Liam, I do have that "ever-so-slight" dimple on my passenger side (R rear). I had previously removed the bumper to install the LED reflectors.

Let's try to ease your mind a bit. None of the clips were broken in the R&R process. Everything is well-secured, and no loose/rattles heard nor felt.

But the fact remains that it IS there, albeit ever so slight. My thoughts are that I am not going to let it bother. Lastly, to go back into that area in an attempt to adjust it to "dead solid perfect," may have me screwing it up. Not my concept of a warm or fuzzy feeling. :wink2:

EDIT: You wouldn't want to break any of those plastic clips/connectors on that panel seam. I've read posts where this has occurred and resulted in body shops and/or special adhesives getting involved. Or, metal quick-disconnect hardware.

 

UPDATE: Went out to monitor tire pressures. Passing glance over at the panel Liam referred to. I have NO hint of any slight depression. The panel seams are perfectly mated and smooth. uzzled:

So, to all: "body flex?" Temps are moderately cooler this morning (66F) as opposed to yesterday (80?). I can't explain it. We did travel to the football game and afterwards to a restaurant last evening. That's about it. Thoughts? Ideas?

Having said all of this, I still stand firm in my comment, "Don't mess with it." :wink2: But if he (Liam) would feel better having the dealer look it over, I'd encourage him to do so. I believe body fitment falls under the 1st year/12k new owner warranty. As does front end alignments, and just about everything else...

 

yea I am going to have them look at it, I wouldn't want that to affect resale value with others thinking it was in a accident, lucky for me, they the dealer took a pic of the car the night i BROUGHT IT and you can see the seem not lining up good in their pic. I bet you are right about the temps which I guess means it might do it again !

 

Youse guys are going to generate even more concerns, seams on my Limited are very snug, and using a plastic straight edge in perfect alignment. Shop manual goes to long extremes to tell you how to remove the bumper, tail lamps, wheel wells, undercover, clips, some screws, etc. and wear protective gloves. I can't do anything right with gloves on I need the feel.

But for installing, just say to reverse the procedure, I think they mean reread the instructions starting at the bottom and working up and reading from right to left.

For this guy, installing a bumper is at least a two man job, preferably three. Just haven't figured out how I can be underneath the vehicle while attaching hardware and being outside to make sure its perfectly aligned. Yes even daughter and wives can help. Three is better so the bumper can be supported on both sides with the third person underneath. Bit more difficult with just two with the guy outside trying to keep the entire bumper aligned.

Prefer being the guy on the outside because alignment is critical, but also check every thing underneath to make sure all the clips are right and screws properly tightened.

If you are told this in normal or dey all to dis, can always drag them out to the lot and show them other vehicle where they are properly aligned.

 

Removing that bumper is easy. I worried needlessly over nothing. One man job. Loosen everything, walk to the rear, reach down, grab with both hands, lift, pull back.

 

I don't want to remove my bumper lol or would even go to that point to fix it. I was just wondering if other people with the 2017 hyundai elantra had that. It is nothing terrible, more something I only notice but I was wondering if my elantra was the only one like that.

 

Ha, of course removing the bumper is easy, was talking about installing and getting it aligned properly. And if the Elantra has some kind of shelve where you can slide the bumper in for self supporting, does make installing it that much easier.

May not even have to be removed, had a gap in my Cruze rear bumper, just removed some screws on the wheel well, could bend it over, found a nut at the top of the bumper, loosened it, could pull it forward, tightened that nut, put the wheel well screws in and was done in less than five minutes.

If this bothers you Liam, take it to your dealers body shop, more than likely can be done in a couple of minutes.

 

And if the Elantra has some kind of shelve where you can slide the bumper in for self supporting, does make installing it that much easier.

May not even have to be removed...

In some respects, it does rest on a shelf below the trunk lid's bottom gasket.

You could remove those three fender liner screws on the wheel well and possibly unsnap that portion of the bumper seam. Working from bottom to top. Then gently snap them back. Might take care of the problem.

But as for LED reflectors? Bumper has to come off. Otherwise you will never gain access to that one hidden screw that holds the OEM reflector inside the bumper indentation.
@Liam Rowe: the rear spoiler...Quartz white? From vendor or you contracted for the paint job? How do you like it?

 

I've got the same issue on mine, same issue on my wife's 2016 sonata as well. It's just the production of the car. I noticed it a few weeks after we got them both.

 

Can only get so much information from reading a shop manual, only a general idea, have to dig in there yourself to see what's going on. Depending how many goodies you got with your vehicle, shows electronics that have to be removed and reinstalled, and certainly don't forget about those connectors. Based on the reason you are removing your bumper is to replace it with a new one.

With these newer vehicles, think about Snap-On in Kenosha, WI, use to do work for them designing test equipment, brain racking job and it has to work with every vehicle out there. But maybe that span-on name gave ideas to automotive companies to span-on parts rather than using a screw. Recall those days when everything was held together with a screw with cost cutting methods to reduce production cost, don't solder it when you can ultrasonically weld it, or tack weld it, or crimp it, screw maintenance, replace it with a new one kind of thing, than snap it together.

Sure found things on my Cruze that were not fully snapped in, but so far nothing on the Elantra. This could well be the problem with these bumpers, not fully snapped in. Of course a lot easier to snap these parts in than to unsnap them. Could just need a good whack. Never had a problem snapping together two connectors with one hand when putting a dash together, but trying to disconnect them is a nightmare, especially when there is only room to get one hand up there.

Also best to do this on a hot summer day with the sun blasting its rays on it. When that plastic gets cold, is very brittle and you don't snap them off, you break them off.

Worse ones are the dead end type, two opposing tabs, angled at the end with square tops that expand into a slot. No way to squeeze those tabs together, only way to remove is to break those tabs off without denting the surroundings with a pry bar. Then replacing that entire piece for only $$$$$$$$, sure easy to pop those in. Have a good friend that manages a body shop, has a hard time explaining this to an insurance company.

 

Liam, I don't know if you leave your car outside a lot or the temperature conditions of where you live, but plastic and metal (and even different metal/plastic materials) have different expansion and contraction rates according to temperatures. You should look at this seam at different temperature ranges to see if it looks the same in all conditions since that particular seam is plastic attached to metal.