GT Front Bumper Cover

[TedEbear]

Hi. I used to be a member here but I guess if you don't post after a long time your account gets purged.

Anyway, my wife recently bought an OEM replacement front bumper cover (fascia) for her 2003 GT from a local body shop. I was going to install it over the weekend but about halfway through the process I discovered that the replacement does not fit the lower part of the car. It does not extend low enough underneath to attach to the same holes across the bottom of the car.

When she ordered it the body shop assured her that it was for a 2003 GT Cruiser with fog lights. She even drove the car out there to verify that the replacement would match before they painted it.

I'm wondering what this new one is. Other than the lower part not being long enough there are two rectangular indents along the front edge. I've seen those on other Cruisers. Is that the fascia for a regular PT?

The body shop is closed this week but she'll get to deal with them next Monday. Since it was their screw-up in ordering the wrong part I wouldn't think there should be any problem in getting them to pay for the correct replacement and having it painted for free. We already paid for this once. I just want to find out what we have so she can tell the body shop. Thanks.

[Pteazer]

Sounds like you got a regular pt bumper,the GT is about an inch lower in the front.Make sure they take down the vin number of your car next time so they cant make that mistake again. Sucks to be them write now,oh well been there done that.Good luck and keep on cruizin,Ray from Pteazer.

[TedEbear]

Originally Posted by Pteazer

Sounds like you got a regular pt bumper,the GT is about an inch lower in the front

I removed the old bumper cover and laid a ruler across it several different ways and took some pics. I did the same thing with the new wrong size replacement. I expected to get in an argument with the body shop over whether or not the new one would work when we went back to return it.

The owner didn't give us any problem at all. I guess he could see how much of a difference there was in the pics. He could not find a GT bumper cover anywhere except through the dealer. I have inside connections through Chrysler dealerships and get 25% off all parts so I'm going to get the CORRECT replacement, which he said he would paint for free.

I wonder why none of the aftermarket parts sources sell a GT bumper cover? I didn't think they were that rare. Even with my 25% discount the GT version is going to cost me over $200 more than the regular PT style.

[PT_Cuda]

pictures are woth a 1000 words.. This is when having one of each comes in real handy..

The Blue PT on the left is an N/A(non turbo) the green one on the right is a turbo.



Differences. smoother painted bumpers on the turbo, the lower lip is much fuller on the turbo. On the N/A facia there are indents in the actually bumper, the lower lip is very sharp and much more pulled under. Its also shorter by a few inches, where the turbo's chin sticks out much more, almost chubby when compared to the non-turbo.

The Non-turbo the lip spoiler on the underside is a separate piece, where on the turbo its all one piece.
Next pic this is my 01 after I wrecked in Jan of 07, you can see here clearly the lip spoiler si not attached to the facia since facia isn't on the car - it ended up in the garbage. What you see sticking down is the rad, if it were a turbo there would be an intercooler sitting where you see the rad.


Don't let them tell you there is only one bumper for 01-05 nope not true. 06+ it might be though.. Fog lamp holes come standard, I have black plastic inserts in the blue one since I don't have fogs on that car. Just pull them out and fog lamps hook in the same mounting tabs.

Hope the pics help

[reklaweelmada]

This is my bumper cover. Modded it myself.

[sskyking]

I see a lot of posts about front bumper replacements, I'm wondering if most are for the same reason as mine... the darn thing is just too plain low and catches on everything!

[PT_Cuda]

Originally Posted by sskyking

I see a lot of posts about front bumper replacements, I'm wondering if most are for the same reason as mine... the darn thing is just too plain low and catches on everything!

Its not too low you don't drive it correctly. Don't tuck into parking spaces and don't hit driveways full bore, lean them a bit. There are not too many places you should scrape the stock ride height of these cars.

[sskyking]

Originally Posted by PT_Cuda

Its not too low you don't drive it correctly. Don't tuck into parking spaces and don't hit driveways full bore, lean them a bit. There are not too many places you should scrape the stock ride height of these cars.

I'm sorry, but you are assuming too much about someone else's driving style! The GT Turbo bumper extends about 1 - 1.5 inches lower than the non-turbo and since it comes with low-profile tires, that leaves a ground clearance of barely 7 inches (when empty). While many curbs are only 6 inches high, a number of states mandate 7 inches. This leaves too little clearance in many situations with passengers in the vehicle. Also, most parking lot bumper stops are 6 inches high as well, but this doesn't allow for the far too frequent protruding rebar due to the stop being hit all the time. The Cruisers unusual front end shape lends to poor visibility when trying to avoid going in too far to avoid the curb. It might have been just fine without the low-profile tires (which also wear out much faster).

By the way, I've even seen mine drag on the lift ramp at my local Chrysler dealership!

[PT_Cuda]

Originally Posted by sskyking

I'm sorry, but you are assuming too much about someone else's driving style! The GT Turbo bumper extends about 1 - 1.5 inches lower than the non-turbo and since it comes with low-profile tires, that leaves a ground clearance of barely 7 inches (when empty). While many curbs are only 6 inches high, a number of states mandate 7 inches. This leaves too little clearance in many situations with passengers in the vehicle. Also, most parking lot bumper stops are 6 inches high as well, but this doesn't allow for the far too frequent protruding rebar due to the stop being hit all the time. The Cruisers unusual front end shape lends to poor visibility when trying to avoid going in too far to avoid the curb. It might have been just fine without the low-profile tires (which also wear out much faster).

By the way, I've even seen mine drag on the lift ramp at my local Chrysler dealership!

See pic above for my TWO PT's the GT which is lowered 2inches up front.. Still shouldn't scrape it, driving it day to day.. You smash a parking stop its your fault - period end of story since YOU know your front end is that low.

[sawdust123]

I realize this is an old thread. My bumper cover just bit the dust today. Can anyone recommend a reliable source for these? Is CAPA certification important with this part?