Removing front bumper

[runrabbit]

.. any tricks to this - or just a number of screws, clips to undo. (for a 98 GC8)

I read on another site about disconnecting the battery due to the airbag switches??

If anyone has instructions/copy/scan from a manual muchly appreciated.

[GC8E2DD]

Don't need to unhook the battery. Do you mean the bumper cover, or the rail itself? The cover is easy;

*) Pop the grill out.

*) Undo the screws that join the corner lights to the headlights (one each side).

*) Jiggle corner lights till they hang out

*) Undo two bolts on the outside, and two on the inside where the grill pops in, for each headlight.

*) Go around with a flathead screwdriver and pop all the little black plastic clips (possibly curse at them a little)

*) And lastly, undo one panel bolt each side under the guards (you might need to pop some more accursed little plastic clips to get at them depending on whether your car still has it's inner guard liners.)

[Guest loren]

mine also screws to the vertical support behind the license plate, and down a bit... and two bolts underneath the car

into the chassis... and plastic clips into the air ducts on each side.

[runrabbit]

awesome! cheers

[runrabbit]

grill removed - check

lights jiggled and dangling - check

flat head off plastic black clips - roger

swearing at last clip that got totally destoryed in the progress - yip

prying open under wheel guards - sure

hoist car up, wheels off, more mangled clips and splash guards off - double check

spotties, indicators removed - why??

tug at bumper to remove - copy

discover two remaining screws in behind licence plate holding bumper on - a ha.

realising last two screws have special heads that you don't have a screw driver for - f*@ken S&#t Mutha F*!ken C*#T

almost 3 hrs pulling it apart - then having to put it all back together again. Of course with a few parts left over.

why subaru, use crazy screws as factory?!

[GC8E2DD]

Oh yeah, forgot about those crazy star shaped things. I binned mine as soon as I got them off. I'm not too concerned about someone stealing my number plate. The next time around you'll get it off in about 15 to 20 minutes.