My current 98 bumper has a crack in it, and im thinking of replacing it for a USDM 99-01 bumper. The current bumper I have right now has a warranty on it from a shop (the bumper is only 6 months old), but I don't know if they can only do a straight exchange for the same bumper, or if I can get them to put on a USDM 99-01 front bumper and I'll pay the cost difference (I called them today and no one picked up... :( ) The thing is, I'm going to not just need the front bumper, im going to have to do the full conversion, foglights, turn signal, beam and everything. What is the cheapest (and if possible, most hassle-free) way to do this conversion?

I have seen 2 full conversions on the net , http://www.writerguy.com/primitive/body.htm and http://www.subaruparts.com/catalog/?section=167 , but they seem kind of expensive, especially to ship to Canada. Someone suggested to someone else to go find a car that has been hit from behind and get their front end, but there are no cars with USDM 99-01 front bumpers here, since all the RS's from 98-01 came with the 98 front bumper in Canada. Maybe I can find one in the states to ship here? If I can get the new bumper under warranty as I stated before, then I will only need the beam, lights, etc... but im kinda doubting that the shop will let me do the bumper exchange thing...

Also, will this void the warranty on my car in any way? I am going to probably get the service people to do the conversion for me, since Im kinda young and have never done something like this before... I don't wanna screw it up... but of course if they don't know how to do it, I just might do it myself :D

I saw this topic a month or two back, and it really didn't have the answers I was looking for, so I decided to make my own topic. :)

There are a number of folks in the Vancouver forum who have done this mod and a few here in Alberta that I am aware of.

FYI, the US bumper is only rated for 5kph collision speeds whereas the Canadian bumper is rated for 8kph collision speeds (required by Canadian law). If you go to the USDM bumper conversion, it's highly unlikely that your insurance company will cover any damage as a result.

Cheers,
MB

USDM is rated at 5 MPH, not KPH which is the same as CDM requirements.

i recently bought a 2001 Rs with the US conversion done from a dealer...he mentioned something about it being Certified.

maybe u should head over to ur local subaru dealer and ask about having them installing it and issuing a certificate or something.

~SGD

Originally posted by BOY
USDM is rated at 5 MPH, not KPH which is the same as CDM requirements.

he is exactly right

Hmmm... I kinda figured... if im gonna get a new front end, why not go all-out? (if I can afford it) :D

I kinda like this one for instance, but I can only seem to find one site with it for now (and its damn expensive)
:( http://www.rallispec.com/product-aero1.htm , its the product called "RST-5900 WRC Front Bumper Kit".

Oh and BTW... I talked to the guy at the body shop today, and he said that he's really not sure if i can get a new bumper or not, because he can't tell if it's just the paint that is chipped, or if the damage is into the bumper itself (looks like it to me). I have to make an appointment to take my car in so he can get a better look at it then decide :confused:

There has been a lot of talk about this on the Toronto-subaru-club (http://www.toronto-subaru-club.com) for a proper kit from a dealer it would cost about 1,400. If you got to the TSC and do a search you are sure to find the information. There was a recent post that listed all the parts, part numbers, and cost.
Just me, but I would stay away from the fiberglass. I believe that there is someone on the TSC sells/ is selling replica front bumpers.

I have check the US front bumper from dealer in Vancouver it cost about CDN$1500, and u said u hv warranty from your shop, not dealer right? Ask them to phone dealer how much they can get from subaru, they might be able to get better duel, like $500 for just the bumper skin stuf like that......fog lights are expensive tho, 400$ from dealer, try PIAA/Hella. BUmper beam is cheap as I know.


Primitive's body kit, including its V5 bumper is made of flyglass, try to avoid that, although it is cheap for only 250$US

ya i live in vancouver i have seen ALOT of US bumper GC8 on the street:D

Originally posted by Osgood30


he is exactly right

Yes he is, but the Canadian Gov't still makes you do a bumper conversion on most cars when you import them into Canada. The mechanic told me the parts he takes off and puts back on are EXACTLY the same, but you still have to do it.

Yes, I'm bitter.

Bastages. Thats why I left my Florida tags on my RX7 the entire time I lived in Canada. Glad to be back in the USofA making real money again. :p

Originally posted by awddrifter
Oh and BTW... I talked to the guy at the body shop today, and he said that he's really not sure if i can get a new bumper or not, because he can't tell if it's just the paint that is chipped, or if the damage is into the bumper itself (looks like it to me). I have to make an appointment to take my car in so he can get a better look at it then decide :confused:

Take a sledge, use it in a befitting manor and in about 5 seconds, you need a new bumper and possibly beam if you go a little excessive in the power department:devil:

The US/v5 bumper is perfectly legal, and undoubtably looks incredibly better then our Canadian or 98 rs bumper. As for dealer quotes from SOC, steer clear of them; they quoted me $387 cad plus 14.5% tax for the beam alone. Go order from Jamie (Subie Gal) at allsubaru.com, she'll give you awesome wicked pricing, and then bam good 'ol free trade and in comes the customs and brokerage. Then your great deal becomes not so great unless you live close enough to Seattle to pick it up or something.

edit: Me fail engrish that umpossibles

Originally posted by imprezaboi


The US/v5 bumper is perfectly legal, and undoubtably looks incredibly better then our Canadian or 98 rs bumper.



Perfectly legal? Really? The Ministry of Transportation told me I'd have to do a Front bumper conversion if I imported my 2001 RS. So I left it in the states and picked it up when I moved back. Of course, all along I suspected that they were just tring to make it hard to import cars into Canada, so maybe it is legal.

I did, however, have to do a bumper conversion on my RX7.

You don't need a new beam. You can cut part of the existing beam instead. There is a how to in the huge "L" thread in members car gallery forum.
I wouldn't worry about the crash rating, but that's just me. No need to tell insurance jack, but then don't try to claim the aftermarket parts if you have a collision.
The skin, lights and turn signals and painting are still going to run you beaucoup $$. You could just put a BC lip or Version III/IV lip on it and call it good. Be proud of your Canadian uniqueness.:lol:

Here's how I tackled the CND bumper issue on my 99.

http://home.ica.net/melendreras/public_html/FINALPHASE2.jpg

Blue blubs ? what the heck are those?


and where did you get them :)

Originally posted by linsavy
You don't need a new beam. You can cut part of the existing beam instead. There is a how to in the huge "L" thread in members car gallery forum.
I wouldn't worry about the crash rating, but that's just me. No need to tell insurance jack, but then don't try to claim the aftermarket parts if you have a collision.
The skin, lights and turn signals and painting are still going to run you beaucoup $$. You could just put a BC lip or Version III/IV lip on it and call it good. Be proud of your Canadian uniqueness.:lol:

That beam cutting part is dipping into dangerous territory, if you get into a big accident and your insurance company were to see you had a cut rebar, your insurance company could and probably will void all your coverage until the car is up to code. You'll be the one who has to pay the repair bill, happened to a friend of mine up here. Let me tell you this it was not pretty.