How do you remove and replace the thick rubber insert in the bumper deco-trim pieces? The back of the metal trim pieces are sealed, so it can't come out or in that way. But they must have gotten it in some way, but how.
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Gently pry to lift the rubber from the bottom then just pull it off the aluminum. Reinstalling is difficult as it needs to be worked into the aluminum a bit at a time...don't stretch the rubber when reinstalling as it will shrink and pull away from the end over time.
Plus the aluminum is easily scratched and bent. I'd put it in hot direct sun light to help soften the rubber.
In a follow up question: How do you bend the trim to match the curve of the bumper? The last few inches require a sharper curve, but are hardest to bend. Which is why I see it not sitting flush to the bumper on a lot of replica cars such as mine (a VS).
A "C" clamp and pieces of wood on the back and front of the bumper and gently tighten the C clamp to draw down the aluminum Deco strip to the bumper. I've found that replacing the small carriage bolts with short 5/16" self tap hex screws is easier to do adding a few extra as you get closer to the ends.
A little lube and some heat will make the rubber pop in easier.
I installed the rubber trim in my bumpers a few weeks ago. Thinking about it made it seem like a daunting task. After plenty of thought and a lot of looking at what I had to work with I noticed the edges of the rubber fit under the inner lips of the chrome.
In the end I wrapped blue painters tape around the business end of the smallest standard screwdriver I had. This was the best way I could avoid scratching the aluminum. I contemplated using a plastic tooth pick, a metal dental pick, and even a wood shim. The steel screwdriver with painters tape had the softness I needed to avoid scratching the aluminum while keeping the rigidity I needed for the install.
I then sat down and got to work putting the rubber back in. I did this by working from one side to the other. I pressed the rubber into the bottom lip of the chrome piece and held it in place with one hand as I gently pressed the top of the rubber down with the taped end of the screwdriver and slid it under the lip. I just worked from end to end doing that. I used the tool on the top side so I could easily see what I was doing as opposed to trying to press upward from the bottom.
After literally hours of thought and days of hesitation it took only a few minutes to do each bumper. If I have to do it again or change the side pieces in the future it will go quickly and painlessly.
In reading this thread I absolutely agree with WOLFGANG about letting the rubber warm in the sun. When I took my pieces off, I labeled them front and rear so they would go back in the same bumpers. I also coiled them up so they didn’t take up too much space while they were off. I uncoiled them and let them sit for a while before installation and having them in the sun would have helped quite a bit.
I hope this helps...
I've replaced hard rubber tires on lawn mowers and they recommend placing the tires in boiling water ---- FL we have the sun so solar power!
My trim is new, but has a tighter curve on both ends than the bumper itself. Will the aluminium trim bend easily enough so I 
can smooth out the curves?
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