Side Marker Reflector Removal Pics & Tips

**defunkt** · 09-23-2006 09:05 PM

This is a repost of the tutorial posted BEFORE the crash :(

Hello all.

For those who would like to achieve the Euro Spec look and get these little bad boys painted, I'd like to share what I have learned today.

First off, I'd like to say thanks to Derek and Paolo at Exklusiv Motorsports in Phoenix, AZ for making short work of these.

Tools:
Torx 25
Strong Fingers

Total time for removal:
20 minutes.

NO BUMPER REMOVAL NECESSARY. Keep in mind that this is was done on an S-Line, but I can't imagine the standard A4 being much different.

Here is a pic of the reflectors out and the CLIPS. This is so you can get a sense of where the CLIPS are located since you'll be going by feel.

REARS
Start with the rears. Reach behind the bumper. There are 2 CLIPS on the top and bottom of the reflector that you pinch together to get them to release from the CLIP TABS. There's a 3RD CLIP on each of these, but once you get the 2 out it should be no problem. Your arm is going to be right by the exhaust so don't get burned. It's gonna take some force.

FRONTS
The fronts are a little harder. The best way to attack these is to crank your wheel one way for easier access to the wheel well. Unscrew the first 2 Torx 25's in the wheel well liner. Fold the liner back and reach in there. Again, pinch the CLIPS together to release. You can also get to these through the fog light area, just remove the fog light trim by pulling it out.

PART NUMBERS
If you want to keep your stock ones intact, here are the part numbers. Dealer retail is $32 each, and they have to be special ordered.

This view also gives you a better sense of how these things are made. Take note of the 3RD CLIP, it's no big deal once you get the first 2 out.

Done. Get 'em painted and you're on your way to Euro Spec...now if I can just source a Euro boot lid :)

**Wimbledon** · 09-23-2006 09:20 PM

Thanks defunkt for posting this --- I'm going to try it out on the A4 tommorow.

Also, how did everyone paint these? I have a ton of Audi touch up paint so I thought about using that. Or should I just send them to a shop?

**Coker Rat** · 09-23-2006 10:23 PM

pimp, i think i may do mine, i wonder how black reflective 3m tape would look? might have to expiriment.

edit: they don't make it

edit2:perhaps i can just smoke mine... i wonder how that would look... oh the choices

**'07 S-Line Ti** · 09-23-2006 10:26 PM

i jst used the audi brilliant black spray can

**Wimbledon** · 09-23-2006 10:34 PM

S-Line Ti, did you get the can from the dealer or online from like paintscratch.com?

**rhassoii** · 09-23-2006 10:59 PM

I painted mine using the spray can from the dealer, it was pretty easy.

**A44sho** · 09-24-2006 01:38 PM

If you guys just directly paint over it you will have bumps from the s/n on it. I'd recommend sanding it a lil and when it's smooth than painting over it to make it cleaner.

**'07 S-Line Ti** · 09-24-2006 01:41 PM

^^yup thats what i did.. and i got the cans from an az member (cant remember who you are! sorry!!!)

**rhassoii** · 09-24-2006 06:39 PM

I just want to add that for the rear reflectors, when I first tried I honeslty thought there was no way I could get my hands up in there, but it is possible. The bumper is flexible and will allow you to wiggle your hands up there. Thanks again for the advice defunkt.

**defunkt** · 09-24-2006 08:37 PM

Yeah, dont be bashfull when you are pinching the clips down, and pressing out ward...the bumper will bow out signifigantly and it will be all good :)

**MikeyG6767** · 09-25-2006 05:07 PM

thought you were selling your door blades defunkt ??

**phillyquattro** · 09-25-2006 05:22 PM

I just put mine back on the car, I'll post pics soon after I swap all the bulbs in the front. Got the paint kit from paintscratch.com. A44sho is right on, if you don't sand it's gonna look stupid with little numbers on it.

The rear ones are a little harder to get to but I think they actually pop out easier. The front ones were a bitch to get out, especially the driver side one.

**Fobia** · 01-11-2007 03:39 PM

wow i cant fit my hands in the front fender...

**Fobia** · 01-11-2007 03:43 PM

this thing is being a bitch

**08lichmanj** · 01-11-2007 06:30 PM

this should go in the noob guide

**parks853** · 01-11-2007 07:15 PM

Originally Posted by 08lichmanj

this should go in the noob guide

getting the link now. I just have to get the mod to update it since I no longer can.

**eLusive** · 01-12-2007 02:02 PM

pics please !!

**darkness2505** · 01-12-2007 08:57 PM

had the reflectors painted along with my filler

**A44sho** · 01-12-2007 11:33 PM

I painted my filler it came out bad and I didn't feel like sanding so I just got a euro plate instead. Did you paint the chrome strips or was it black already?

**08lichmanj** · 01-13-2007 03:53 PM

by the look of it it was already black he has the ti package

**darkness2505** · 01-13-2007 05:19 PM

nope.. the a4 is non sline non ti. That is the dtm grille ( or thats what i think it is called) with an all black filler plate. The strips were black already, so i just popped it off and painted the filler and popped the strips back in.

**pyrobecks** · 01-13-2007 06:37 PM

Originally Posted by darkness2505

nope.. the a4 is non sline non ti. That is the dtm grille ( or thats what i think it is called) with an all black filler plate. The strips were black already, so i just popped it off and painted the filler and popped the strips back in.

Did you paint the filler yourself? With the paint can from the dealer or online?

**darkness2505** · 01-14-2007 09:35 AM

no.. painted @ bodyshop

**Andrew A4** · 01-15-2007 01:29 AM

^^^ I bet most body shops would have a hellish time trying to match sprint blue pearl effect like on my car!

**BoSNiaN** · 09-11-2011 02:59 PM

Sorry to bump an ancient thread, but has anyone else done this? It seems impossible on my 2006 B7 (non sline)....the reflectors are flat with the front and rear bumper and even pushing the bumper around it makes them barely stick out 1mm...Using my flatest flat head just damaged my bumper but taping it up or putting a cloth on it makes it too thick. Any suggestions?

@taking the clips off from behind, I think its highly unlikely this was done on a B7 based on the post date and the fact that my car has heat shields all around the mufflers that follow the wall of the bumper making it impossible to reach these reflectors by hand without taking some stuff apart. I'd assume a sline would have the same heat shields so how the (*#($* would he have accessed them from behind? My 2 options are:

-remove front (easy enough) and rear bumpers (never done it but how hard can it be?) and unclip them, paint them, and then reinstall everything

-tape everything up and paint them while they on the vehicle (doubt im going to do this but)

**TMurt** · 09-11-2011 08:48 PM

I did it a couple months ago on my non s-line. I went through the fender and used a flathead to get leverage on the clip to pop the nearest bottom clip out. Once I got that clip out the rest were easy. The driver's side is a PITA though. I think the washer fluid container is right there and is almost impossible to get to. I think I ended up damaging the clip a little with the screwdriver though. I was replacing mine with clear markers anyways so it didn't matter if I messed them up a bit

**drumnjuny** · 09-11-2011 09:02 PM

it took me 5 min to pop each out. done on a B7. sometimes they are really stuck... it shouldn't be THAT hard though. i thought i was going to break one of the rears but it ended up being okay. don't be afraid to use a little force on the tabs when trying to push em out form the inside just make sure that you're pushing the two horozontal tabs at once and then slip the vertical one out. everyone has to deal with the heat shielding.

can be done with relative ease on a B7... just do it and use some force. and if you break it buy new ones off ECS

i took em out, put em back in, and then took em out again to paint them.

**drumnjuny** · 09-11-2011 09:03 PM

seriously don't waste your time taking off the bumper... but if its that hard for you to pop em out and taking off the bumper is easy enough for you then it might be worth your time haha. personally the front bumper just pops off, but i've never even tried to take off the back one.

**A4_Ti** · 09-11-2011 10:13 PM

For the Fronts, When I changed my oil I took the plastic skid plate off like you have to to get at the drain plug. once that was off I could easily access the back of the reflectors. Seemed super easy and your under the car so you can see what your doing. Passenger side is open, Driverside has the washer fluid tank which is kinda in the way, but still 10x easier than trying to fish around through the fender.

Trying to jamb a screwdriver in the tiny gap then prying on the painted bumper gives me the shivers..

For the rear's I dunno, I like the red so I left it

**BoSNiaN** · 09-12-2011 05:17 AM

Originally Posted by drumnjuny

everyone has to deal with the heat shielding.

Thats the part I don't get...how do you get around the heat shield? I literally have 1cm clearance between the heat shielding and my rear bumper wall and it covers it from the rear corner to the wheel well...

**yungcotter** · 09-12-2011 09:54 AM

When I did mine I just unscrewed the sides of the bumper it's 5 torx screws 2 on the fender liner and then 3 on the bumper it's self then just pull the sides of the bumper out and you have plenty of room to get in there.

**BoSNiaN** · 09-12-2011 12:57 PM

Originally Posted by yungcotter

When I did mine I just unscrewed the sides of the bumper it's 5 torx screws 2 on the fender liner and then 3 on the bumper it's self then just pull the sides of the bumper out and you have plenty of room to get in there.

Are you talking about the rear? Is there a DIY for it anywhere on here? I've got one bookmarked for the front....

**TheKid23** · 09-12-2011 01:01 PM

I think he's talking about the front. The rear was a little more difficult to get to but doesn't involve removing any screws. You just have to reach up around the exhaust, it is a very tight fit. Don't try going from in between the muffler and the bumper, go in with your arm from the inside of the muffler and then up and over towards the bumper.

**3.2L S-line** · 09-12-2011 01:14 PM

much easier way, use a crdit card/gift card type card and that will push the clips down, you probably need pics but i never reached behind the bumper for the front

**wildcat333** · 09-12-2011 05:38 PM

Originally Posted by 3.2L S-line

much easier way, use a crdit card/gift card type card and that will push the clips down, you probably need pics but i never reached behind the bumper for the front

can you explain this a little more? I tried and failed at installing clear sidemarkers. thanks.

**drumnjuny** · 09-12-2011 05:50 PM

Originally Posted by BoSNiaN

Thats the part I don't get...how do you get around the heat shield? I literally have 1cm clearance between the heat shielding and my rear bumper wall and it covers it from the rear corner to the wheel well...

just jam your hand in there, lol. credit card sounds interesting, i can see how that might work but it seems like it would need something more rigid than a card. whatever works, right? haha

**BoSNiaN** · 09-24-2011 02:05 PM

Originally Posted by 3.2L S-line

much easier way, use a crdit card/gift card type card and that will push the clips down, you probably need pics but i never reached behind the bumper for the front

Just tried this today and I thought for SURE it would make because it made sense in my head but it didn't.....the space is very tight, so I had to try 10 different cards because I found some thin/strong enough to both me in the jam at the same time. But even when I heard the clips coming out, the reflecter didn't move...it stayed in and even pushing on it/the bumper around it, it didn't come out

Any DIYs on how to remove the rear bumper or has anyone done it before and mind providing a quick summary? I'll do the front and rear ones at different times I guess...the front I'll do whenever I do my next oil change and my skid plate is off, and the rears I'll do when I figure out how to remove the rear bumper.

**TheKid23** · 09-24-2011 02:13 PM

Again, the rear bumper does not need to come off in order to remove these. And, you don't need to mess with trying to pop them out with a credit card either. Get up under the ass end of your car and snake your arm up through the mess.

**BoSNiaN** · 09-24-2011 02:24 PM

Originally Posted by TheKid23

Again, the rear bumper does not need to come off in order to remove these. And, you don't need to mess with trying to pop them out with a credit card either. Get up under the ass end of your car and snake your arm up through the mess.

Not possible. Your car must be different.....I have heat shielding cover the ENTIRE edge of my bumper from the rear wheel well to the muffler. That entire corner is covered on both sides and I have about an inch of clearance between that heat shielding and the inner wall of my rear bumper. If yours isn't like that (as your post suggestions) I am guessing it is a Canadian thing for winter/rust/salt prevention....