Bumper covers, fenders and hoods arrive in primer. Between the box and the paint booth there is one step that protects you: bolt the bare part to the car first. Paint is the point of no return. A part that has been painted, cut, drilled or permanently installed cannot be returned. A test fit does not count.
1. Inspect it the day it arrives
Open the box and look the part over under good light. Check corners, mounting tabs and edges. Shipping damage should be reported within 3 business days of delivery, with photos of the part, the box and the shipping label, so do not leave it sealed in the garage for a month.
2. Let a folded cover relax
Many bumper covers ship folded to fit a parcel box. That is normal. Lay the cover flat, front face up, somewhere warm for a day. Sunlight on a driveway or a heated shop does it. The plastic returns to its molded shape. Fit it only after it has.
3. Hang it bare
Mount the part with the factory fasteners at every mounting point. Snug, not final torque. Do not force anything and do not drill anything.
Then check:
- Gaps. Even spacing to the hood, fenders, lamps and grille on both sides.
- Height. Body lines and creases meet their neighbors.
- Openings. Fog lamp pockets, sensor holes, tow hook cover and license plate area match your car’s equipment.
- Hardware. Brackets, clips, the absorber, grilles and sensors from your old part transfer and seat properly.
4. Know what is normal
Aftermarket panels sometimes need a little persuasion: a bracket nudged, a bolt hole using the far end of its slot. A body shop treats that as routine.
These are not routine, and are reasons to stop:
- A gap that cannot be closed with adjustment
- Missing or misplaced mounting tabs
- Openings for equipment your car does not have, or none for equipment it does
- A body line that will not meet the next panel
If you see any of them, take photos with the part on the car and contact us before anything else happens to it.
5. Then paint
Treat the gray or black coating on the part as a shipping coat. It protects the part in transit and is not a finished base for color as it comes. Your painter will prepare it the way their paint system requires for primed plastic or metal. Once the fit is confirmed, take the part off, paint it off the car, and install it for good.
The short version
Inspect on arrival. Fit it bare. Paint it last. The return policy covers a part that is still new, and a test fit does not change that.