Trophy Rear Bumper Removal

Hi all,

I've had a Trophy for 3 years now and the rear bumper has developed a saggy bum.

The back of the bumper has dropped down and pivoted on the mounts just behind the rear wheel arches. I took the fog light out on the driver's side and can see that the bumper mount on that side has rusted away, I'm assuming the same is true of the mount below the rear cluster on the passenger's side.

However, I cannot get the bumper off, I can see there are some mounts somewhere around the rear wheel arches but I cannot see how to remove them. I've tried taking the cupboard backs out for a better look but to no avail.

This is a Autosleeper fibre glass bumper and not an original plastic VW bumper like on the Topaz. Someone must've had it off at some point as they've fitted reversing sensors.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Dan.

No Trophy experts know then?

I actually saw a Trophy today in Basildon and that seemed to have the same complaint. So someone must have encountered this.

I can't help, but at least by leaving a comment it will bump this post back near the top again!

Have you tried the T4 forum?

Hi 
just been  out to have a look under my Trophy, and sorry to say I can not see how it comes off either I don't suppose they just pull off do they? after you have removed the rear fastenings, as above suggestion try the T4 forum, If you do find out please post on here as I would like to know now
mike
VWT4

On  MY 2002 Topaz, there were brackets one at each end and going along were clips, A mechanic took mine off to fit reversing bleepers, he did have a job with them as they were quite a way back and not evident to start with, cannot say whether the Trophy`s were fitted the same .

Good luck,
Margaret

Thanks for the help and suggestions folks.

Peel wrote:Have you tried the T4 forum?

I am a member of the T4 forum, I've searched on there but I haven't asked. I though here would be a better bet as they're more focused on the VW side of things rather than the Autosleeper parts.

daisy mae wrote:On  MY 2002 Topaz, there were brackets one at each end and going along were clips, A mechanic took mine off to fit reversing bleepers, he did have a job with them as they were quite a way back and not evident to start with, cannot say whether the Trophy`s were fitted the same .

Good luck,
Margaret

The Topaz is different in that it's a proper plastic VW bumper on those with the original mountings. I considered that Autosleepers may have retained VW's method of mounting the bumper, but they haven't. It a bespoke, fibreglass moulding on the Trophy as they predate vw's LWB vans.

vwt4 wrote:Hi 
just been  out to have a look under my Trophy, and sorry to say I can not see how it comes off either I don't suppose they just pull off do they? after you have removed the rear fastenings, as above suggestion try the T4 forum, If you do find out please post on here as I would like to know now
mike
VWT4

Thanks for looking Mike. I've spent two weekends on my back now with stuff falling in my eyes. I've now resorted to pulling out the interior to see where the mounts come through the bodywork. I thought they may be clipped but I'm thinking now they may be bolts. One thing I have learn't is Autosleeper don't really put them together with taking them apart for any reason again!
Cheers folks. I'll post my progress.

This may be a daft question, but have you phone Auto-sleeper, surely they must know? I ask as I couldn`t find any mention of it in your thread, or have I missed it?


Hope you get it sorted, the guy, who fitted my twin rear view cameras  told me that the trouble with Auto-sleepers they are too well built. thank goodness they are, although frustrating when you have a job to do on them. that is why there are a lot of older ones around, built to last, unlike todays.

I've got the bumper off and to say it was a pain-in-the-* Inappropriate Word * is an understatement. If anyone's really interested I'll go into more details and add some photos, but here's a summary.

My bumper in hanging down because the two metal mounting brackets under each rear light cluster have rusted completely out. The mounting nuts for these are accessed by; 

Passenger side: in the toilet locker the base is removable by lifting out it's base, you have to do this to change bulbs on this side. The mounting nut is below the light cluster.
Driver's side: Take the gas bottles out of the locker and remove the metal panel behind the rear light as you do to change bulbs, the nut is below the light cluster.

This is where it gets trickier. The bumper is mounted towards it's front / wheel arches by a single bolt through the bodywork on each side. To get to these bolts is a tow.

Driver's side: under the cooker in the locker, removed the back of the cupboard, behind this is the Propex blown-air heater, you have to remove this and it's wooden pedestal to get access to the nut retaining the bumper.
Passenger side: In the little locker under the fridge, again you have to remove the back of the cupboard, but to do this the leisure battery charger and floor vents have to be removed. There's some corrugated ducting coming through the back that's screwed to cupboard back that also has to be removed along with the wiring clips to the socket. This is a lot easier said than done.

With these 4 (13mm) nuts removed the bumper will come off complete (once you've disconnected and removed the fog light), although the bumper is made up of 3 sections. The two end caps to wheel arch trims, and the centre straight section. These sections are held together at each side by two (each side) 13mm nuts and bolts. If yours is anything like mine they'll also be rusted solid and round when you try to remove them.

The bumper parts are made of GRP (fibreglass) mouldings, again if anything like mine you'll see gel coat cracks and damage that'll need addressing. This is where I think Autosleepers have been a bit lazy, the mounting brackets that have failed are bonded into the layers of fibreglass during construction. They didn't protect the metal and it's completely rusted through and snapped, but where the metal is 'sandwiched' into the bumper mouldings the rusting metal has expanded and blown the layers of fibreglass, bulging it and making a repair difficult.

I think to repair this properly I'm gonna have to come up with a modification and mount the bumper components differently. Again, if anyone's interested I'll share my progress.

Wow what a job, well done for getting the bumper off, looks like AS didn`t think it would need to come off in their books.

Good luck with getting it back together.