deformed front bumper :O

sevsev

Member
:
'03 P5
I just noticed yesterday that my bumper seems deformed under the drivers side headlight, there is a nice gap under both headlights except for in the middle of the drivers it pushes up right to the headlight (probably scrached paint). Also when I push on the part of the bumper right in front of the headlights it flexes, but if I push on the raised part it won't budge as if something is right under it pushing it up. Also where the bumper meets with the fender right where the headlight is it pops out abit (I think a screw is missing right there tho). Coincidentally that side is where my CAI sits and the filter looks like it hits the fenderwell right under where the headlight is, still a coincidence? Pics posted too. Could the filter be the culprit? Does it have that much force? And is that headlight gap the normal gap under the headlights?

Also I think my hood fits weird, I know the passenger side is flush but the drivers side sits alittle high. I assumed this was from the wind deflector hitting something under there and didn't worry about it cause I was planning to remove it. I finally removed the wind deflector since I first bought the car and the hood still sits high on that one side, grrr. Does the hood look like it doesn't sit right on the bumper and grill? It's the first time with the deflector off so it looks funny to me naturally, help please.

Photos of bumper and filter contact... (most of) those aren't scratches, just a salty car :)
 

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Last edited:
Hood pics
 

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Has the car ever been in an accident?
Have you done any other mods to the front end that might have damaged some mounting parts or something along the lines of that?
 
Actually yeah, right down the middle, still has original headlights, big thing I wanna know is if that headlight gap under it is normal, whatevers in the way I'm gonna try and pound it down
 
sevsev said:
Actually yeah, right down the middle, still has original headlights, big thing I wanna know is if that headlight gap under it is normal, whatevers in the way I'm gonna try and pound it down
If it was in an accident right down the middle, that can explain the space where it meets the fender. That could also explain the space under the headlights too. If the contact was on the bottom pat of the bumper, it could have bent it slightly that way as well. Depending on what happened inside can affect that as well, and the hood.
 
I have had a gap like that under the headlights since new...and it has driven me nuts since I noticed it a while ago...although I guess it is normal, I always check every P5 I see in a parking lot just to make sure...and I have never seen one without, and some are a lot worse...
 
Installshield 2 said:
I have had a gap like that under the headlights since new...and it has driven me nuts since I noticed it a while ago...although I guess it is normal, I always check every P5 I see in a parking lot just to make sure...and I have never seen one without, and some are a lot worse...
I have a feeling I will start being the same, thanks all, just wanted to make sure I wasn't as deformed as I thought (freak)
 
Installshield 2 said:
I have had a gap like that under the headlights since new...and it has driven me nuts since I noticed it a while ago...although I guess it is normal, I always check every P5 I see in a parking lot just to make sure...and I have never seen one without, and some are a lot worse...

Mine does that too alittle. My passenger side is nice but my driver side is worst, but I barely notice.

As for the CAI being the culprit, theres no way its in the way of anything. I'd suggest putting some foam tape around the edge of the air filter so it doesn't bang against the metal there, or foam tape the metal. I have a fairly large air filter and its really snug.
 
Anyone know how I could figure out whether its my hood that is bent or something else? Mazda is supposed to do a collision/perforation check as part of the regular service, shouldn't that have caught it a bit? If it's just the hood then hello carbon fibre! But I don't want to shell out the money just to find that it doesn't fit right either.
 
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