Hi. Recently bought a 2003 XK coupe. One of the front bumperettes (standard OEM) was shattered and the dealer replaced it with a second hand unit. The replacement is fine but has a hole drilled presumably where somebody mounted a license plate. I want to remove the bumperette and fill the hole / touch up the paint, and also give the whole front end a good polish and clean up while its off. I cant find any instructions on removing the bumperette that doesnt involve dismantling the whole front end of the car! and I know the dealer didnt do that! Any help? Is it straightforward? Thanks in advance.

 

JRamsey,

Take it back to the Dealer and have him replace the Tooth with a new one! Either that or change out the entire grill with a Chrome Mesh Grill from Adamesh.com or Mina Gallery.com. They look better than the Tooth deal....Check it out....

Billy Clyde in Houston

 

The bumper cover has to come off. I suggest you just repair it in place.

 

I have to respectfully disagree. I much prefer the pre-wire-mesh grille look.

-- but each to their own!

 

I bought the car 'as seen' so I'm ok with the dealer. They actually pointed out a couple of minor trim issues that I hadn't noticed myself prior to making the deal and fixed them as well.
Some of the alternative grill options do look good but one thing at a time for now.
Do you go to any of the Houston Jag owner meets? Jaguar Owners of Houston for example? Love going to classic car shows etc and it would be nice to be able to join in now I've finally got my own!

 

The guy who fitted the replacement only took 10 minutes so he must know a short-cut! Might end up repairing in place as you say, unless I see something obvious when I'm poking around.

 

See this post by GGG and follow the thread:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...27/#post796997

He also states that the nosecone has to come off, but I managed to remove them without doing so when I replaced the splitter vane. They are held by a pair of 'fir tree' fasteners, one on each side on the top, and hook behind the nosecone underneath.

I admit It's a year or ten since I did the job, and the shape of the vane changed slightly on the later cars, but I'd investigate whether it is still an option.