Post by Greg K on Aug 27, 2011 22:35:34 GMT -6
One bugaboo with my "new to me" 97 Aurora was that half the reflector on my driver's side rear bumper was broken off.
I'm an obsessive-compulsive about keeping things as perfect as I can, so today I overcame my fear of pulling a bumper skin and just did it!
First of all, there's already an excellent bumper skin interior photo on our site here at
aurorah.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=Audio&thread=23281&page=1
For those who wonder, you do NOT have to remove the whole bumper skin to replace one reflector on one side, thank Heavens.
On the left side that needs replacing, here are the steps I took.
1. Open trunk and peel back grey liner behind left rear taillight.
2. Take 10 mm deep socket and wrench and remove two nuts between rear taillight and top inside corner of left rear fender. These are one above the other vertically.
3. Now, moving horizontally (forward) along inside trunk wall to the right, along seam where fender attaches to bumper, remove the bolt, again 10 mm. Now, to right of that, remove the nut, 10 mm.
4. On bottom of grey plastic under licence plate, between dual exhaust, lay down on your driveway, look up, and remove three plastic fasteners that hold bottom of grey plastic in place. Just pry the central pin/nail loose, and the entire fastener will come out easily.
5. At left wheel well, remove the Olds mudflap.
6. Remove screw that holds edge of white belt line onto the black plastic of the wheel well.
7. Remove screw that holds two black under-layers of plastic together, also on upper rear edge of rear wheel well (slightly below the screw you removed at #6).
8. Now you can gently ease the left side of the bumper down and outwards, free of tabs along bottom that rest in black under-liner, while sliding the bumper-embedded bolt (see #3) free of the fender above.
9. Once the left flap of bumper skin is loose, now gently slide it rearwards so the two bumper-embedded bolts will slide out next to the rear taillight.
10. Now, with the left half of the bumper skin hanging loose, you will have lots of room to get your needle nose pliers and remove the metal pinch-clamps that hold the wiring as well as the reflector in place.
11. Put in your replacement reflector, push the pinch clamps back into place to hold it to the four rubber tabs, then the two pinch clamps that hold the wiring in place, and then reverse the steps to close up your Aurora patient.
Hope this helps!
Greg "Dr K" Kennedy
I'm an obsessive-compulsive about keeping things as perfect as I can, so today I overcame my fear of pulling a bumper skin and just did it!
First of all, there's already an excellent bumper skin interior photo on our site here at
aurorah.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=Audio&thread=23281&page=1
For those who wonder, you do NOT have to remove the whole bumper skin to replace one reflector on one side, thank Heavens.
On the left side that needs replacing, here are the steps I took.
1. Open trunk and peel back grey liner behind left rear taillight.
2. Take 10 mm deep socket and wrench and remove two nuts between rear taillight and top inside corner of left rear fender. These are one above the other vertically.
3. Now, moving horizontally (forward) along inside trunk wall to the right, along seam where fender attaches to bumper, remove the bolt, again 10 mm. Now, to right of that, remove the nut, 10 mm.
4. On bottom of grey plastic under licence plate, between dual exhaust, lay down on your driveway, look up, and remove three plastic fasteners that hold bottom of grey plastic in place. Just pry the central pin/nail loose, and the entire fastener will come out easily.
5. At left wheel well, remove the Olds mudflap.
6. Remove screw that holds edge of white belt line onto the black plastic of the wheel well.
7. Remove screw that holds two black under-layers of plastic together, also on upper rear edge of rear wheel well (slightly below the screw you removed at #6).
8. Now you can gently ease the left side of the bumper down and outwards, free of tabs along bottom that rest in black under-liner, while sliding the bumper-embedded bolt (see #3) free of the fender above.
9. Once the left flap of bumper skin is loose, now gently slide it rearwards so the two bumper-embedded bolts will slide out next to the rear taillight.
10. Now, with the left half of the bumper skin hanging loose, you will have lots of room to get your needle nose pliers and remove the metal pinch-clamps that hold the wiring as well as the reflector in place.
11. Put in your replacement reflector, push the pinch clamps back into place to hold it to the four rubber tabs, then the two pinch clamps that hold the wiring in place, and then reverse the steps to close up your Aurora patient.
Hope this helps!
Greg "Dr K" Kennedy