How to remove front splash guard?

iamtheari · 10-06-2013, 05:14 PM

Does anyone know the trick to releasing the front and side edges of the splash guard ("apron" I think is the Porsche term) in the front of the car? That would be the underbody cover in front of the one you have to remove to change the oil. I removed all the screws I could find but it seems to be fastened pretty tight to the front bumper cover/grill. Thanks in advance.

Marko911/944 · Marko911/944's Garage

I just removed mine this morning to change the oil. I jacked up the vehicle as high as possible from both front jack points, placed jackstands under the front susp pivot points. Then I used torx or triple squares to remove the numerous fasteners on the apron, and finally the 3 or 4 Philips heads in front of each wheel (there is one torx style screw barely visible up higher than the rest at both corners). then a good tug pulled the plastic apron loose.

iamtheari · 10-07-2013, 02:22 PM

I will take another look for the Torx that is hard to find and make sure I got that one. Is there a reason you removed this part to change the oil, though? I can reach the filter and both drain plugs with it in place. (I haven't changed the oil yet, so maybe I'm missing something. If I get the coolant to stop leaking, that's my next project.)

Mike80911 · Mike80911's Garage

There is a spring clip on some years located at the rear of the skid plate under the transmission dead center

iamtheari · 10-07-2013, 07:28 PM

I must be using the wrong name for the part. I have the panel under the transmission and the panel under the engine oil drains both removed, no problem. What I need to remove is the front piece, which is at an angle toward the front and which surrounds the fog lights. I need to drain the coolant and this piece is supposedly the one you have to remove to get to the drain petcock on the radiator.

I have removed the Torx and Phillips screws from the bottom trailing edge, where it meets the engine underbody cover. I have removed almost all of the wheel housing screws, both Torx and Phillips (and I'll be lucky if I remember which ones go back where now that I think of it). I have removed one Phillips screw from each side located in front of the wheel housing and appearing to connect the cover in question to the rear lower corner of the bumper. It still appears to be quite well fastened to the bumper.

MysticLlama · 10-07-2013, 08:41 PM

There are two more Phillips screws up about 4-6" higher on each corner than the 4 that go across the front and are immediately obvious.

Get a good flashlight and follow the edge of the plastic as it turns and goes upward on the sides.

iamtheari · 10-07-2013, 08:54 PM

I am not seeing anything on the trailing/bottom edge of the apron that is connected to anything else at this point. The top edge is stuck to the bumper and I can't see any fasteners that might exist because of the various things in the way, such as intercoolers, foglights, and the radiator. Is there a trick to releasing it, in case I actually did get all the fasteners out?

MysticLlama · 10-08-2013, 07:39 PM

It just pulls out, pull either edge that turns upward toward the middle and they'll pop out.

It definitely doesn't just drop out and requires a fair amount of tugging.

iamtheari · 10-08-2013, 08:57 PM

I feel pretty dense. I've tugged pretty hard in every direction, to no avail. The bumper flexes along with it. There is definitely something connecting the apron to the bumper. Surely there is something I'm missing. I don't want to just apply brute force until it snaps because that seems like just a recipe to buy a new bumper.

The good news is that I can see the radiator drain petcock, so my car does have one of those and this isn't all wasted effort. I just need to get to the darn thing. Frankly, I can pull the apron forward and it flexes out of the way to get where I need to go, I just don't particularly like that method. Plus, I'm hoping to recover the twist-lock plastic fastener I dropped, possibly in front of the radiator, when putting the engine covers back in place.

One other forum thread I found suggests you need to remove the fog lights to reach a tab that is snapped in place. Unfortunately, removing the fog lights appears also to be an arcane art for which I can't find any help online. Anyhow, I'm headed back out to the garage for one last effort at this stupid thing. Thanks for all the help so far...I just wish I could apply it to my car more easily!

iamtheari · 08:33 PM

I got it. Recommended additional tools:

1. A friend [required]
2. Another friend [optional]

It's possible that it was cracked before I got to it, but it's also likely because I was unable to pull on both sides at the same time. The job did just require a firm, steady pull forward from the two rear edges. A couple of the plastic tabs broke off in the process, and there is a crack near the middle of the apron. But it went back on okay for me and seems sound. Thanks for the tips and encouragement, everyone!

EDIT to add: A couple of cracks in the plastic is a small price to pay to get the coolant drained and filled back up with a proper mix of antifreeze so I don't end up with a cracked engine. Leaky expansion tank led to lots of distilled water and an antifreeze mix safe down to all of about 30F here in sunny North Dakota where.

Travis84 · 10-19-2013, 12:51 PM

For future reference, it is very easy to just pull the whole bumper off. You were nearly there. The entire harness unplugs in one connector in the wheel well and just undo the service disconnect for the washer hose, right next to the harness connector. Then just a few bolts up top and pull it off. Sorry this is late.

iamtheari · 03:03 PM

Thanks for the belated tip. Removing the entire bumper cover seems like a daunting task, especially solo, but had I failed with the splash guard last night I was about ready to try that. For future reference, which wheel well houses the electrical connector? My car lacks headlight washers so I don't have to worry about that one.

(Another surprising Porscheism: air suspension, memory seats, heated rear seats, rain-sensing wipers, parking sensors, air-conditioned glovebox are all standard while automatic headlights, garage remote, and headlight washers are optional.)

iamtheari · 03:03 PM

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Travis84 · 10-19-2013, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamtheari

(another surprising Porscheism: air suspension, memory seats, heated rear seats, rain-sensing wipers, parking sensors, air-conditioned glovebox are all standard

air susp, heated rear seats, park assist are not standard...

The connectors are in the passenger side wheel well. The bumper removal is actually quite easy. I can have one off in about 10 mins but ive done it a hundred times.

iamtheari · 10-19-2013, 03:04 PM

I shopped for a Cayenne Turbo for a long time and never found one without those features. If they're not standard, they're at least frequently-ordered options in comparison with the other things.

I hope I don't have to remove my bumper that often. But next time I need to access anything up there, I'll give it a shot.

Travis84 · 10-19-2013, 03:50 PM

OK, turbo those things i believe are standard. I didnt know you meant on a turbo. When you do your horns, and you will have to replace them at some point, you will need to loosen that lower bumper piece to get to them. My trick to pulling that lower piece is a flat head screw driver inserted between the bumper and the lower piece at each of the clips and gently pushing the lower piece in the downward direction to unclip them. They are spaced about every 4 inches or so. Its extra fun if your piece is painted to match the bumper as they are made from a very firm plastic. The black ones are alot more flexible and forgiving. Have fun, glad to see that you are tinkering with your car. feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions like this in the future.