drichardjackson
TYF Newbie
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2016
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Everyone,
I have been seeing people saying that the 2015 Denali/LTZ Rear Bumper Step Pad is very simple to install and requires no bumper removal. That must have changed for 2016 SLTs with the Rear-Cross Traffic Alert System. However, the install is still very simple and it still only took me about an hour from start to finish and that includes figuring out what to do and taking pictures.
1. You need a 10mm, 7mm, and T-20 Torx bit. Then you will also need a ratchet, a socket extension, and a drill with a right angle chuck and socket adapter makes this easy. I would also have some nice needle nose pliers handy.
IMG_2835 by Richard Jackson, on Flickr
2. Remove the 7 washered screws in the rear of each rear wheel well with a 7mm socket. I used a drill with a right angle chuck for the top 5 and a ratchet for the bottom 2. I missed the very last one at the bottom of the wheel well in the pictures. There is one facing straight up to clamp the rear bumper cover to the rear quarter panel(shown in picture)
IMG_2831 by Richard Jackson, on Flickr
IMG_2829 by Richard Jackson, on Flickr
IMG_2830 by Richard Jackson, on Flickr
3. Remove the 4 watered screws in the bottom of the bumper that attaches the rear bumper valence to the inner steel bumper(note, don't lose the fender nuts that are clipped into the steel inner bumper tabs)
IMG_2833 by Richard Jackson, on Flickr
4. Remove the four T-20 Torx screws in the rear bumper cover the are above the step pads on each side of the vehicle.
IMG_2825 by Richard Jackson, on Flickr
5. Unsnap the rear bumper cover starting at the frontmost point where the bumper cover meets the rear quarter panel. Just reach your hand inside the wheel well and pull straight away from the vehicle towards you and you will hear a pop or two (probably a bit un nerving if this is the first time you have removed plastic body panels from a vehicle). Keep giving small tugs until all of the four snaps on each side have released. There are also three snaps underneath each tail light.
IMG_2827 by Richard Jackson, on Flickr
6. Now the bumper will be lose. NOTE!! The 2016 SLTs have the rear cross traffic alert and there is a lever connector directly underneath the rear passenger tail light. You may be able to get to this without having to remove the bumper, but it seemed easier to me to just barely slide the bumper back and then reach down and flip the lever up and remove that connector. The other trims may have a similar connection for other options like Rear Park Assist, etc. Note: There is an alignment tab in the center of the bumper cover that has to slide in a slot in the body that you don't need to forget when you put it back on (see fourth picture)
IMG_2822 by Richard Jackson, on Flickr
IMG_2821 by Richard Jackson, on Flickr
IMG_2821 by Richard Jackson, on Flickr
IMG_2824 by Richard Jackson, on Flickr
7. With the bumper removed from the vehicle(make sure to cushion the fall and make sure it doesn't scrape around on your garage floor!!, now you can see why the install is more difficult with the Rear-Cross Traffic System. There are something like 12 or 13 push pins that must be removed from the step pad mounting tabs before it can be removed from the bumper cover. These push pins secure the wiring harness for the rear bumper with includes the Rear-Cross Traffic System
IMG_2812 by Richard Jackson, on Flickr
IMG_2809 by Richard Jackson, on Flickr
8. With the harness push pins removed, pop out each of the step pad's tabs. I used a set of needle nose pliers for this. A screwdriver would work perfectly as well. If you are pulling up on the rear edge of the stock step pad when you are popping this tabs, it will help.
IMG_2811 by Richard Jackson, on Flickr
9. Pull up on the stock step pad to remove it. Note: There is a strip of 3M body adhesive on each edge of the step pad, just like the new one. You will have to pull to remove that adhesive a bit. Now you can see the inside of the rear bumper cover and you can see the slots for the front of the step pad tabs and the slots for the rear of the step pad tabs. These are the slots that you will need the new step pad tabs to hit basically simultaneously when you reinstall it. It's not difficult though.
IMG_2813 by Richard Jackson, on Flickr
IMG_2814 by Richard Jackson, on Flickr
10. Now remove the adhesive protection strips and reinstall the new one in the reverse order and you are done! A few tips:
-Don't forget to step the bumper back up on the ledges below the tail lights and plug in the connector under the right tail light and lock the level until you hear a nice audible CLICK.
-Don't forget about the center alignment tab that the rear bumper cover has that slides into the body.
-Make sure that the rear four screws above the step pad align very well so that the tabs in the top side of the rear bumper cover snap into the clips in the rear quarter panel (you POPPED them out by pulling towards you earlier).
-Make sure you get audible pops when you snap the clips in the last reminder so you make sure they are firmly attached.
- There is one spot in the rear wheel well that requires that you pull and wrap the bumper cover around the mounting ledge (I believe it was the third from the bottom screw hole that required this). You will see it. The mounting tab for this screw hole is different than all of the rest of them.
-Make sure all of the inner wheel well screw holes line up well.
-Make sure you haven't lost any fender nuts in the inner wheel well or at the bottom of the bumper cover where it attaches to the steel inner bumper.
I have been seeing people saying that the 2015 Denali/LTZ Rear Bumper Step Pad is very simple to install and requires no bumper removal. That must have changed for 2016 SLTs with the Rear-Cross Traffic Alert System. However, the install is still very simple and it still only took me about an hour from start to finish and that includes figuring out what to do and taking pictures.
1. You need a 10mm, 7mm, and T-20 Torx bit. Then you will also need a ratchet, a socket extension, and a drill with a right angle chuck and socket adapter makes this easy. I would also have some nice needle nose pliers handy.
IMG_2835 by Richard Jackson, on Flickr2. Remove the 7 washered screws in the rear of each rear wheel well with a 7mm socket. I used a drill with a right angle chuck for the top 5 and a ratchet for the bottom 2. I missed the very last one at the bottom of the wheel well in the pictures. There is one facing straight up to clamp the rear bumper cover to the rear quarter panel(shown in picture)
IMG_2831 by Richard Jackson, on FlickrIMG_2829 by Richard Jackson, on FlickrIMG_2830 by Richard Jackson, on Flickr3. Remove the 4 watered screws in the bottom of the bumper that attaches the rear bumper valence to the inner steel bumper(note, don't lose the fender nuts that are clipped into the steel inner bumper tabs)
IMG_2833 by Richard Jackson, on Flickr4. Remove the four T-20 Torx screws in the rear bumper cover the are above the step pads on each side of the vehicle.
IMG_2825 by Richard Jackson, on Flickr5. Unsnap the rear bumper cover starting at the frontmost point where the bumper cover meets the rear quarter panel. Just reach your hand inside the wheel well and pull straight away from the vehicle towards you and you will hear a pop or two (probably a bit un nerving if this is the first time you have removed plastic body panels from a vehicle). Keep giving small tugs until all of the four snaps on each side have released. There are also three snaps underneath each tail light.
IMG_2827 by Richard Jackson, on Flickr6. Now the bumper will be lose. NOTE!! The 2016 SLTs have the rear cross traffic alert and there is a lever connector directly underneath the rear passenger tail light. You may be able to get to this without having to remove the bumper, but it seemed easier to me to just barely slide the bumper back and then reach down and flip the lever up and remove that connector. The other trims may have a similar connection for other options like Rear Park Assist, etc. Note: There is an alignment tab in the center of the bumper cover that has to slide in a slot in the body that you don't need to forget when you put it back on (see fourth picture)
IMG_2822 by Richard Jackson, on FlickrIMG_2821 by Richard Jackson, on FlickrIMG_2821 by Richard Jackson, on FlickrIMG_2824 by Richard Jackson, on Flickr7. With the bumper removed from the vehicle(make sure to cushion the fall and make sure it doesn't scrape around on your garage floor!!, now you can see why the install is more difficult with the Rear-Cross Traffic System. There are something like 12 or 13 push pins that must be removed from the step pad mounting tabs before it can be removed from the bumper cover. These push pins secure the wiring harness for the rear bumper with includes the Rear-Cross Traffic System
IMG_2812 by Richard Jackson, on FlickrIMG_2809 by Richard Jackson, on Flickr8. With the harness push pins removed, pop out each of the step pad's tabs. I used a set of needle nose pliers for this. A screwdriver would work perfectly as well. If you are pulling up on the rear edge of the stock step pad when you are popping this tabs, it will help.
IMG_2811 by Richard Jackson, on Flickr9. Pull up on the stock step pad to remove it. Note: There is a strip of 3M body adhesive on each edge of the step pad, just like the new one. You will have to pull to remove that adhesive a bit. Now you can see the inside of the rear bumper cover and you can see the slots for the front of the step pad tabs and the slots for the rear of the step pad tabs. These are the slots that you will need the new step pad tabs to hit basically simultaneously when you reinstall it. It's not difficult though.
IMG_2813 by Richard Jackson, on FlickrIMG_2814 by Richard Jackson, on Flickr10. Now remove the adhesive protection strips and reinstall the new one in the reverse order and you are done! A few tips:
-Don't forget to step the bumper back up on the ledges below the tail lights and plug in the connector under the right tail light and lock the level until you hear a nice audible CLICK.
-Don't forget about the center alignment tab that the rear bumper cover has that slides into the body.
-Make sure that the rear four screws above the step pad align very well so that the tabs in the top side of the rear bumper cover snap into the clips in the rear quarter panel (you POPPED them out by pulling towards you earlier).
-Make sure you get audible pops when you snap the clips in the last reminder so you make sure they are firmly attached.
- There is one spot in the rear wheel well that requires that you pull and wrap the bumper cover around the mounting ledge (I believe it was the third from the bottom screw hole that required this). You will see it. The mounting tab for this screw hole is different than all of the rest of them.
-Make sure all of the inner wheel well screw holes line up well.
-Make sure you haven't lost any fender nuts in the inner wheel well or at the bottom of the bumper cover where it attaches to the steel inner bumper.
IMG_2836
