Bumper removal

[bosenose]

Rear bumper removal. The Z4 bumper is held on with 5 bolts under neath. That part is easy but how are the 6 wheel arch rivets removed? I believe the center part is pushed through allowing the rivet to be pulled out but it feels that they have to be punched through using a drift and hammer. Obviously if this is true then the wheel would need to be removed. Futher to that BMW's TIS says there is a clip each side at the top of the bumper where it joins the wheel arch. How does that unclip?

[gookah]

I used an allen key to push the inner part of the liner rivets through. a bit hard to move at first but just press hard..you have to press them fully through 'til they drop inside the bumper. then you can remove the outer part of the rivet, I just pulled the liner away from the bumper to free the outer part of the rivet. To refit rescue the inners from the bumper) push in the outer part of the rivet, and push the inner stem back into the middle of the rivet to expand it (all done from outside.)

The top front edge of the bumper just pulls outwards from the clip underneath,
Just pull it hard towards you, just as if you are pulling a wheel trim off a wheel and it will unclip. It takes a bit off effort but dont worry, you wont break it.
Push hard on it to refit and it will clip back in. simples....

[bosenose]

Thanks for the quick reply, I will try that. The reason for bumper removal is to check if the park distance sensors are working. The only info I've got so far is that just one sensor failure can knock the whole system out and you should be able to hear them "ticking" if working. My friendly garage mech. says the first thing he would do is run an electical continuity check on them.

[gookah]

No experience of the sensors unfortunately, but I thought that if one failed
the others still worked. I think I read on z4forum somewhere about putting your hand over each sensor in turn to find a faulty one, which would point to the remainder working,

[bosenose]

Yes I've read that but I've also got a 320d Touring with park distance control which is working and I can't hear any clicks or feel any impulses from the sensors.

[gookah]

I thinks its - climb in the boot and see if each one in turn beeps as you put your hand over it, with the car in reverse (and a driver with the clutch in )

[bosenose]

The rivets on my car are not the same, the center piece cannot be pushed through because they have a head on them bigger than the hole. They look like the old fashioned wire nails without points. They can be easily levered out into the wheel area using a small flat blade screwdriver, the type that is used for wiring electric plugs. The main part, the two legged clip, can be just be levered out the same way. Heigh ho! what will I find when I get the bumper off!