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A while back a pheasant decided to commit comedy suicide using my car to shift from this mortal coil.

I presumed that it had been obliterated in a puff of feathers....as I was on the motorway doing a good 80 at the time. Upon reaching a 50mph section of the motorway I noticed people gazing over at my car and having a chuckle....I even began getting a little paranoid.

When I reached my destination I saw why. The pheasant was embedded head first in the bumper grill , arse in the air and legs akimbo. Quite a comedy moment. .......Well, until I saw the mess it had made.

I was going to glue, fill, sand, spray etc. the damage, however I've been offered a good condition bumper with the same paint code off ebay for 20quid.

As I've acquired some front foglights too, I thought it may be easier to change the bumper and fit the lights at the same time. Torque drives at the ready!

Any tips? Easy job?

Fitting fog lights with the bumper off is about, oh, 500 times easier than with it on. It's the damn springs, you see. You're expected to hook them up and over the lamps and then locate their lugs... right pain in the buttockular region. Mine are kind of half in, half out - positioned right, but not properly secured. Shh, that's a secret, don't tell anyone.

Otherwise, refitting the bumper is just nuts and bolts work IIRC.

Deffo much easier to do the lights with bumper off.

Changing the bumper is quite easy. I just followed the Haynes manual. I think 8 or so bolts and you're done.

Just make sure you have put your small hands on to do the job. With my meat slabs it was a bit of a squeeze. You'd think I'd be used to it seeing as I build minis