944 Bumpers & Spoiler — R&I and Impact-Absorber Data

Factory removal-and-installation reference for the 944's front spoiler, front bumper and rear bumper. Both the front and rear bumper mount to the body through impact absorbers — telescoping struts that let the bumper move under a low-speed hit and then return it to position. On USA and Canada cars these are the energy-absorbing (so-called impact) bumpers, and their fitment height on the body is a checked value (see ride height). The fasteners are quoted here by their thread designation (M6, M8, M10, M12) as the factory parts lists them, and the few set dimensions are in millimetres, so nothing on this page switches between metric and imperial.

Note: This edition of the workshop-manual bumper group lists the fastener sizes, quantities and the removal/installation notes for each part, but it does not quote a separate tightening-torque figure for the bumper and spoiler hardware. Torque the fasteners to the standard value for their thread size and grade. Do not invent a bumper-specific torque — none is specified in this section.

Front spoiler

The front spoiler is a polyurethane part. It bolts to the fender mounting plate and to a brace, and the side-marker lights and front fog-light connectors pass through it.

• Removing: unscrew the bolts at the fender mounting plate and brace, then disconnect the side-marker-light and front-fog-light plugs before lifting the spoiler away. The spoiler cover is a separate polyurethane part on its own bracket and brace.
• Installing: align the spoiler to the fenders and lay a coat of non-hardening body sealing compound between the spoiler and the fenders on the inside of the flange. Position the cover bracket correctly before tightening.

Key fasteners in the spoiler group: bolt M6 × 15 (spoiler-to-plate), screw B 6.3 × 19, bolt M6 × 16, and the associated M6 nuts and A 6.4 washers.

Front bumper

The front bumper carries the turn-signal lamps, the licence-plate holder, the rubber guard strips and (where fitted) the headlight-washer spray jets.

• Removing: disconnect the turn-signal plugs, then release the bumper from its mountings.
• Installing: check for a uniform gap between the bumper and the body all the way round before final tightening.

The bumper hangs on two impact absorbers, one each side, retained by M10 × 60 bolts with B 10 and A 10.5 washers. On installation, set each impact absorber so the bumper sits level with the body edge. The rubber guard strips fasten with M8 × 25 bolts. Where the optional cover is fitted and the bumper is not pre-drilled, drill and countersink the mounting holes to the dimensions given in the manual illustration (right side only). The set dimensions shown are 9 mm and 15 mm for the top-right hole and 11 mm and 52 mm for the bottom-right hole.

Rear bumper

The rear bumper is a separate group. Like the front, it mounts on two impact absorbers.

• Removing: release the bumper from the impact absorbers; replace an impact absorber if necessary — do not reuse a collapsed or damaged one.
• Installing: check for a uniform gap between the bumper and the body, and set the two impact absorbers to the same height on the left and right sides so the bumper sits square. Check that the covers and any bumper overriders sit neatly on the bumper and the side panel.

Rear-bumper fasteners: the impact absorbers are retained by M12 × 65 bolts (with washer and lockwasher); the overriders and their brackets use M8 × 20 bolts and M6 nuts, and the covers fasten with M5 nuts.

USA / Canada energy-absorbing bumpers

USA and Canada cars use energy-absorbing (impact) bumpers. The removal-and-installation sequence is the same, but on these cars the bumper height on the body is a checked value rather than a free alignment. Set it as part of the ride-height procedure:

• Rear axle: upper edge of the rear bumper 522 mm (± 20 mm) from the measuring surface.
• Front axle: 526 mm (± 20 mm), or 533 mm (± 20 mm) for the 944 S2.

Those figures, and how they interact with the torsion-bar ride-height setting, are on the 944 ride-height page — set the ride height first, then confirm the bumper heights.