SE Bumper Cover

[LE05]

Anyone know how much an '05 SE bumper cover will cost from the dealer? also, do they have prepainted ones?

or

Am i better off getting an aftermarket one and having a bodyshop paint it?

i'm planning on switching the LE bumper cover for the SE so i can install OEM style fogs without resorting to cutting the original.

[Eye8Pussies]

from the dealership? the cover itself will probably run you around 500+paint

and if anything, you'd be better off just taking a dremel to your stock bumper....I'm not a big fan of aftermarket bumpers at all...they never fit quite as nicely as the oem ones....though they are quite a viable alternative though, since they're usually even less than half the cost of an oem bumper

[thapranksta]

I read a post where someone suggested that a regular pair of scissors can be used to cut the bumper since it is made of such soft plastic. Is this really true? I don't have any experience with a dremel and I want to install fog lights as well. Buying another bumper is definitely not an option for me but neither is f'ing up the original.

[Eye8Pussies]

scissors? possibly...if they're sharp enough...afterall, the bumper should be made of polyurethane....but the only risk you take is that the paint may crack and spider out from that point

and a dremel doesn't take much practice or experience for something as simple as this- still a much better option than a pair of scissors

[thapranksta]

Thanks. Good advice.

[VVT-i Owns]

A umprimed bumper cover should not be more than 200 dollars.

[VVT-i Owns]

http://www.trademotion.com/partlocat...05&catalogid=2

[Eye8Pussies]

^ no way...

even the gen3 oem bumpers costed a fortune


so how much would an aftermarket one be? like 50 bucks???

[Dj-torn]

Heres a better site, for the front bumper $100+
http://www.partstrain.com/products/B...OTA~CAMRY.html

[Eye8Pussies]

yeah...well, if the oem part is only 65bucks more, you may as well get the oem bumper to guarantee proper fitment


and now I know why the gen5 oem bumpers are so cheap...they're plastic instead of polyurethane

[LE05]

^quite true... so i might as well go to the dealer. not to mention, when you buy an aftermarket bumper from those sites, shipping will bring the cost up to what the dealer offers anyway.

i want to switch the bumper because if i did dremel the holes out, there would be no mounting hardware for the fogs. i'd have to make some custom brackets which probably would be a pain in the ass and wouldn't look good

[thapranksta]

True, I'm in the same boat as you. I will probably just buy another bumper within the next 6 months if I have the money. OEM bumper plus OEM paint job can be very expensive. I don't want to ride around with fog lights mounted in obviously dremeled out holes on my bumper or worse.........have my fog lights come detached while driving because the bumper didn't maintain the bolts and brackets I put in it.

[t^3]

I remember someone here went thru all the trouble of getting an OEM bumper, had it painted, got the fogs and other necessary hardware, and it wound up costing over $500. Not worth it in my opinion just to get two little lights on my car. That's why I'm just waiting for someone to sell a used OEM bumper that's already got factory paint, for the right price. I've already got all the hardware.

[Eye8Pussies]

at this point, it's the paint that would cost the most, since the bumpers are so cheap

and use 3m doublesided tape- that stuff won't come off

it can hold kits pretty well, and personally, I help my license plate on once, and when I took it off, it took a chunk of paint with it....

[Frank20]

I just got an aftermarket direct replacement SE bumper off ebay for $104 and had it painted by a very good body shop near me for $300...a bit pricey but they did a great job! Now all thats left to do is put in the fogs and mine was already prewired. I think they are all prewired becuase it probably costs toyota less to make all one kind of harness rather then two different ones.