Front Bumper Adjustment

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jamiej
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Front Bumper Adjustment

Post by jamiej » Fri May 11, 2018 3:45 pm

Hi all,

B7 RS4 Avant.

My front bumper and bonnet shut line is too wide. It's driving me mad. It's prob 12mm ish.

Is there an easy fix?

I watched a volkswizard buying guide on YouTube and the shut lines at the front apparently are a common issue for bumpers that have been removed.

I know mine has been off at least twice as both the aux rads have been replaced.

I don't want to take the bumper off if I'm honest, is there an easy fix. Lots of searches seem to diagnose what the issue is but none I have found seem to show the solution.

I phoned a garage (VAG specialist) and they sounded flummoxed about the issue , I thought it was a reasonably common problem??

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'07 - Audi RS4 Avant Daytona Grey
'16 - BMW M135i F20 (LCI)
Gone
'02 Audi 8L A3 1.9 TDI (PD)
'03 Subaru Impreza WRX STI
'96 VW Golf VR6
'91 Toyota MR2 NA
'90 Peugeot 205 GTI 1.9
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Shoppinit
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Re: Front Bumper Adjustment

Post by Shoppinit » Sat May 12, 2018 8:03 am

12mm? That's huge. Can't see there being anywhere near that kind of adjustment possible. Has it been in a bump?

/I misread. I thought the gap was between the bumper and the wing
Last edited by Shoppinit on Sat May 12, 2018 8:49 am, edited 1 time in total.
Daytona RS6 C5 Avant. Viper'd, Billies, Waggers, MTM box brain, C6 stoppers, xcarlink, R8 coolant cap (woohoo)
///M3 E46 | XC90 (V8, natch) | Passat GTE | RR Classic V8 flapper
"The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at and repair."

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Shoppinit
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Re: Front Bumper Adjustment

Post by Shoppinit » Sat May 12, 2018 8:04 am

Removing the bumper sounds intimidating but it's actually pretty easy. I did a guide for the C5 RS6 (timing belt DIY) in the FAQ. It's pretty much exactly the same procedure for the B7.
Daytona RS6 C5 Avant. Viper'd, Billies, Waggers, MTM box brain, C6 stoppers, xcarlink, R8 coolant cap (woohoo)
///M3 E46 | XC90 (V8, natch) | Passat GTE | RR Classic V8 flapper
"The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at and repair."

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Jon_J
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Re: Front Bumper Adjustment

Post by Jon_J » Sat May 12, 2018 8:46 am

There is about 30mm in the adjusters so you’ll definitely be able to get rid of the gap.

Not sure what solution or easy fix you are looking for? To adjust the gap and get the adjusters you need to remove the bumper.


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jamiej
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Re: Front Bumper Adjustment

Post by jamiej » Sat May 12, 2018 2:46 pm

I think i thought that the easy way would be to not have to remove the bumper... Looks like the bumper will be coming off then

It does seem daunting, I'm nervous to mess around the car, it's only about 9 days old to me!



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Current
'07 - Audi RS4 Avant Daytona Grey
'16 - BMW M135i F20 (LCI)
Gone
'02 Audi 8L A3 1.9 TDI (PD)
'03 Subaru Impreza WRX STI
'96 VW Golf VR6
'91 Toyota MR2 NA
'90 Peugeot 205 GTI 1.9
'90 VW Mk2 Golf GTI 8V

Ajc
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Re: Front Bumper Adjustment

Post by Ajc » Sun May 13, 2018 12:35 am

Masking tape is your friend !!! .
Tape up the wing edges and have an extra pair of hands on standby. It'll make life so much easier .
It's only nuts and bolts at the end of the day .
It's also a wise idea too have some cardboard or something soft too put the bumper on when you take it off , standing it up on its edges will damage the edges so lay it down on something soft.
Cheers Al

04 c5 rs6 , Ebony Black, Bare shell repaint , Milltek's, PSS9's,Hotchkis Arb's,Gutted precats, hybrid turbos, Bosch 044 ,And an annoying EML light

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a1topdog
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Re: Front Bumper Adjustment

Post by a1topdog » Sun May 13, 2018 8:57 am

I tried adjusting my bumper but couldn't get it to slot onto the adjusters. It seemed that the bottom of the headlights were preventing me lifting the bumper enough to get it onto the adjusters. Is there any up/down adjustment on the headlights, or do they fit in a fixed position? (I didn't try to loosen them as I didn't want to change their alignment)
:redrs4: 2006 Misano Red RS4 Saloon. :redrs4:

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Jon_J
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Re: Front Bumper Adjustment

Post by Jon_J » Sun May 13, 2018 9:17 am

Loosen the headlights using the three torx, one on the right and one on the left. Loosen the top one too. One of them is down a hole.

The headlights are self levelling so will sort them selves out if you do not fit them in exactly the same place.


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RS4 B7 Sprint Blue
- Titanium Pack
- Black Optics
- B16's
- RNSE2 with AMI
- Reverse Camera
- Full Stereo install

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Shoppinit
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Re: Front Bumper Adjustment

Post by Shoppinit » Sun May 13, 2018 9:20 am

Jon_J wrote:
Sun May 13, 2018 9:17 am
The headlights are self levelling so will sort them selves out if you do not fit them in exactly the same place.
I'm not sure this is the case. I understood that the headlights will adjust up or down based on information from the suspension height sensors, but the baseline aim must be adjusted manually when the car is level.
Daytona RS6 C5 Avant. Viper'd, Billies, Waggers, MTM box brain, C6 stoppers, xcarlink, R8 coolant cap (woohoo)
///M3 E46 | XC90 (V8, natch) | Passat GTE | RR Classic V8 flapper
"The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at and repair."

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Jon_J
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Re: Front Bumper Adjustment

Post by Jon_J » Sun May 13, 2018 9:23 am

Shoppinit wrote:
Jon_J wrote:
Sun May 13, 2018 9:17 am
The headlights are self levelling so will sort them selves out if you do not fit them in exactly the same place.
I'm not sure this is the case. I understood that the headlights will adjust up or down based on information from the suspension height sensors, but the baseline aim must be adjusted manually when the car is level.
Hmm

You may be correct. In which case you still need to undo the headlight, adjust the bumper and then take it somewhere for headlight alignment. I’ve never had my alignment redone and it goes through MOT without an issue.


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RS4 B7 Sprint Blue
- Titanium Pack
- Black Optics
- B16's
- RNSE2 with AMI
- Reverse Camera
- Full Stereo install

S5 8T Cab White
S4 B7 Phantom Black (gone but not forgotten)
A4 B7 Avant 2.7 TDI Brilliant Red
A5 Cab 3.0 TDI Phantom Black

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Shoppinit
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Re: Front Bumper Adjustment

Post by Shoppinit » Sun May 13, 2018 9:25 am

What I do is I park the car facing a wall then chalk the aim and beam pattern on the wall. That way when I put the headlights back, I can adjust the aim back to how it was.
Daytona RS6 C5 Avant. Viper'd, Billies, Waggers, MTM box brain, C6 stoppers, xcarlink, R8 coolant cap (woohoo)
///M3 E46 | XC90 (V8, natch) | Passat GTE | RR Classic V8 flapper
"The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at and repair."

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jamiej
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Re: Front Bumper Adjustment

Post by jamiej » Mon May 14, 2018 3:04 pm

All very helpful, thank you. I'll find a suitable day and give it a go.

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Current
'07 - Audi RS4 Avant Daytona Grey
'16 - BMW M135i F20 (LCI)
Gone
'02 Audi 8L A3 1.9 TDI (PD)
'03 Subaru Impreza WRX STI
'96 VW Golf VR6
'91 Toyota MR2 NA
'90 Peugeot 205 GTI 1.9
'90 VW Mk2 Golf GTI 8V

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Surrey Sam
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Re: Front Bumper Adjustment

Post by Surrey Sam » Mon May 14, 2018 6:43 pm

Shoppinit wrote:
Sun May 13, 2018 9:20 am
Jon_J wrote:
Sun May 13, 2018 9:17 am
The headlights are self levelling so will sort them selves out if you do not fit them in exactly the same place.
I'm not sure this is the case. I understood that the headlights will adjust up or down based on information from the suspension height sensors, but the baseline aim must be adjusted manually when the car is level.
Exactly that. If the base line is either high or low, then it does not have the full scope of movement to adjust for loads/bumps.
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Jon_J
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Re: Front Bumper Adjustment

Post by Jon_J » Mon May 14, 2018 8:56 pm

Surrey Sam wrote:
Shoppinit wrote:
Sun May 13, 2018 9:20 am
Jon_J wrote:
Sun May 13, 2018 9:17 am
The headlights are self levelling so will sort them selves out if you do not fit them in exactly the same place.
I'm not sure this is the case. I understood that the headlights will adjust up or down based on information from the suspension height sensors, but the baseline aim must be adjusted manually when the car is level.
Exactly that. If the base line is either high or low, then it does not have the full scope of movement to adjust for loads/bumps.
You learn something every day lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
RS4 B7 Sprint Blue
- Titanium Pack
- Black Optics
- B16's
- RNSE2 with AMI
- Reverse Camera
- Full Stereo install

S5 8T Cab White
S4 B7 Phantom Black (gone but not forgotten)
A4 B7 Avant 2.7 TDI Brilliant Red
A5 Cab 3.0 TDI Phantom Black

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jamiej
2nd Gear
Posts: 204
Joined: Tue Apr 03, 2018 4:06 pm

Re: Front Bumper Adjustment

Post by jamiej » Wed Jun 20, 2018 4:35 pm

Well the job is done. Massive thanks to Jon_J for essentially doing the job for me. Top bloke!

Seems the job is made somewhat easier by having the right tools!

Long reach Torx and Super long socket extension seemed very useful.

Bumper much happier now, not 100% but it'll be off again soon as it appears my Aux rad is leaking! Yippee!

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Current
'07 - Audi RS4 Avant Daytona Grey
'16 - BMW M135i F20 (LCI)
Gone
'02 Audi 8L A3 1.9 TDI (PD)
'03 Subaru Impreza WRX STI
'96 VW Golf VR6
'91 Toyota MR2 NA
'90 Peugeot 205 GTI 1.9
'90 VW Mk2 Golf GTI 8V

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