One day I removed my front bumper and I found that each mounting stud on the back of the FTP lenses were snapped off (surprised they didn't fall out while driving). After some research it sounds like this is fairly common.

Anyone seen or have experience successfully fixing up an old pair? I was thinking of epoxying some kind of bracket back on but ideally I wouldn't rely on attaching to brittle plastic.

 

I got some hardware store bolts (M5 is the stock size, I think) and some washers and nuts. Then I took out the old studs, which was pretty easy since they were already loose. Then mix up some JB Weld and use it to hold the bolts in where the studs were. You could always re-use the studs too, if you still have all of them.

As long as you get them reasonably straight and long enough, it works fine. This lasted for a few years until I got better used FTPs.

 

The above solution would work. The best course of action is to replace them with new lenses. You can repair what you have to get by, but you have to be careful when torquing the nuts as that pressure can cause your repaired stud to snap off.

 

Vert is correct. Just like when dealing with a seized bolt, contact surface area determines your odds of success. The greater the surface area you use when attaching the new hardware, the more it will resist turning and stay in its intended position. Keep in mind that this hardware generally doesn't see a lot of torque. Off the top of my head, maybe 20 ft.lbs at most, so it might be wise to use locknuts on reinstall.

 

Hi. This is a common problem as already stated. Mine also have a couple of solid studs but also a coupler of loose/broken ones. I put them back on (there like $120 each if you want new ones) but I stressed out about them falling out while driving. I bought a set of the colored lenses from 13btec ($32) and they look pretty good but I tend to lean towards all original parts, so I might put the OEM FTP lenses back on. Anyway, when I removed the original FTP lenses, I noticed that mine fit quite snug within the bumper. As long as I had at least one good stud or a dependable repair on one stud, I was thinking of applying one wrap of electrical tape around the edge of the lens then gently snugging it into the bumper. If I change my mind later I can always remove the FTP assemblies by pushing them out from inside the bumper.

 

I haven't tried the tape thing, but I wouldn't take that risk.

Even with two "good" studs and hardware, I once had one fly out at speed while driving. Luckily it didn't hurt anyone and I didn't notice until I got to work. Halfway through my shift my dad showed up with the lens, having searched the road for me and found it in the ditch. The little studs that seemed "good enough" had loosened from the plastic when tightening the mounting nuts down, and air pressure was not enough to hold them in. That's when I ended up epoxying them and later replacing them.

Point is, I would highly suggest for the safety of everyone on the road that you don't try that method of holding them in. Either a solid repaired set or a replacement is the safest way.

 

Sound advice. Creating an unsafe situation on the road is not a good idea. If one fell off, It could also cause damage to my own car and I might drive over the lens well. It wouldn't matter how much epoxy I had at that point! Thanks for the info.