Removing the Ground Effects

[Kurt Franz]

Removing all of the ground effects from new to me 2002 Versatile.. Just starting the front bumper cover... my understanding is that it is attached to the chrome bumper via double sided tape and 3 pop rivets. Not quite understanding how there could be pop rivets holding that on with no damage or evidence on the "good side" so to speak.

More to come

[folivier]

On my 2011 C210P those rivets go through the plastic fairing that is attached to the metal bumper. Yours may be different.

[Kurt Franz]

Thanks for taking the time to reply So ...you see the evidence of the rivets? Maybe I am just having a bad day but it is still not making sense to me. How can there be rivets into the roadtrek bumper cover from underneath/behind the fender? The rivet has to be attached to the roadtrek bumper cover to hold it there no? Given that it is plastic that is maybe 2mm thick how does that work without going thru the plastic? The 2 screws on each side that are screwed into the fender lip - that works fine but beyond that I am confused. I just want to make certain I do not destroy the unit when taking it off.

[JohnnyFry]

Mine had screws underneath the ends of the bumper. Once you get the end loose use a hair dryer to loosen the adhesive and it peals right off. Mine didn't leave any residue behind. It was a pristine shiny bumper underneath!

[Kurt Franz]

Originally Posted by JohnnyFry

Mine had screws underneath the ends of the bumper. Once you get the end loose use a hair dryer to loosen the adhesive and it peals right off. Mine didn't leave any residue behind. It was a pristine shiny bumper underneath!

That is exactly what I had, except it did not peel right off after using the hair dryer. It was kind of a PITA getting it over the ends of the bumper. I ended up cracking the one end, but it is repairable if I ever decide to repaint and reinstall. You can see in that it is pretty faded. I like the stock chrome look and the fact that it is a bit easier to crawl under there and I am not thinking too much about hitting the curb. I think I am going to remove the door ground effects next and store them away with the front bumper cover. They are kind of loose and rattly and faded in spots like the bumper cover. Looks like crap in my opinion and serves no real purpose. I don't think I would have ordered that option if I was buying it new.

[folivier]

Just a thought here but on my Lexus GX470 which I use mainly for off-roading I trimmed the lower edge of the bumper to give more ground clearance. I might do this to my 11C210P to give more clearance if I can define a nice transition. I also have a set of tow hooks from my 11 Tahoe that I might see if they fit. Don't plan to take it off-road but if I ever get stuck somewhere the hooks will make it easier to pull it out.

[Kurt Franz]

Here are a few pics with the ground effects removed. Pretty simple job except for the middle passenger side door. There must have been issues with that earlier in the van's life because the plastic was glued on the bottom and there were metal inserts in the screw holes loaded with silicone sealant. Not the most robust design to start with but this is also 20 years later.

I like the look better this way - also no more of that cheesy rattling when opening and closing the doors.

With the exception of the scuffed paint areas this should clean up nicely with the black rubber strip re attached covering the holes. Anyone have a recommendation for the brow/copper paint color needed for touching this up?

IMG_4722.jpg

IMG_4723.jpg

[Bud]

Originally Posted by Kurt Franz

Here are a few pics with the ground effects removed. Pretty simple job except for the middle passenger side door. There must have been issues with that earlier in the van's life because the plastic was glued on the bottom and there were metal inserts in the screw holes loaded with silicone sealant. Not the most robust design to start with but this is also 20 years later.

I like the look better this way - also no more of that cheesy rattling when opening and closing the doors.

With the exception of the scuffed paint areas this should clean up nicely with the black rubber strip re attached covering the holes. Anyone have a recommendation for the brow/copper paint color needed for touching this up?

Attachment 12762

Attachment 12763

It is a Ford color: DD 4282

eg: https://www.amazon.com/Dupli-Color-M.../dp/B07FW5MH2S

[Kurt Franz]

Thank you for the information - I will give this a shot