Rear bumper woes :(

Now here's a lesson learned in how not to check the ‘softness’ of your Citroën DS suspension! Use something solid to kneel on like the rear panel of the boot and NOT the top section of the rear bumper; they are a great deal more delicate than they first appear.

Rear bumper damage after kneeling on it!

So after much cursing I decided to remove the bumper to see if could be straightened. After removing the bumper it revealed a few more problems, namely the bumper support brackets were badly corroded, the support rubbers were worn and the rear lights were misaligned, these additional jobs would be sorted while the bumper was off.

Corroded rear bumper bracket

Rear bumper removed, back panel re-painted and wiring connectors cleaned and greased

Rear light panel had seen better days, a good clean up and repainted gloss black

Rear light panel repainted gloss black

New bumper brackets painted and waxoiled, these should last another 40 years

Rear light panel refitted with number plate and rear lights that are now straight

Checking the rear lights all work

eBay to the rescue which sourced a quite good top bumper section, the original was far too damaged to be repaired, The part was in Holland at a price of £35.00 and had a small dent which was repairable.

Trial fit of the new bumper section

All refitted and polished up and all new stainless steel fittings were used as the old mild steel bolts had to be cut off.

Note to self;
Well worth the effort as it now looks much better that it did originally but don't kneel on the rear bumper again.