Here's some instructions for removing bumper and headlights.
E-Class W211 front bumper removal (standard body style).
Tools needed:
- Automotive wheel ramps (Rhino ramps from Autozone).
- 1/4" drive socket set with 8mm and 10mm sockets.
- #20 torx bit.
- Floor jack, optional but useful.
- Flat blade screwdriver.
Instructions for bumper removal:
1) Turn front wheels full right to remove push-pin fastener at lower
front corner of left wheel well plastic splash guard. It's difficult to
remove this fastener once the car is up on the wheel ramps.
2) Turn front wheels full left to remove push-pin fastener at lower front corner of right wheel well plastic splash guard.
3) Drive car up on wheel ramps. Block rear tires. Open hood.
4) Remove lower mesh plastic grille. There are five attachment
points on the top edge of the grille. You can get to three of them with
your hand by reaching between the radiator and the back side of the
grille. The two outer ones can be released with a screwdriver also
reaching in between the grille and radiator. Once the plastic tabs are
released, you can remove the grille by pulling it out from the front of
the car.
5) Remove the plastic panel located immediately behind the bumper
from the bottom of the engine compartment. This panel is held in place
with nine sheet metal screws with a 8mm hex head. Five screws are on
the bottom of the car and there are two screws in each wheel well at
the inner lower edge. After removing all nine screws you can work the
panel free.
6) Disconnect the cable from each fog light and remove both fog
lights. They are held in place by two sheet metal screws with a #20
torx head.
7) Remove the side marker bulbs. The one on the passenger side
turns clockwise to remove and the one on the driver side turns
counter-clockwise.
8) Remove the temperature sensor from its socket on the driver side.
9) If you have a floor jack, raise the car at the jack point on the
cross member below the engine. You do not want to raise it off the
wheel ramps. But it helps to have more clearance above the tires to
work in the front wheel wells.
10) Remove three of the plastic nuts holding the forward half of
the plastic wheel well liner in place. It's not necessary to remove the
plastic liner. You just need to loosen it up so that you can pull it
away from the fender to gain access to the screw and bracket securing
the bumper to the fender.
11) Pull back the wheel well liner and remove the sheet metal screw
from the rear end of the metal bracket . There is only one sheet metal
screw (#20 torx head) holding this bracket in place. Don't attempt to
remove the bracket yet. I used a #20 torx bit in a 1/4" socket with a
6-inch extension for a 1/4" drive wrench. The head of the screw faces
the ground.
12) Remove the 5mm bolts (8mm hex head) holding the bumper to the
headlight assembly between the small lens and large lens (both sides).
13) Remove the two 6mm bolts (10mm hex head) on either side of the large grille area opening.
14) Remove the two 6mm bolts (10mm hex head) securing the bumper to
the bottom edge of the crashbar. You can access these bolts through the
front where you removed the plastic mesh grille.
15) Remove the three 5mm bolts (8mm hex head) holding each
headlight assembly in place. Two longer bolts are on top. One at the
rear outer corner and one at the front inner corner. The third bolt is
accessed from the bottom. It's in the area above the fog lamps. You
don't need to disconnect the headlight cables and remove the assembly.
But it helps to allow the headlight assembly to "float" freely while
you disengage the bumper from the fender.
16) At this point all of the fasteners holding the bumper in place
have been removed. The only thing left to do is to remove the two
brackets "clamping" the bumper cover to the lower front edge of the
front fenders. Before you do this, position some cardboard boxes, bags
of packing material, six packs of paper towels, or other suitable items
to protect the bumper in case it falls off the car.
17) The bracket holding the bumper cover to the fender has a "pin"
that slips into a slot at the front edge of the bumper cover. There is
a matching slot near the front edge of the fender. It's not possible to
see this pin from the bottom of the car. Use a flat blade screwdriver
to pry the bracket away from the bumper/fender and towards the center
of the car. The bracket will "hinge" on the pin at the front end of the
bracket. After you swing the bracket away from the bumper, you need to
slide it forward to remove it from the slot in the bumper cover and
fender. You will probably scratch some paint off of this bracket with
the screwdriver. I recommend repainting the scratched areas of the
bracket before reinstalling it.
18) After removing the bracket from each side of the car you need
to deal with the small plastic "hook" holding the bumper cover to the
very front tip of the fender. This hook is an integral part of the
bumper cover. Disengaging this hook from the fender is probably the
most difficult step of removing the bumper. Simultaneously raise the
head light assembly slightly, push the leading edge of the fender
outward slightly, and push the bumper cover inward toward the headlight
assembly. Don't get too aggressive with the fender. It's aluminum and
you will make a real mess if you apply too much pressure on the fender.
It took me about 20 minutes to free each side from this hook. It should
take you less time, since you now know that the hook exists!
19) Gently pull the bumper forward and away from the car. This is
one step where a second person would be helpful. But I did manage to do
this step alone. There is a "pulley" like attachment point on each side
just below the fender/bumper seam.
To re-install the bumper, reverse the order of the steps above.
When re-installing the bracket between the bumper cover and fender, I
smeared a thin coating of car wash soap on the bracket to facilitate
snapping the bracket back into place.
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how to remove the front bumper
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