Ok, I've got 3 Sonics. Turns out both sedans are the same color, silver, one is a 2012 1.8L and the other is a 2013 turbo. Recently, the 2012 had some minor body work done and part of the repair was to re-spray and clear coat the rear bumper cover - it looks brand new and the car has close to 70K on it. The 2013 is currently in storage in the garage - only 5K miles on it.
Last weekend, I was out in the garage cleaning my gas grill, etc. The sun was really bright that day, and I noticed a small abrasion and a hairline crack on the rear bumper cover of the 2013. The abrasion is smaller than a quarter and the crack is about three inches long, straight down. No idea how this happened or how I did not notice it before. It could have been there when I bought it (4K on it then,) but I don't think so. I looked it over pretty hard.
Three questions:
A. Can the bumper covers be swapped from a 2012 LT sedan to a 2013 LT sedan? It would seem like this will work, but the 2012 has two screws that go through the top edge of the bumper cover, visible only when you open the trunk, the 2013 does not have these. I could drill for them, I guess.
B. Online diagrams show a lot of tabs holding the bumper cover in place around the lower edges of the tail lamps. Probably many of these are broken on the one they took off and re-installed, but some 100% silicone adhesive will fix that... Will it help to remove the tail lamps to release these tabs? Seems like an obvious step, but not listed on the "how to guides." They just say to be careful not to break the tabs when removing the bumper cover.
C. Do you think this is worth the work involved?
Last weekend, I was out in the garage cleaning my gas grill, etc. The sun was really bright that day, and I noticed a small abrasion and a hairline crack on the rear bumper cover of the 2013. The abrasion is smaller than a quarter and the crack is about three inches long, straight down. No idea how this happened or how I did not notice it before. It could have been there when I bought it (4K on it then,) but I don't think so. I looked it over pretty hard.
Three questions:
A. Can the bumper covers be swapped from a 2012 LT sedan to a 2013 LT sedan? It would seem like this will work, but the 2012 has two screws that go through the top edge of the bumper cover, visible only when you open the trunk, the 2013 does not have these. I could drill for them, I guess.
B. Online diagrams show a lot of tabs holding the bumper cover in place around the lower edges of the tail lamps. Probably many of these are broken on the one they took off and re-installed, but some 100% silicone adhesive will fix that... Will it help to remove the tail lamps to release these tabs? Seems like an obvious step, but not listed on the "how to guides." They just say to be careful not to break the tabs when removing the bumper cover.
C. Do you think this is worth the work involved?
