******
- Verified Buyer
At one point I was ready to give this bumper one star and a thorough trashing in my review, but it turned out pretty well. The first thing I noticed when I opened the box was that the seller had sent the wrong one: it was black (CH1102332) and not chrome (CH1102328). But I had considered getting a black one in the first place, later opting for the chrome. No big deal, I thought. Black will do.Then I started assembling the brackets, and nothing seemed to fit together properly. There were huge gaps where mating surfaces did not lay down flat against each other. This is going to be a train wreck when I start tightening the fasteners, I thought. A monumental warp-a-thon.But, to make a long story short, I was amazed at how straight and good it looked once all the fasteners were torqued down. It's not flimsy. I had expected the material to be thinner than the original bumper, but it was within a few thousandths, and actually thicker in some places.The fasteners do seem like cheap Grade 2, and some of the nuts would not thread onto the bolts easily, but they did work. Most of them are much longer than necessary, and it would have been nice if the six bolts to fasten the assembly to the truck’s frame rails had been like the original ones, which had plates under the bolt heads to keep them from turning. You’ll need two ¾” sockets: one to tighten the nut and one to hold the bolt head.One tip for assembling the brackets: I assembled it all loosely, and then bolted the curvy and straight bracket sections together where they would later attach to the frame, using the fasteners supplied. That way the holes will be lined up after tightening the bolts that hold the brackets to the bumper shell, and you won't go crazy trying to get the bolts in when attaching the assembled bumper to the truck. This thing really does look like crap when you start to assemble it, and I’m still not sure why it didn’t curl up like a pretzel when I tightened all the bolts, but everything pulled into shape under the persuasion of a 16-inch ratchet handle. Still, I have to take off one star: it wasn't perfect.I really can’t complain about the seller’s error, because MBI Auto promptly and cheerfully refunded the difference in the price of the chrome and black bumpers: $40.The bumper fit without difficulty, it seems just as sturdy as the original and the quality overall seems as good as OEM.It will match the bumper that i take off.This is the whole package, everything you need. There was a finishing flaw in the metal under the chrome on one spot, about 2 square inches. It's in the center step on the bend and I didn't notice it till I had it installed. I'll just live with it. I spray can undercoated all the parts before assembly.Fits perfectBumper is well made and brackets are made as good as originals, easy to install and looks great.It was easy to install, and looks great.Ordered this for my 1999 Dodge ram 1500 Laramie SLT 5.9L. Product arrived on time and All hardware was included, it looks great!!! Aside from the delivery driver literally dropping it while exiting his truck, there "WAS" No additional scratches on it!
