Maxlider Bumper with Brush Guard.: The GOOD, BAD & UGLY review

[BroncoPls!]

The GOOD, BAD & UGLY review of the Maxlider Bumper with brush guard.

GOOD:
Style, hands down one of the best-looking bumpers
Build quality, Addictive Desert Designs quality is great
Crash bar covers
Winch mount, nice and tight to the vehicle
BAD:
Price point, it's expensive
Cannot replace lights if damaged without removing the bumper
Cannot remove the brush guard without removing the bumper
Cannot remove the Bronco grille without removing the brush guard, which means removing the bumper.
Key steps of the installation missing from their installation videos
Edit: Add that stock SAS Badlands catches the corner of the crash bar guards in reverse on a slope. Added photo after grinding the corner off

UGLY:
At this price point you would expect a refined product, but it isn't. Ford makes each front bumper sensor position with a different "keyed" pattern for the sensor bushings to keep the angles correct on the factory bumper. You would think Maxlider/ADD could punch the correct holes for the bushings. None of them are correct, you must trim each sensor bushing to fit, I added Gorilla Glue to make sure they stayed retained. The light kit they sell with the bumper requires grinding the brackets on a bench grinder (per their installation video) to allow for the lights to mount flush with the front of the bumper. They also have a metal guard on the underside that must be removed to mount the winch and is pretty much impossible to reinstall on a mounted bumper without drilling and adding nutserts (suggested in their installation video).
SUMMARY:
I overall like the bumper and the way it looks on the Bronco, wish for the price they had included threaded or welded nuts so removing the brush guard did not require removing the bumper. Fill in the gaps in their installation video, especially of relocating the adaptive cruise control.

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[Bcol2012]

Thanks for the review! I have been eyeing this bumper because they have the best solution for the ACC relocation in my opinion. It’s also a great looking bumper but very expensive as you said. I’m also undecided on if I want to include the brush guard. It’s disappointing to hear the amount of trimming/grinding work you had to do. I know that once the bumper is on it’s probably fantastic but I agree with you that for the price point that’s more added steps than we should have to do through. Great looking vehicle!

 

[HeliPilot]

The GOOD, BAD & UGLY review of the Maxlider Bumper with brush guard.

GOOD:
Style, hands down one of the best-looking bumpers
Build quality, Addictive Desert Designs quality is great
Crash bar covers
Winch mount, nice and tight to the vehicle
BAD:
Price point, it's expensive
Cannot replace lights if damaged without removing the bumper
Cannot remove the brush guard without removing the bumper
Cannot remove the Bronco grille without removing the brush guard, which means removing the bumper.
Key steps of the installation missing from their installation videos
Edit: Add that stock SAS Badlands catches the corner of the crash bar guards in reverse on a slope. Added photo after grinding the corner off

UGLY:
At this price point you would expect a refined product, but it isn't. Ford makes each front bumper sensor position with a different "keyed" pattern for the sensor bushings to keep the angles correct on the factory bumper. You would think Maxlider/ADD could punch the correct holes for the bushings. None of them are correct, you must trim each sensor bushing to fit, I added Gorilla Glue to make sure they stayed retained. The light kit they sell with the bumper requires grinding the brackets on a bench grinder (per their installation video) to allow for the lights to mount flush with the front of the bumper. They also have a metal guard on the underside that must be removed to mount the winch and is pretty much impossible to reinstall on a mounted bumper without drilling and adding nutserts (suggested in their installation video).
SUMMARY:
I overall like the bumper and the way it looks on the Bronco, wish for the price they had included threaded or welded nuts so removing the brush guard did not require removing the bumper. Fill in the gaps in their installation video, especially of relocating the adaptive cruise control.

For that MaxLider insert beneath the winch, I did not use nurserts…seemed like too much effort for a decorative piece. I used the same plastic retaining clips that hold in our inner fender liners. They are plastic pushpins with screw heads for removal. Very easy and accomplish the same result. Like you said, for the price, nutserts should have been pre installed.

and for the Vision-X light brackets, I used a metal cutoff wheel on my angle grinder. Very quick and clean cut. And again…should come with brackets prefabbed for their product…I also repainted them for corrosion control post cut.

 

[Tye]

i wish someone who bought this bumper with the brush guard would sit it on the factory modular bumper to see how much modification would be required to the brush guard mounting plates to try and mount it to the factor modular bumper. Example, even if new mounting plates were welded on, how far would it extend beyond the modular bumper, etc.

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