How to Change a Front VW Passat Bumper Cover at Home

If you’re a Passat owner and your front bumper cover needs to be replaced, we have good news for you: it’s pretty easy to replace a Passat bumper cover at home.

What You Need to Have Before Starting the Project

You can hit the ground running if you gather together the following tools and materials beforehand:

  • Flat blade screwdriver
  • T-25 Torx
  • T-30 Torx
  • Masking tape
  • Replacement bumper cover

Finding the Right Replacement Bumper Cover For Your Passat

New passat cover

Looking for a replacement bumper cover can be pretty overwhelming if you decide to go the aftermarket route. It’s so much easier to find the right OEM bumper cover because all you have to do is to look up your Passat in our catalog. You’ll find the right part number for your model. For example, this bumper cover is specifically designed for 2016-2018 Passat models.

OEM Vs. Aftermarket Replacement Bumper Covers

You might be thinking about getting an aftermarket replacement bumper cover. We’re here to tell you that it’s a pretty bad idea. Aftermarket bumper covers may be cheap upfront, but they usually cost a pretty penny in the long run because:

  • Aftermarket bumper covers don’t fit quite as well.
  • Aftermarket bumper covers aren’t usually built with high quality materials.
  • Aftermarket bumper covers aren’t usually backed by a warranty.

OEM bumper covers, on the other hand, come with precise fitment, high quality materials, and a warranty that’s written in the customer’s favor.

You can read more about this here: The Truth About OEM and Aftermarket Volkswagen Bumper Covers

Replacing Your Passat Bumper

Replacing cover

Image Credit: 905speedgta

Basically, you’ll need to remove the grille and the bumper cover. There are screws underneath the grille that you need to access in order to get the bumper cover off.

This tutorial is based on the 2005 Passat, but it can still be applied to an older or newer Passat and some other VW models.

  1. Remove the T-30 screws holding the center grille in place. You can find these screws on the top of the bumper cover.
  2. Locate the tab on the top center of the grille and then gently pull it with your flat blade screwdriver. To do this, insert the screwdriver between the two tabs and then slightly rotate it enough to clear the metal pin holding it in place. Next, use the screwdriver to pull forward on the plastic hood release. Be careful because these tabs are easy to break.
  3. Remove the remaining screws holding the grille in place.
  4. Pull the grille up and then push in the tab to release it.
  5. Gently pull off the grille.
  6. Now, you will see four T-30 screws on the bumper cover, where the bottom of the grille used to be. Remove all of them.
  7. Put some masking tape along the bumper cover and along the headlights to make sure you don’t scratch anything.
  8. Turn the steering wheel all the way to the left.
  9. Go into the wheel well on the passenger side and then remove all the T-25 screws holding the bumper cover in place. There’s normally three in the front and another one on the very top.
  10. Turn the steering wheel all the way to the right and then repeat the previous step in the other wheel well, on the driver side.
  11. Scoot under the bumper cover and then remove all the flathead fasteners at the bottom.
  12. Disconnect the fog lights and marker lights, if applicable.
  13. Grab the bumper cover by the center and then slide it forward off the car.
  14. Install the new bumper cover in the reverse order.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about buying an OEM replacement bumper cover or replacing your bumper cover.