About two weeks ago I noticed the only thing holding my front bumper on was this piece of trim...
I could see what appeared to be a hole for a bolt and I could feel there was a matching hole above, but I kept putting off doing anything further figuring I'd have to get down on back on the ground to see what needed to be done.
I think the road I take to the spring may be at least partly responsible for shaking anything loose that can be shaken loose...
Washboard almost all the way. You can't drive slowly enough to prevent it from rattling your teeth.
Today I had to go to Longmont. I had a shopping list I'd been adding to for about two weeks and I prefer either of the Longmont Walmarts over the one in Erie. I got an early start. I knew it would be too hot down below to leave Dixie in the car and I wanted to be gone before she got here so I didn't have to drive off an leave her. As I was driving down the canyon and hoping the glue held, the bumper didn't fall off and cause me to either drive over it or drive off the road, down a steep cliff and into Boulder Creek, I decided I'd take it the automotive center at Walmart and see if they could put the car up on the lift and at least provide a temporary fix. Turns out the newest Walmart in Longmont has no automotive center, so after I'd done my shopping, I drove to the one north of town which does have an automotive center.
I asked a young technician if he could put a bolt in the bumper. He said he wasn't sure they could do that, but his older co-worker told him to go ahead. Here they are making the fix...
Turns out the bumper was originally affixed with two small plastic pieces that snapped together. The bottom was missing. This was one still affixed to the top and they had to pry it out...
The bolt doesn't keep the bumper as tight as it should be so I may have to take it to a body shop for a true fix, but at least I know the bumper is not going to fall off. The best part was that they didn't charge me a thing! Talk about customer service. I may just have to go back and see if they can match the two summer tires I managed to wrest from Sears after they a) told me the other two were too worn to put back on, and b) kept the two good ones "by mistake" resulting in my having to call back and have them dig them out of the recycle pile and hold them for me until I could drive back up there and get them. Only part of a very, very bad experience at the Longmont Sears Auto Center last fall.
So tomorrow I have to clean out the woodshed because that's where those two tires are stored. I'm fairly certain we aren't going to have any more major snows--it had to have been in the 80s in Longmont today--so I can get these snow tires off before I put any more wear on them.
Are you spring cleaning? Teddee
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