Facelift Big bumper spoiler

[Fiatson]

I seem to have hit a wall in sourcing a replacement bumper spoiler for the front of my XJS.
It came with a crack in the lower front OS edge. On inspection after removal it's had a repair. Must have caught a kerb.
I asked a bloke on Ebay who was breaking one if he had the front bumper.
His reply came as no surprise " Could have sold fifty" Are these bumper spoilers (ie the whole plastic bumper) so in demand?
At over £500 from Jaguar I expect a good second hand one makes sense.
There is a company on Ebay doing big bumper copies of late TWR bumper spoilers. However these look the same but differ in a couple of respects the main being the chrome is missing/ not used.
I like my chrome and I'd have to buy the rear so as the two matched as the current rear matches the chrome on the front.
My other option is to have a fibreglass copy of an original. You need a good one to start with. That said if there is enough interest a mould and short run would be feasible.
You need to sell at least 10 to 15 to break even because it's about a £1000 to do the mould and run. The more you do the cheaper it gets.
A carefully used mould could make 50 or more items.
Let me know what the general concensus is, I may be tempted to get a mould made.

Fiatson

[GlennH]

Hi,

It probably makes more sense to have your own one repaired. If you can't find a bodyshop that can work well with fibreglass, you could always try a boatyard. A good yard will have masses of experience in getting a good finish. Chances are you'll soon put a crack in a new one anyway

Regards,
Glenn.

[Brakebuster]

i agree with the above ,

getting it repaird will be the next best thing to buying a genuine new one from Jaguar,

repairs to glass bumpers are very good providing they are done correctly, and you could also ask for them to lie down extra glass round the vulnerable sections ( on the inside ) for added strength while they are doing it ,

and cost would be a lot cheaper to, though it will have to be painted again, but a new one would have to be painted to,

the ones on ebay that you see ( £345 ? ) will not fit the facelift with regard to the chrome-work, also the mould is different to the facelift if you look close ,

i have a genuine TWR kit on mine( 1989 coupe ) , but it is a bit battered around and also has some 'spider' cracks which are terrible to repair without showing through later , the replica kit on ebay does not have the ' TWR ' moulded into it, and i am concearned it will not fit to the same quality as a genuine one

BB

[Fiatson]

Repair if done correctly is a very good option.
However the original bumper is plastic not glassfibre so would the glassfibre adhere to it?
The present repair was a nasty piece of plastic rivetted in and the lot covered in good old wag.
The cover has to be removed from the metal work to do a good job all very labour intensive and expensive though not a problem as I'd do all the stripping out.
a good body shop quoted £350 to do the job and repaint.
I thought a mould would be more cost effective in the long term as nearly everyone with these cars is going to catch the underside at some time it being so low to the ground. Apparently a lot of problems with glassfibre are down to poor preparation in the production process, a good company would lessen these problems.
By the way the Jaguar new one is just the plastic bit you have to swap the brackets and metal section. It's not a straight bolt on affair also it still needs painting.
In the end all I want is the car looking how it should without being fleeced so repair might be the best option. Act in haste repent at leisure as they say. I'll sit tight and see what comes up.

[Brakebuster]

cool

if its plastic then its easier than repairing glassfibre , as all they do is clean out the crack/split and then weld the joint using a filler rod just like stick welding metal, and its just as strong as the original product ,

the facelift must have had different construction to the pre-facleft with regards to the over bumpers , as all pre facelift are glass, as my original TWR ones are,

£350 still seems like a lot to me for a repair/respray ( insurance repair price ?? ), why arnt you going through the insurance to get new parts / repairs done, all it will cost is your excess, and a loss of about 10% on the no claims ( if it isnt protected ) then you dont have to worry about cost ?

BB

[dhdove]

Fiatson
I've been recently told by my service agents that repro big bumpers are available, don't know who makes them, or to what standard.
Suggest you ring Swallows Spares on 01934 750319 and ask the question.
Regards
DH dove

[Brakebuster]

just found these on ebay,

they are the right ones for your car and will not requre modifying ,

i have no affiliation to the seller,
just thought it would give you another option, hope ithelps

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/JAGUAR-XJS-BUMPER ... dZViewItem

BB

[l.grainger]

Hi,

I have an undamaged pair of bumpers, from my 1995 Celebration convertible, in Sapphire metallic. I replaced them with new, as I was preparing my car to concours standard. As you will know, the design of these bumpers was such that they were not ideally-supported & a little distortion takes place over time - even without damage. please let me know if you are interested.

Regards

Laurence Grainger