Parking sensors are used on most late model vehicles.
If your replacement bumper does not have the sensor holes pre-cut,
you can cut them easily using the Polyvance 6149 Bumper Sensor Hole Cutter kit.
Some replacement bumpers require you to cut holes to mount the parking sensors.
Often there will be some molded-in lines or guides on the backside of the bumper
to show you where they go, but cutting the hole is left up to you.
Polyvance's 6149 Bumper Sensor Hole Cutter set has six cutters in the most popular sizes
to allow you to easily and cleanly cut these holes.
The set is packaged in a compact organizer case and includes a drill bit to drill the pilot hole.
Polyvance's sensor hole cutters are simple to assemble and operate.
First, drill the pilot hole in the middle of the area defined by the markings on the back of the bumper.
Each cutter assembly has three parts, the cutter bit, the die, and a bolt.
Unscrew the bolt to separate the components.
Leaving the small cutter bit on the bolt,
insert the bolt through the pilot hole on the outside of the bumper.
Thread the cutter die onto the bolt from the backside of the bumper until it bottoms out on the plastic.
Hold the die on the backside while tightening the bolt on the outside with a 13 millimeter socket wrench.
Once the cutter starts to bite, you can just turn the wrench and the sharp cutter edge will do its work.
Keep turning until the bumper is cut all the way through.
When finished, you will be able to pull the cutter assembly through the hole you just created.
Unthread the bolt from the cutter die to remove the plastic.
The side slot in the cutter die makes it easy to remove the plastic doughnut.
If you have sensor hole that is not circular,
use the biggest possible cutter to clear the majority of the plastic,
then use a small die grinder, razor knife, or airless welding element
to trim to the edges of the sensor opening outline on the back of the bumper.
The Polyvance 6149 Sensor Hole Cutter kit is more expensive than competitive products
because it's better and easier to use.
Let's take a look at the advantages.
First, the kit has six of the most popular sizes of round hole cutters
and is packaged in a very compact organizer case.
Second, each cutter set only has one cutting edge and three components for ease of use.
Competitive systems can cut two size holes per set,
but there are more components and it can be confusing how to orient them for cutting a certain size hole.
Most importantly, the Polyvance cutters have a sharp edge on the cutting die to make a cleaner hole,
while the competitive product has a blunt face
which basically pushes its way through the plastic by brute force.
Which of these do you think will cut through the plastic easier and cleaner?
As you can see, there is less distortion of the plastic when cutting with the Polyvance cutters
than with the competition's, and less effort is required to do the job.
Each Polyvance cutter set comes with its own bolt.
Competitive products require you to stack three components on a separate bolt and nut.
This requires that you hold a wrench on the backside of the bumper to keep the nut from rotating.
The Polyvance dies themselves are threaded, keeping them from rotating once they lock down,
allowing you to wrench from one side and cut through the plastic cleanly.
Since Polyvance's tools only cut one size hole,
they are simpler to use and pass through the hole easily when finished cutting,
keeping the outside surface from being damaged.
On competitive products, especially when cutting the smaller of the two available sizes on a tool,
it's possible that the tool may damage the bumper,
and at the very least has to be dismantled in place to allow removal.
The Polyvance 6149 Sensor Hole Cutter kit is available from your favorite paint jobber or equipment disributor.
For more information, go to Polyvance.com or call 800-633-3047.