Missing front bumper cover

[UX250h]

Hi folks, anyone got an idea why I've lost this front bumper cover?

Many Thanks

[scudney]

Possibly been nicked,as they just don't fall off

[ColinBarber]

1 hour ago, scudney said:

Possibly been nicked,as they just don't fall off

I agree, they are normally difficult to remove so they don't just fall off. Unless you were incredibly unlucky and flicked up stone from a vehicle in front hit at just the right place to pop it off (or incredibly lucky that it hit a small replaceable panel and didn't damage the bumper).

[stepppy]

Don't they normally have a small tether so they can hang down instead of coming off completely?  I know one of my cars had that in the past.

 

[Don C]

I’m always immediately suspicious that somebody’s been there.  I doubt it was towed but if it’s had a repair of some sort, there’s your answer.  

[UX250h]

Lexus say it has probably fallen out, i wonder if I've losened it somehow whilst washing the car 

Anyway, the replacement will be here on 3rd Jan at a cost of £92 (incl painting) so not too bad

[Don C]

2 hours ago, UX250h said:

Lexus say it has probably fallen out, i wonder if I've losened it somehow whilst washing the car 

Anyway, the replacement will be here on 3rd Jan at a cost of £92 (incl painting) so not too bad

It definitely didn’t fall out, they are a so and so to get out.  It’s nothing you’ve done either, mine gets battered with a professional power washer two or three times a week.  

[UX250h]

Hmmm, so stolen then.... Bast*****s

[GMB]

2 hours ago, Don C said:

at a cost of £92

For a piece of painted plastic that probably cost less than £1 to make.  What's wrong with a strip of gorilla tape?

Hmmm, at £92 a pop you could make a lot of money easily nicking these and flogging them on eBay. Good idea for 2024 business proposition?  £45 would be an attractive price, plus postage of course.

[Don C]

It isn’t as straightforward as buying one and fitting it.   They come unpainted and of course the body shop will charge for a half litre then lacquer and then there’s fitting which will incur a minimum charge.  I don’t suspect somebody stole it either.  It’s been removed for some reason.  Did you own this vehicle from new?  Has it ever had a body repair or any other repair?

[ColinBarber]

Unlike door mirror covers they aren’t available painted directly from Lexus. £25 is expensive for a small plastic part but that is unfortunately how replacement car parts are marked up - It’s the paint and labour that really adds to the cost. 
 

https://lexuspartsdirect.co.uk/product/lexus-ux-phase-1-n-s-front-towing-eye-cover/

 

[stepppy]

29 minutes ago, ColinBarber said:

Unlike door mirror covers they aren’t available painted directly from Lexus. £25 is expensive for a small plastic part but that is unfortunately how replacement car parts are marked up - It’s the paint and labour that really adds to the cost. 
 

https://lexuspartsdirect.co.uk/product/lexus-ux-phase-1-n-s-front-towing-eye-cover/

 

 

That interesting, so it looks like it does have a tether like I mentioned in my post below, so that would point to someone stealing it.  If you look at the OP's original post, you can see the hole in the bottom right hand corner where it fits. 🫣

 

On 12/21/2023 at 3:30 PM, stepppy said:

Don't they normally have a small tether so they can hang down instead of coming off completely?  I know one of my cars had that in the past.

 

 

[UX250h]

Thieving gits 

[Don C]

No, it’s not been stolen either.  

[RadicalCoupe-Fuji]

maybe it was damaged during fitment or badly formed, the little clips are just plastic, also the tethers can break off or perhaps whoever fitted it originally/last didnt fit the tether into the hole.

[Don C]

1 hour ago, RadicalCoupe-Fuji said:

maybe it was damaged during fitment or badly formed, the little clips are just plastic, also the tethers can break off or perhaps whoever fitted it originally/last didnt fit the tether into the hole.

Whoever fitted it originally, no, definitely not.  Whoever fitted it last, probably.  

[UX250h]

I've had the car from new  its never been taken off!  Must have been stolen

[Don C]

7 hours ago, UX250h said:

I've had the car from new  it’s never been taken off!  Must have been stolen

I doubt it.  I’m inclined to think it’s someone who was working on it.  

[UX250h]

It hasn't been worked on since its last service at Lexus months ago!

[Don C]

18 minutes ago, UX250h said:

It hasn't been worked on since its last service at Lexus months ago!

Have you been through any floodwater?

[UX250h]

No, I wouldnt drive through floodwater, it was there one day, gone the next, after parking in a multi storey carpark at Asda 

[Gary H]

I recall my father had a 2008 Audi A4 where something similar happened - but to the nearside fog light surround. The car was only about six/seven months old at the time and we went to the Grassington Christmas Market. 

Anyway, we had come through some snow and it was a bit of a trek to get into the makeshift car park - snow built up on road edges e.t.c... Anyway, we reversed into the bay, commented that we'd need to wash the car the following day (as it was clearly going to dry mucky) and went to the market, come back and drove home again. 

On the way back we did have to go up some of those snow banks to make way for oncoming traffic. Most people exiting were doing the same. Anyway - by the time we got home, we noticed the gaping bare hole in the front bumper and a rather 'marooned' looking (and undamaged) foglight in the middle. No damage to the bumper either. The foglight surround had just literally vanished somewhere between Grassington and home. 

We have no idea where the cover went and just presumed there must have been just about enough 'flex' in the bumper after the day's action of going through the snow and turning into/away from snow verges that it eventually 'popped out' on the way home.