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[Spaceman]

2008 STi Front Bumper Removal

I see a lot of requests for how to's and information on removing the front bumper on the GRB STi so I figured I'd create a how to... After all, I think I've removed my front bumper at least 7-8 times already.

Removal of the front bumper is super easy and if you know what push clips to remove and their locations you can do this in well under 5 minutes!

With the removal of the front bumper you can do many mods such as;

-Intake Silencer Delete

-DRL Disable

-Remove/Paint Stock Grille

-Install Sport Grille

-Remove Headlights

-Install Hella Supertones

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 5-30 minutes

Tools Needed: Stubby (Short) Phillips-Head Screwdriver, Flathead Screwdriver

Let's Begin...

For reference here are the directions for the removal of the bumper straight from the Subaru Service Manual...

There are a total of 18 clips that are holding the front bumper...

Unless you are super slammed there really is no need to raise the vehicle. But you may keep a jack handy incase you have a hard time reaching the (6) clips underneath the bumper.

1. Start by removing the (4) clips up on top of the grille. Use your flathead screwdriver to pry up the clip. It should pop out and then you simply pull it out.

2. Next you will remove the (4) clips that are on the inside of the fenders. Start on either the drivers side or passanger side and turn your wheel so that you have access to the clips.

3. With the top clip you want to push in the plastic rod in the center of the clip. Once you have pushed the rod through the center you can pull out the clip.

4. The next three clips are removed by turning the inner screw. Apply gently pressure and turn the screw about a 1/4 turn so the plastic screw pops out. Once it pops out you can pull out the clip.

5. Repeat steps 2-4 for the other fender.

6. Next you will remove the (6) clips from the bottom of the bumper. These are the same type of clips that were on top of the grille and come out the same way. This is where you can jack up one side of the car for better access to these clips. If you lay down you should be able to see and access the (6) clips. There are (2) in the front and (2) on each side in front of each wheel.

7. If you have fog lights you will need to unplug the lights from the harness before you remove the bumper. One you have removed the (6) clips from the bottom of the bumper you can pull back the plastic skid plates under the fog lights and reach in there to unplug the harness.

8. After all (16) clips have been removed and you unplugged your fog lights (if applicable) you are ready to remove the bumper.

9. Start on one side and gently pry back the bumper. Pry it back far enough so that it comes loose but still stays on so you can go to the other side and do the same.

10. Once you have pryed off both sides and the bumper and it is resting on the crash bar you can pull it off of the car. An extra set of hands is good as the bumper can be a little wobbly and you want to be careful not to scratch anything (I have no problem doing this myself).

That's it!

Installation of the bumper is the same process but in reverse. Rest it on the crash bar and then line up each side in front of the wheel and snap it on. After you have it snapped on you can reinstall all the clips which you just line up with the holes and push down.

Here I have pointed out some of the items that are found behind the bumper.

Daytime Running Lamps (DRL). You can unplug this and tape it off if you prefer not to have DRL's. Also note the location of the second stock horn:

Intake Silencer. It is the big white jug, I removed mine a while back:

I hope this helps you guys out. Comments and criticism are welcome.

[martind]

After doing this a few times you can tell the bumper does not meet the fender as flush as it did before taking it off

[Spaceman]

Originally Posted by martind

After doing this a few times you can tell the bumper does not meet the fender as flush as it did before taking it off

Mine still matches up quiet nicely.

You can't expect it to be perfect, after all it's just held in place by a couple plastic clips and the bumper simply snaps on.

But I wouldn't say my bumper isn't flush.

[martind]

Originally Posted by Spaceman

Mine still matches up quiet nicely.

You can't expect it to be perfect, after all it's just held in place by a couple plastic clips and the bumper simply snaps on.

But I wouldn't say my bumper isn't flush.

You are lucky

I ordered a new bumper and it is at the shop getting painted right now. I am going to try to see if a new bumper (not as loose from prior removal) will fit better.

It was a thread a while back, it stinks how flimsy it is from the factory.

[sleepsindirt]

i think its flimsy so it pop's off in a mild impact. i decided to swap most of the plastic fasteners for metal hardware, i'm happy now no wiggle. but prob not great for mild impacts

[scorpokat3]

What lip is that? I heard of DIY's too. Any write-ups on that?

Thanks, Devin

[wsirianni]

looks pretty simple dude nice job

[Spaceman]

Originally Posted by scorpokat3

What lip is that? I heard of DIY's too. Any write-ups on that?

Thanks, Devin

It was a garage door weather seal. You can find that DIY on here from the older years.

I used some strong double-sided 3M tape and I used some black silicone to clean up the edge where the lip meets the bumper.

This lip has held on very good and I like it for being under $20. One day I may cough up the money for a real ($600) lip.

[boilermaker_cb]

Very nice writeup!

Is this the only way to delete the DRL? Is there a fuse elsewhere rather than removing the entire bumper to unhook two connectors?

Kind of funny - SO many pop-its and yet closing the hood still makes me wince at how much the bumper bounces around.

[JDM-STI]

On the 05+ LGT's there is a relay under the dash on the drivers side that you can unplug to disable the DRL's. Should be the same on the 08 STI's. I'll go check later.