Whilst cleaning the chrome exhaust tips this morning (thanks to those of you that suggested I try steel wool - excellent!), I noticed the rear bumper seems to be hanging down slightly, particularly on the right. You can see the gap in the photo below is relatively big (about 1cm) on the right corner.

I can push it up manually to reduce the gap to almost nothing.

I had a quick poke around underneath, but couldn't find an obvious way of lifting the bumper permanently.

Any ideas?

 

Your Bumper Bracket could be failing.



It's a plastic moulding with an aluminium height adjuster which the bumper fixing bolt goes through. If the aluminium adjuster is breaking up, the bumper will drop down leaving a gap.

Graham

 

Here is how I did an adjustment, and having taken this rear bumper off several times, its fairly easy. Right above your exhaust tip (you may have to drop the exhaust hanger to clear the tip first) remove the long bolt and whatever they call that metal bushing/spacer thing. In that hole you just exposed, you can now use a large flat head screwdriver to rotate the adjuster clockwise to 'close the gap' on that corner. Its adjusting the piece shown in GGG's post above, except from below. That groove-notch is there for a reason, I found.

 

Excellent info. Thanks to both of you. I will give it a try and maybe PM you if I have any issues

 

That angled rear bumper is one of my pet peeves with the XK8. It looks like an afterthought, as if Jaguar forgot to include a rear bumper and quickly stuck one on with duct tape and bailing wire....

It is also a major dirt-and-grime trap....

 

^ Agreed