Quote:
Originally Posted by arpad_m
You know what, guys, I'll try this TSB I mentioned above on mine and report back if successful. Have a new diffuser anyway to "sweeten the deal", because who in their right mind wants to pop bumpers just to fix a small extra gap 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chutzpah
As far as I know, there isnt a zip tie method for 2019+.
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Right, so I performed the zip tie fix, and rear bumper panel gaps are indeed perfect now, both on the left and the right side. I've checked them at temperatures from 50 to 87 degrees, all top notch, unlike before the fix.
However, as with most things in life, this doesn't seem to be "free" either. Since the bumper has nowhere to go on the sides as temperatures increase, because the zip ties have very little give, the center support section gets pressured to expand outwards and /or up.
The bumper has this black plastic retainer plate in the middle that slides between a bunch of metal tabs on the body, right underneath the bottom center of the closed trunk lid. Now, this plastic retainer plate is spot welded to the bumper only at a few, absolutely tiny spots, so I'm sure eventually it will yield and detach.
I will not be able test this theory myself, because I snapped off the plate when pulling the bumper (again, it was held only at a few tiny spots), so I had to apply another, unsophisticated, dual sided tape fix (sheesh). Preventing this without some specialty tool seems next to impossible, because the metal tabs the plate slides into are sturdy, and there is no room to "help" it stay attached to the bumper.
#exterior_modding_adventures