MK3 GS300/450h rear bumper removal

[1meanmachine]

Hi guys,

hope someone can help. I need instructions on how to remove the rear bumper on my gs300. Can anyone help.

Regards Mal.

[Lexus4Me?]

Hi Mal,

I've just taken the bumper off my Mk4 GS450h and you are welcome to what I have so far written. When I've reassembled it I will offer it as a guide on here. Firstly take a look at the American Club Lexus site http://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-3rd-gen-2006-2011/569543-rear-bumper-removal.html where you will find some instructions. Beyond that this is what I found for the Mk4 :-

Lexus GS450h Generation 4 2012 - Removing the rear bumper.

You would be well advised to sign up to www.lexus-tech.eu for access to their technical manuals. Some of these are free others you have to pay for. Signing up is free; instructions on fitting a tow-bar including rear bumper removal is too. Look in the Lexus Technical Manuals/Repair/Accessory Information Manuals then search for your Model, Generation and choose Towing Hitch. There are two I couldn’t decide which to go for and looked at both at different times – couldn’t see much difference. Sadly these manuals are in diagrammatic form with almost no written explanation so I hope the following helps.

It is all quite straightforward – in places!

Remove the two bolts under the circular tabs at the back of the bumper revealed when you open the boot. Take care to use a soft pry so as not to damage the paint.

Remove the two 10mm bolts at the bottom front of the bumper accessed from below at the back of the wheel arch then remove the two 10mm bolts at the top front of the bumper from under the wheel arch. Lever the rubber/plastic mud flap/wheel-arch liner back to get to it.

Working under the car - remove the four push in connectors between the back of the bottom, black piece of the bumper and the plastic under-body protector. You do not need to remove the four outer ones. Then remove the four bolts holding this protector to the body.

Inside the boot on either side you will find five black square connectors retaining orange/pink poppers which have been inserted from the outside. There are also a few square connectors without the poppers (or there were on my car anyway). Ease the black connectors’ tabs with a small screwdriver and push the poppers out. Then squeeze in the locking tabs on the square connectors so that they will pull out from the outside. Do not lose the small square washers from the square connectors.

Make sure you have protected the bodywork above the bumper by applying wide masking tape just above the body/bumper line.

You should then be able to pull the bumper away from the car. Be careful not to trap the back two poppers in their holes when you get to the back.

Not quite there yet. On the right side you will find that there is a white plastic support connecting the bumper and the body. I couldn’t find an easy way to release this. The top appears to be fixed on by a fitting which requires a 90 degree rotation – not practical when attached to the bumper and the bottom is fixed by a popper. You may have better luck with this popper than I did but do give it a try if you fancy your luck. Instead I eased the black fixings away from the bumper and separated it here. It may be possible to just pull the bumper clear of these on either side without touching the orange/pink poppers in the boot at all - but I didn’t fancy risking it.

Lastly disconnect the plug for the parking sensors at the back left by squeezing in the locking catch and pulling. Lower the bumper onto a soft surface to protect the paintwork.

Good luck. Let me know how you get on.

E&OE Barry

[1meanmachine]

Thanks Barry,

That was really helpful. Apologies for the late reply. 

Regards Mal. 

[Bluesman]

Well done Barry. Took alot of work to type that reply. Mike.

[Lexus4Me?]

My pleasure gentlemen. The typing didn't take me long especially compared to the week or so I appear to have spent fitting the tow-bar! I was quoted 8 hours at £50 per hour. I admire any mechanic who could do it in that time.

[Lexus4Me?]

OK guys. So how do I get the wretched thing back on the car?

I've spent the best part of today trying. Plastic at top rear seems difficult to locate properly - maybe I've distorted the metal latching tabs on the top outside edge of the boot. I've managed to locate the bumper into the plastic tabs at the top on the right hand side but the left hand side is proving a real pig. I eventually noticed that I'd bent in the plastic strip attached to the bumper which needs to go into a latching piece of plastic. My difficulty is getting it lined up so I can slide it in. I'm now removing the rear lights to get a bit more access but they seem reluctant to leave the body too!

Getting mighty frustrated and my mood has not been helped by the drawing in the instructions for the cut-out in the bumper to provide access to the tow bar was wrong. Fortunately I checked before I cut but I wasn't expecting to be correcting fitting instructions.