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civic damaged on ramps (those oil change ramps)

2K views 16 replies 10 participants last post by  ChevelleSS_LS6 
#1 ·
1. This is the GF's car... 97 Civic lx sedan, nice dark red metallic color, and stock. Nothing special really. Nice driver... cheap on fuel and handles well, and that's about it.

2. Front end of exhaust heat shield came loose on the downpipe, so I secured it with a hoseclamp a few months ago. Now the rear end of the shield came loose, so I drove it up on some ramps (it rubbed but so did any other car I put on those ramps) and in a couple minutes had that secured with a hose clamp.

3. Was backing up car, GF was standing there, and I see her going spaztic and yelling 'stop' and so I stop, and the bumper cover caught on the ramp and pulled it forward a bit... I drove back up onto the platform part, and used a traditional floor jack to lift the car, then I removed the ramps. Set car down.

4. Damage analysis: pass. side where bumper cover mounts to front fender (screw going vertically into front fender) is torn. Pass side of bumper is about an inch or two forward of where it's suposed to be, drivers side is about 1/2 inch forward/down from where it's supposed to be. It is well secure enough to drive.

5. Questions:
1. did this happen to any of you guys before?
2. did I likely bend some of the light stamped metal pieces that hold the bumper cover in place? (they're just under the headlights)
3. is the bumper cover friendly to the practice of plastic welding (yes plastic welding is real)
4. how would I remove the bumper cover to check the condition of the 'bumper guts' to see if any sort of mounting bracket is bent/damaged? I see some body clips along the radiator support... is that and the screw in the front fender (look just inside the wheelwell where the bumper and fender meet) all that holds it in place?
 
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#5 ·
I would not even use them things dangerous to say the least. Your life is worth something. just be glad it was just the car getting messed up a little bit. Better than one of them collapsing while your under it. tell the gf if ya had some good jack stands and a nice floor jack you wouldn't have to use those ramps that mess the car up. LOL. as for the tears on the bumper cover if its just around a bolt hole try using a washer between the bolt and cover(provided the tear is small) .
 
#6 ·
It's best not to secure it to the exhaust system as it never holds for any lenght of time. Make brackets and secure it to the under carriage.

The plastic bumper really isn't plastic but a urethane molded product. Depending on tear damage it may be repairable using a 2K urethane repair product from 3M. It's not cheap and may be cheaper to get a used bumper from a salvage yard and repaint it. They aren't hard to R&R.
 
#7 ·
If it took me longer than a minute and a half to remove one of those bumpers I would quit my job! I could do it while wearing a white tuxedo without getting a smudge on it!

I have said for years, "There is no one who can ruin a car faster than a boyfriend". :D

You tore tabs on the bottom of the bumper where it attaches to the fender liners and under eng shield. On that car, I don't remember but I believe there are two 6mm bolts going up into the rad support as well.

The metal lip on the fender where your upper screws/bolts attach the bumper tips at the wheel wells is likely pulled down too. There is a plastic nut that pushes into a hole in the metal lip, remove them and straighten the metal out so they will fit up there properly.

The left and right bumper "stays" under the head lamps may or may not be bent, they are "easily" repairable by simply bending them back up. But they can also break the headlamp where they are mounted, that happens OFTEN.

Pull the thing off, repair the bumper cover as described in a previous post and reinstall.


Brian
 
#8 ·
civic damaged on ramps (those oil change

mistake you learned from and survive are best remembered .
your lucky your girl friend not in hospital with leg amputation or reconstructive surgery .
i bought a set and never used them .
loaned them out to a bud and that was the last time i seen them .
he had a 70 chevelle big block on them . decided to back the car off like you .
when the car came down off the pad as you , they shot out from under the car and one went through his garage wall , the other took me off my feet like it was nothing , broke my leg dead center between knee and ankle breaking both bones .
it hit so fast it took me right out my shoes .
yea there gone , left me with a limp for life and had me up in air for darn near 6 months out of commission .

so your lucky as heck that all you tore up .
anybody else had this happen ?
 
#10 ·
By the way, I don't mean to be a hot shot smart ars saying how easy it is to get that bumper off. Just said it like I did to make it CLEAR, it is very easy and you can do it without a hitch.

Brian
 
#11 ·
MARTINSR said:
By the way, I don't mean to be a hot shot smart ars saying how easy it is to get that bumper off. Just said it like I did to make it CLEAR, it is very easy and you can do it without a hitch.

Brian

You mean I can,t use my bumper jack on a Civic?? :D



There are two Phillips head screws(or 8mm) on each side where the bumper cover meets the fender.And you have the plastic clips underneath the car.Try spraying the clips with some spray lube first to try to save them.This helps but most the time they brake anyway.There is one 10mm bolt going to the rad support you will see it when you remove the plastic clips that you see on top.
The Styrofoam piece will probably fall off.To reattach it.I just use some masking tape to hold it in place until you get the bumper cover back on.

It does help to have someone hold one end so you don,t scratch it.
 
#12 · (Edited)
redlightning said:
You mean I can,t use my bumper jack on a Civic?? :D

it'd be funny to see someone do that to most any modern plastic car lol.


That aside, the temporary exhaust shield hoseclamp repair was done, tools were cleared from the area, GF was standing in front of car about 10-15 feet playing with the 8mm ratchet (they work better than a screwdriver on those hose clamps fyi), and I was intentionally backing the car down off the ramps. Bumper caught on the little lip there where the ramp section connects to the platform section. With the stories and stuff here, and my experiences (you name it, it'll scrape) I doubt I'll use them again.

But for sure, I'm not a big fan of the 2-piece design they are... the molded plastic ones (one piece) look a lot safer, and the ramp isn't as steep either- preventing this from happening again.

I'll just use a jack and 'stands from now on... I really appreciate the help. I'll look into the 3m stuff.
 
#13 ·
I've got a set of the plastic ones and they are a lot more stout than the stamped metal pieces - though they can move somewhat when you're driving the car up on 'em (usually when the tire hits the back stop and/or drops into position - they'll shift an inch or so forward from the inertia).

I've only had one "accident" with these ramps, and that happened when I was trying to get my manual trans '78 T/A up 'em - goosed the throttle a little too hard and managed to stop with the front wheels on top of the stop. Tried to shift it into reverse, but I wasn't quick enough and the car rolled forward and off the steep side of the ramp (with a rather loud and jarring *WHAM* sound). I don't know if anyone else witnessed this, but the damage was fairly light considering - some dents on the underside of the fenders, and a busted battery.
 
#14 ·
I have a set of this 4 ton RhinoRamps and I use them pretty regularly with all kind of cars with no issues at all. Even had my F250 on it once just to see if they make it. They did. I had a 02 civic on and even a C230 where I doubt in the beginning I get it up there without hitting the bumper first. No problems also. But you sure have to be careful with those ramps. I always have one foot on the break up and down the ramp not to overshoot up or have the suspension go in on the way down and hit the ramps with the bumper. And I line them up very carefully before I go up. With the design of my ramps together with the rubber stops on the bottom there is no way this ramps will shoot out the way you explained it here. I guess picking the right ramp and use it the proper way helps.
Just my experience.
Tomi
 
#15 ·
Furytom said:
With the design of my ramps together with the rubber stops on the bottom there is no way this ramps will shoot out the way you explained it here. I guess picking the right ramp and use it the proper way helps.
Just my experience.
Tomi

They didn't shoot out... just the ramp angle was too steep/her civic sat too dang low. haha I've said this many times the bumper just snagged the ramp... unless you were referring to someone else. This is an interesting topic though about ramp safety. :thumbup: I'm sure if someone started a thread like this in the garage/tools section there'd be a lot of input.
 
#16 ·
yes your right I did also refer to the ramp shoot out. The civic I work on fits the ramps I have. But its close I have to say. Now Im aware that aint helping you to fix yours! But you got all the proper answers already :thumbup:
And im sure you fixed it already.

Tomi
 
#17 ·
I surveyed the damage up close with the gf's dad on tuesday. He said that the GF made it sound like I ripped the whole bumper off.

Tomorrow I'll go back down- not sure if I'll get a chance to fix it as she has family over from out of state. *sigh*

At least I have good info to work with! I'll also discontinue use of the 2-piece ramps, and if need be, I'll get a set of those one piece ramps... the ones at the local parts store are quite wide too.
 
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