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2005 Acura TL - Front Bumper Beam Damage/Replacement
My sons left headlight has been holding water after a rain/wash, so we decided to check seals and replace gaskets. We pulled off the front bumper skin and found that the front bumper bean had been damaged. This freaked my son out and we are looking to replace the beam. Before we order a new one and remove the old one I wanted to run a few questions by the collective.
1. The hood lines up and has no issues with closing, so I am thinking that things are pretty well lined up. also, the removal and install of the beam looks pretty straight forward. Are the any issues that we may want to be aware of?
2. I want to avoid setting off the the airbag. I see one "electrical" sort of connector on the bumper beam. Does this have to do with the airbag? Is there anything else that I need to be aware of?
3. Is there anything else that I need to be aware of with respect to changing out the damaged bumper beam?
Does the beam serve any purpose other than what it obviously did when it got hit? Salvage title/carfax? Hopefully front end damage is not a surprise...?
I'd almost just let it be if everything goes back together properly... Lol
Not a salvage title and we knew it was in a "minor" fender bender. The original owner said all was fixed, that and the fact that everything lined up we did not think there were any outstanding issues. The bent beam came as a surprise. One more thing to add to the list of "must checks" before buying a used car.
If unsure just disconnect the battery before performing any work.
Im surprised the radiator isnt leaking. That support seems to be right up against it.
I'd definitely replace it but those two bolts in the third pic looks like the mount is bent so a new one may require some pulling and flexing of the support mount.
Radiator is fine by a couple of mm. it looks like someone put a wrench on the two bolts holding the bumper piece on. I just don't want to spend $150 on a bumper brace just to find out that I have a brace/bolt alignment issue.
There is no air bag sensor on the transverse bumper beam. You don't need to worry about setting the air bag off by simply replacing that beam. Hopefully the replacement beam will bolt right up with minimal effort.
There should of been a bumper absorber inbetween the beam and bumper cover. If not get one.
To save money you should use salvage parts. No need to buy new, looks like these parts are hidden.
Thanks for the responses. My only concern is if the sub-frame got pulled inward when the bumper was damaged. I need to find a way to measure the bolt distances and then measure the bolt distances from a new/salvaged one. Car tracks straight and hood lines up, so I am not too concerned about it being bent or should I be?
When I became a certified technician for Acura, part of the requirement for CPO was to take auto body repair and body work training. Keep in mind, I also did this back in 2005 when I was in Technical school.
The lower plastic (air) trim that runs right under the radiator support. It's not straight, if they are not bent due to scraping, they get bent when the support is tweaked.
The frame rails look ok, but by eye they may seem untouched, on an alignment machine, they could be off.
You should replace the impact bar (It bolts to the frame rails) and get the plastic impact absorb cover that goes in front of the impact bar.
Examine the condenser. Make sure it's not bowed to the point where it may break or inspect of the obvious, any damage.
Not sure if you have the end trim pieces for the bottom air piece I mentioned, but if the holes don't line up and are off a lot, it's a clear indicator the radiator support has shifted.
Pull out a measuring tape, and measure from the strut bar to the grommet on the upper radiator support. Find some solid point up high and measure down, do this on both sides to see if it shifted inward. If the impact bar lines right up and bolts go in without an issue, you are ok.
...and get the plastic impact absorb cover that goes in front of the impact bar.
This is what I was thinking as well. There should be a plastic or foam piece that goes between the bumper cover and the impact bar. This is something that lots of people overlook when they have minor impact damage. They fix the bumper cover but never fix what is under the cover.
Thanks everyone for your input. I am going to buy a bumper brace and attempt the install (hoping things line up). The plastic part that goes between the brace and bumper cover is still intact.
UPDATE: I want to thank everyone for their input. We ordered the beam and other parts from Delray Acura in Florida (I highly recommend this group, easy to navigate web site, order to door in 7 days using UPS 3 day and the order was RIGHT).
Removing the beam was a breeze. We were concerned that something would tweak during the process, but it did not. Installing the new beam was as easy as taking the old one off. While we were in there we ended up replacing the gaskets for the passenger side head light as it was taking on water.
The parts for these cars are a bit costly, but (so far) it has been fairly easy to work on.
Again, thanks everyone for your words of advice and thanks to Delray Acura for getting it right the first time.
03-14-2016, 11:40 AM
