove mine for about 6 months w/o the PS before it was fixed by the first "unofficial" recall then inspected at the official recall. Look through the service receipts to see if it has been done if you can't find anything. Or take it to a dealership, they should be able to find out (relatively) quickly if has been done or not. I'm kind if kicking myself that I didn't get one. About 8 years ago (or something like that) some place in the Mid-West was selling full Aero-Kits painted for about $900 uninstalled. That doesn't help you or me though...
The PS pump should be covered under a factory recall if it hasn't already been done. If it is failing, it probably hasn't. I drove mine for about 6 months w/o the PS before it was fixed by the first "unofficial" recall then inspected at the official recall. Look through the service receipts to see if it has been done if you can't find anything. ....
It was replaced a couple of years ago, this is a pretty high mile car @220K, I believe it no longer qualifies. It seems to work 90% of the time, when it fails, it can be "fixed" by turning on/off the ignition a few times and it works again.
I would try to fix the bumper cover myself as there does not appear to me much wrong with it. You can get a special epoxy to fix it, and use fiberglass tape to reinforce it from the back side. The materials to fix the damage likely will not exceed $50 from someplace like Finishmaster or Eastwood. After that, all you need to do is shape the filler, prime, block and paint it. For primer, I usually use products from SEM that are designed for flexible body panels and then paint with a quality urethane paint with a flex agent added so it doesn't crack under use.
If you do decide to just replace it, don't throw the old one out. It still has value for someone who would prefer to put in sweat equity over money equity into their project. Also, for the $600 quoted for a new one, you may want to check with a local body shop that deals in small repairs and see what they would want to fix it. It may not cost that much. There are small operations that just concentrate on prepping cars for used car lots that may be willing to do one small panel for a reasonable price.
07-02-2017, 11:12 PM
