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My approach to installing the stainless steel REAR garnish (from various eBay Chinese suppliers).
1. Download OEM Garnish Instructions from Med-Center Mazda.
2. Download Curt CX-3 Hitch Instruction Sheet.
3. Referring to Figure 1. in the Curt Instructions, remove the two outer push fasteners from the bumper.
4. Carefully position the garnish onto the bumper, using large strips of masking tape to firmly hold the garnish in place up against the bumper cover.
5. Use a center punch/straight pick to mark the three upper screw holes and the two lower outer self-tapping screw holes, through the garnish, into the bumper cover.
6. Armed with a pencil, crawl under the bumper, reach around the backs of the outer push fastner holes (from Step 3. above), and mark the locations of the push fastner holes on the back side of the garnish.
7. Remove the garnish.
8. Drill appropriate holes into the bumper cover … sorry, I can’t remember the drill sizes … I experimented with a piece of scrap plastic to determine the appropiate sizes for the three upper screw inserts. Start with small pilot holes and work up to the appropriate “screw insert size.”
9. Drill pilot holes in the bumper cover for the two lower outer self-tapping screws (provided by the supplier).
10. Using the pencil markings from Step 6. above, starting with a small pilot holes, drill the garnish, working up to a size appropriate for the push fastners in Step. 3.
11. Screw-in the three upper screw inserts.
12. Re-position the garnish onto the bumper cover, again using masking tape to hold it firmly to the cover.
13. Cross yourself three times, clap your hands together, cast an eye to the heavens and pray everything lines up.
14. Loosely screw-in the upper screws, start the lower outer self-tapping screws … jostle garnish around as necessary … press in the push fastners … cinch up all the screws.
Notes:
a. I did not use the center push fastner, into the (flimsy) removable bumper insert.
B. It takes far less time to actually do the installation than it takes to read my overly-lengthy explanation.
**** REAR, NOT FRONT! ****
Seems to be impossible to change/correct the thread title
Small detail I screwed-up on!
1. Download OEM Garnish Instructions from Med-Center Mazda.
2. Download Curt CX-3 Hitch Instruction Sheet.
3. Referring to Figure 1. in the Curt Instructions, remove the two outer push fasteners from the bumper.
4. Carefully position the garnish onto the bumper, using large strips of masking tape to firmly hold the garnish in place up against the bumper cover.
5. Use a center punch/straight pick to mark the three upper screw holes and the two lower outer self-tapping screw holes, through the garnish, into the bumper cover.
6. Armed with a pencil, crawl under the bumper, reach around the backs of the outer push fastner holes (from Step 3. above), and mark the locations of the push fastner holes on the back side of the garnish.
7. Remove the garnish.
8. Drill appropriate holes into the bumper cover … sorry, I can’t remember the drill sizes … I experimented with a piece of scrap plastic to determine the appropiate sizes for the three upper screw inserts. Start with small pilot holes and work up to the appropriate “screw insert size.”
9. Drill pilot holes in the bumper cover for the two lower outer self-tapping screws (provided by the supplier).
10. Using the pencil markings from Step 6. above, starting with a small pilot holes, drill the garnish, working up to a size appropriate for the push fastners in Step. 3.
11. Screw-in the three upper screw inserts.
12. Re-position the garnish onto the bumper cover, again using masking tape to hold it firmly to the cover.
13. Cross yourself three times, clap your hands together, cast an eye to the heavens and pray everything lines up.
14. Loosely screw-in the upper screws, start the lower outer self-tapping screws … jostle garnish around as necessary … press in the push fastners … cinch up all the screws.
Notes:
a. I did not use the center push fastner, into the (flimsy) removable bumper insert.
B. It takes far less time to actually do the installation than it takes to read my overly-lengthy explanation.
**** REAR, NOT FRONT! ****
Seems to be impossible to change/correct the thread title
Small detail I screwed-up on!
