Front Bumper Too Far Forward Fix?

[AWE46M3]

Hello group,

Small issue in the grand scheme of things, but the passenger side of my front bumper is sitting a bit too far forward. EAS removed the front bumper and reinstalled it for me and got the drivers side perfect but said the passenger side is as close as it can get without a body shop messing with it.

I know trinity graphics sells the replacement adjustment bracket that goes behind the corner light. To my knowledge, that bracket helps adjust the height of the bumper to fix bumper sag.

It looks like build journal sells a replacement guide rail/slot if the OEM one is broken, which mine is not.

I’ve talked to a few bmw shops that have suggested all E46’s have this issue and it’s to be expected given the age of the car / bumper.

If you’ve found a fix to get the bumper to slide further back, please let me know.

[thegenius46m]

If you have kevlar support thats the problem. The suction cup brackets on the bumper aren't aligned properly with the studs on the support which is preventing the bumper from sucking on evenly and all the way.

[AWE46M3]

If you have kevlar support thats the problem. The suction cup brackets on the bumper aren't aligned properly with the studs on the support which is preventing the bumper from sucking on evenly and all the way.

Thanks for your feedback man. That’s really helpful.

I am considering getting a Euro front bumper and might as well get one for the carbon fiber support brace type and swap out the support.

Is it as simple as removing the Kevlar support and bolting on the CF support or is there more to it than that?

[thegenius46m]

Kevlar is the carbon. You have aluminum (01-02)? I'm actually looking to convert to aluminum as its a superior design. Doesn't have half the fitment issues. Weight savings are negligible for the amount of bs you deal with

[AWE46M3]

Kevlar is the carbon. You have aluminum (01-02)? I'm actually looking to convert to aluminum as it’s a superior design. Doesn't have half the fitment issues. Weight savings are negligible for the amount of bs you deal with

I’ll have to double check. My car is an 02 but my build date is 12/01. I believe I have the Kevlar / CF support based on the feedback you provided. The little suction cup (or lollypop as EAS referred to it) design leaves me with no adjustment options.

[thegenius46m]

There was an interesting cutoff for 02s to have kevlar actually. I'm too lazy to look it up atm tho but realoem should say lol

[Slideways]

Is that the original bumper from when the car was new?

[Maxima SE]

another possibility is that the foam piece behind the bumper is ripped away from the bumper. or the plastic piece on the inside of the bumper behind the corner reflector is detached. gotta remove the bumper and see whats going on back there.

[Casa de Mesa]

EDIT: disregard my comments below on your bumper current fitment.

I am considering getting a Euro front bumper and might as well get one for the carbon fiber support brace type and swap out the support.

Is it as simple as removing the Kevlar support and bolting on the CF support or is there more to it than that?

You have an aluminum carrier is sounds like. What I posted below is for the carbon carrier.


------- Keeping my original post as it's helpful if you switch to the carbon carrier------------

I’ve talked to a few bmw shops that have suggested all E46’s have this issue and it’s to be expected given the age of the car / bumper.

Not typical. It is typical, however, for a bumper that was installed incorrectly.

These bumpers can be finicky to get seated all the way with the ball-and-socket connection points. There is a ball stud on that's mounted to the carbon bumper (pretty sure your's is late enough it's a carbon bumper). With the bumper off the car, it's not a bad idea to mark (with painters tape) where the sockets are on the bumper cover's outside surface. Then do the same for the balls - mark the location on the car somewhere using painters tape. You're trying to make sure the bumper is located horizontally / side-to-side so the sockets line up with the balls.

another possibility is that the foam piece behind the bumper is ripped away from the bumper. or the plastic piece on the inside of the bumper behind the corner reflector is detached. gotta remove the bumper and see whats going on back there.

^^could definitely be it.

Go to this thread, some great info here. You can also visualize that these look like disassembled:

https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/m...3-front-bumper

My bet is either the ball-and-sockets aren't lined up, or something is interfering with the bumper cover sitting as far back as possible. These bumper covers don't shrink, so something isn't lining up right.

[AWE46M3]

EDIT: disregard my comments below on your bumper current fitment.



You have an aluminum carrier is sounds like. What I posted below is for the carbon carrier.


------- Keeping my original post as it's helpful if you switch to the carbon carrier------------



Not typical. It is typical, however, for a bumper that was installed incorrectly.

These bumpers can be finicky to get seated all the way with the ball-and-socket connection points. There is a ball stud on that's mounted to the carbon bumper (pretty sure your's is late enough it's a carbon bumper). With the bumper off the car, it's not a bad idea to mark (with painters tape) where the sockets are on the bumper cover's outside surface. Then do the same for the balls - mark the location on the car somewhere using painters tape. You're trying to make sure the bumper is located horizontally / side-to-side so the sockets line up with the balls.



^^could definitely be it.

Go to this thread, some great info here. You can also visualize that these look like disassembled:

https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/m...3-front-bumper

My bet is either the ball-and-sockets aren't lined up, or something is interfering with the bumper cover sitting as far back as possible. These bumper covers don't shrink, so something isn't lining up right.

Thank you for linking that thread. Wow, Shawn did a ton of work to get that bumper sitting correctly. Also glad there was a breakdown of all the parts based on which support bracket one has.

Appreciate your help! Thank you

[thegenius46m]

My bet is either the ball-and-sockets aren't lined up, or something is interfering with the bumper cover sitting as far back as possible. These bumper covers don't shrink, so something isn't lining up right.

This for sure in my experience. Definitely what was causing my issue as well as a friends. I'd venture to say most of them because its a simple design at the end of the day. Just too finicky to be worth dealing with unlike aluminum that just mounts up to a fixed point and you just have forward and backward adjustment. Way more ideal imho.

[9kracing]

I’ve talked to a few bmw shops that have suggested all E46’s have this issue and it’s to be expected given the age of the car / bumper.

The body shop I go to works on tons of BMWs, including the Turner race cars, and they showed me 4 different E46s with this issue after I complained my Euro bumper didn't sit flush. They said the same thing. All E46s do this.

FWIW I did make them pull it back off and reseat it since I'm anal, and it wasn't really any better. When they first put it on it looked like yours.

It did eventually settle in though to where it's not super obvious in pictures.

[Tbonem3]

There are high mileage, kevlar support cars out there with perfectly good fitment. 🤷♂️

[Casa de Mesa]

The body shop I go to works on tons of BMWs, including the Turner race cars, and they showed me 4 different E46s with this issue after I complained my Euro bumper didn't sit flush. They said the same thing. All E46s do this.

After having done this several times on my own car trying get everything to line up perfectly with a fresh Euro bumper cover, I don't see how the bumper cover will push that far out / forward over time. I can see it sagging down due to the nylon (?) bumper mounts used to locate the side upper corners where it meets the fender, but I don't see how the bumper would move forward over time.

That said, the Trinity Graphics mounts used to replace the stock nylon pieces are much more stout and also have a locking pin to hold things in place. It could be a tired factory piece perhaps?

I just went back to pics from when I installed mine. Really don't see how unless something is in the way or mounted up wrong, the bumper would stick that far forward.






EDIT: got an extra pic in there somehow and can't delete it, typing from my phone. That 2nd pic is pointless!

[Maxima SE]

What does it mean when they say all E46 do this? They certainly don't do it from the factory. And I do not see how "age" of the car will cause the misalignment. I've taken my bumper off many times and based on my experience there are really 3 big things in play that will affect how much forward the bumper sits. The white plastic bracket in my opinion has nothing to do with it since the bracket doesn't pull in your bumper, it only allows it to sit higher or lower. Based on my experience a loose or ripped off foam piece that has the suction cups on it will easily lead to this. Also the plastic mounts on the side of the bumpers that slide onto the white bracket can be loose or broken which affects where the bumper sits. Lastly, hopefully the wheel well splash guards isnt putting forward pressure on the bumper due to being misaligned etc. My bumper used to sit perfect until I mounted a front lip using screws and my bumper got pulled forward just a tiny bit and I think it is because the lip is putting torsional stress on the bumper.