Just one of those little things that has always annoyed me. Is it possible to fix this or do I need a whole new bumper? (and just fyi, I don't know how it happened. It was there when I got the car.)

There's also a scuff from when I tried to sand down a mark, hoping it wouldn't be too noticeable but it is. Could I just buff that out?

 

there is a metal angle bar along the top of the bumper. it could be bent.. but I don't know if that'd be the problem of not.

 

yeah your going to have to remove the bumper and see if that metal bracket at the top is bent, if its bent replace it with new or used. then before you install the new bracket you can take a heat gun and heat up the back of the bumper where the dent is and then use your choice of tools or whatever to push out the dent and hold it in position until it cools, i use a body hammer or dollies but it doesnt matter what you use. be careful not to heat it to much because you can bubble the paint. its very easy if you know what your doing. good luck

 

heat gun? not sure what that is I don't suppose a hair dryer would work?

 

a heat gun is a HOT hair dryer. Its harder to get heat into the part with most hair dryers. Heat guns can be had for cheap. Harbor Freight has one for around $12 with two settings 700º and 1100º

 

I may give that a try if I can figure out how to remove the bumper.

 

yeah your going to need to buy a heat gun. just get a cheapo if you wont be using it much. then remove the bumper it is really easy..remove plastic wheel wells and you can see the side bolts then remove the bolts on top and underneath. be sure to spray them all with pb blaster or WD-40 and let it soak for a while. these bolts/nuts are usually rusty..

 

I got the bumper off. It took a lot longer than I thought it would. I broke four or five bolts, one of which I did on purpose because it was too worn. I couldn't grip it with anything.
I didn't mess with the bumper much yet, but it looks like it's not going to be an easy fix. The metal along the top is bent. I really hope I can fix it and haven't wasted all day for nothing.

 

That is the "motto" of the 7 my friend

 

I'm trying to think of other things I could do while the bumper is off. any suggestions? I'd like a whole new bumper, but that would be too expensive unless I could find a decent used one.

 

+1 .... Seven owners everywhere are smiling and nodding

 

Check the classifieds on this forum. With every body kit installed, there's another stock bumper on the market...

 

Unbend the metal. I almost had a bracket into shape once. Just play around with it. While the bumper is off you could work on horns.

 

I don't think I've never used my horn.

 

just get a new bracket from mazda and use the heat gun on the dent..if you take your time it will look great

 

I don't think any amount of time will make this bumper look "great" unless I repaint it. I'm not planning on doing that, but it is tempting. However, it would probably be cheaper (not mention much easier) to just buy a used bumper. That said, I'm saving for an RX-8 and would rather not put any more money into the 7 until I get an 8. Then the 7 will be a track/project car (I already have some plans for it.)

Instead of a heat gun I used a screwdriver Crude and not perfect, but it works well enough for my current mediocre standards. I also adjusted the headlights a little bit.



Before:


After: (sort of, bumper is not bolted on yet, I'll probably bend it some more tomorrow and try to adjust the headlights again after I put the bumper back on.)


Notice how careful I was by leaving the bolts all scattered on the ground

 

good luck saving for your rx8..i jujst picked one up last may and the car is absolutly amazing and i love driving it everyday...here is some inspiration
[IMG][/IMG]

 

Very nice! I'm being ambitious and going for an 09 R3 in blue.

 

cool, im not a big fan of the 09 model, to me it just dosent look as nice as the first body style..have you seen them in person yet?

 

I saw a black one at a dealership and a blue one at the Chicago auto show.
I agree the styling on the 09s isn't as clean (at least at the front), but it looks a little better in person. I think the R3 looks better than the base 09, and I like the R3 features (R3-only aurora blue, recaro seats, R3 wheels, suspension stuff) enough to look past the debatable 09 styling. Also, there's been some mechanical improvements which should help reliability, and I could really use the aux input. However, I would go for a used 06-08 before I'd get a non-R3 09.

 

Well, I started to screw the bumper on and it turns out the screwdriver method did not really work. I took it off again and was able to get the main bar off and hammer it into submission. That worked (mostly). I'll post pics later.

I sanded down the scuffed area on the bumper with 400 grit sandpaper. I'm hoping a little wax will blend it in.

 

quick update, wax did not fix the scuff. I'm afraid I may have to clear coat the bumper.