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Intro (feel free to jump to the installation portion):
First of all, let me start off by saying that this post is not meant to be a negative review of CBI. I'll try to state facts and be constructive in any criticism I might have. Interestingly though, as I'm typing this I'm also attempting to access their website and it appears to be down, which is a pretty good synopsis of my experience dealing with them. I will also be transparent and say that since doing the install I have yet to attempt to contact CBI with my concerns. I intend to, if for no other reason that I hope they can make changes to make the install easier for future purchasers. I'm not looking for any compensation or anything. An apology would be nice but even acknowledgment would feel like a win.
I completed the install of the bumper by myself on my 2024 Tacoma OR. It took me 12 hours, which sounds like a long time (and it was) but a lot of it was fiddling around with other things. If I were to do it again and just install the bumper I could probably do it in half that time.
CBI makes two front bumpers for the '24 Tacoma, the Covert Bumper and the Covert Super Stock Bumper. The Covert provides more coverage and replaces the plastic around the factory fog lights and also includes space for a light bar. The Super Stock just goes to the first line of the plastic and doesn't require relocation of any lighting or sensors. The Super Stock is what I decided on since my main goal was the installation of a winch. That being the case I had a few questions for them prior to purchasing the bumper around what size winches would fit. They assured me most any winch should fit so I went ahead and ordered it on Nov 22, '23. I knew when I ordered it that I was looking at ~10 to 12 weeks, and that ended up being fairly accurate. If I recall correctly I received the bumper on Jan 31st.
The bumper was packaged very nicely with plenty of material to protect it and a sturdy box. The bumper itself is heavy gauge steel with a nice finish. I don't see it rusting anytime soon. It is a nice bumper. That said, there was absolutely no documentation or packing list of any kind. I always like a packing list so I can verify all the correct parts are included before I start. In this case it's a pretty minimal parts list. The bumper, washers and bolts and two "wing" pieces to affix the fenders to the bumper (since you're removing all the plastic that formerly supported the fender). Everything was there but there was a separate bag with four smaller washers. I have no idea what these were for. They're too small to fit any of the included mounting bolts.
Plenty of room for the Harbor Freight Apex 12k winch. Note in the picture I had the extension cables installed to relocate the solenoid. I ended up NOT needing to do this and returned it back to having the solenoid mounted on the winch.
I have a love/hate (mostly hate) relationship with Harbor Freight but I have to reluctantly admit that their quality has improved dramatically in the past few years. I'm very impressed with the winch. It came with everything you would need, including a solenoid relocation bracket and extension cables, a nicely polished fairlead, forged hook, wireless remote and cover (unnecessary for this install). I had a 25% off coupon so paid ~$450 for the winch.
Installation:
There were no installation instructions included. Only a QR code on the outside of the box which directs you to a collection of Youtube videos for all CBI products. I sent them a message asking if there was a video for my specific product since the only video is for the standard Covert bumper. I never heard back from anyone but after watching the Covert video I determined they expect you to just infer the difference between the two installs. The video does mention the Super Stock bumper, specifically in the difference in cutting the plastic, but that reference is it and once I got into the install I noticed quite a few differences but they're all easily identified if you're paying attention. One are of concern was relocating the winch solenoid. The video states that "every bumper we sell comes with a relocation bracket". Mine did not so I actually picked up the phone and called customer support. After talking to a nice (but clueless) lady for 15 minutes I was no closer to an answer. She did determine that the Super Stock didn't need to have the solenoid relocated and the installer in the video "didn't know what he was talking about" (her actual words). I wasn't comfortable with that answer so continued to press the issue. She finally said she would talk to engineering and call me back. That was weeks ago and I never received any call. In the meantime though I found another thread here where the relocation bracket on the Covert actually caused the solenoid to hit the grill shutters and threw an error. That being the case I decided to not pursue the issue w/CBI and if necessary design my own bracket (which turned out to not be necessary).
Taking the front end off the truck is easy and there are a ton of videos out there on how to do it so I won't go into detail.
There are four or six bolts holding the factory crush bumper on. It's an easy removal. Interestingly the bolts on one side were torqued really tight while the other side was barely finger tight.
Note that the solenoid has plenty of space under the grill support beam but also note I've removed the support structure that hangs down. CBI removes it in their video and never reinstalls it. The main issue is that with the support installed you can not turn the freespool lever. This is universal to all the installs I've seen regardless of the manufacturer. RCI is the only one I've seen that really solves the issue. If you watch their install video, they actually include a replacement bracket (the 7:40 mark shows it) that allows the support to be used whilst still allowing the lever to turn. Very nice! That said, I decided to leave the bracket completely off and I think it's fine. The grill does not move at all so I'm not concerned and I can reach in and easily turn the lever. I could even plug the controller in if I had to, although there would probably be scraped knuckles. Wireless is the way to go...
At this point I ran into a huge issue. If you look at the picture there is a tube running down the radiator on the driver's side. I don't know what this is for but it seems like a coolant or a/c line or some sort. Upon tightening the bolts to the bumper down, I found that the winch was physically pressing against this tube. Quite hard against the tube, hard enough to flex the tube. This was not acceptable to me. Sooner or later vibration would wear a hole through the aluminum tube, probably at the worst possible time. You might say "that's not CBI's fault, you're installing a winch that's too big". I'd argue this is a huge design flaw on CBI's part. They suggest the Warn VR Evo 10-S as an add-on purchase on their site. I compared the factory stated specs on the two winches and the Warn is not as wide but it's actually deeper than the Harbor Freight winch and depth is the issue here. I see no way the Warn winch would work. After mulling over various solutions I found some large 2" galvanized fender washers in my toolbox. I used these to space out the bumper. It's less than 1/8 inch but that gave just enough clearance that nothing is touching.
There are five total bolts on each side (10 total) holding the bumper to the truck. Two on top on each side and three that go into the face of the frame. Two of these reuse factory bolt holes but the third utilizes a drilled hole that you need a supplied bolt and nut for. The front of the frame has a bit of a scallop to it so you have to fish a spacer between the bumper and the frame. CBI just provided an additional washer for this purpose rather than a dedicated spacer. Thing is, the washer isn't really thick enough to be effective. They should include a dedicated spacer. In my case since I had to space the bumper out anyway I ended up using three of my fender washers to fill the void. What a PITA! There is no access whatsoever to this gap. You have to somehow try to fish the spacer up into the gap and hold it there while you put the bolt through the hole. It's hard enough with one spacer, try it with three! I finally made the three washers into one by wrapping tape around them. This worked great and, being so thick, was actually far easier than it had been with the one thin washer.
This leads me to what is probably my biggest concern with the bumper design. The Covert bumper wraps further under the truck than the Super Stock and has two additional bolts that go into the original tow hooks holes. The Super Stock only mounts to the front face of the frame rails. This concerns me. I've read that this was an issue with bumpers on previous generation Tacomas and that heavy pulling could actually bend the face of the frame. Thoughts on this are welcome. I'm considering going to a fabricator and having a couple of straps bent to connect the bumper to the tow hook holes but I don't know if I'm just being paranoid or not....
Cutting the plastic was fairly easy. I used my jig saw to cut most of the plastic away. Once that was done I used a rasp on the sides to finish them off. I didn't feel like spending all night using a rasp on the top so I got out my laminate trimmer and just ran the bearing along the remaining plastic. This worked well and I put enough thought into it to tape off the plastic to prevent the bearing from marking it, but I didn't think about the router plate. The plastic is so soft that just sliding the router over the plastic scored it. *sigh* The plastic is also marked where the license plate was rubbing so there's a bit of damage. I'll try to buff it out a bit at some point.
The last piece after putting the front end back on was to attach the two little wing pieces that secure the fender to the bumper. The hardware included with this seems to be an afterthought. There were two different bolts, one for the fender and one for the bumper. One is a nice black bolt, the other a plain carriage bolt. It's clear you would use the nice bolt where it's visible but in the installation video they swapped the position, one side they put the nice bolt out, the other they put the plain bolt out. Small things... Also, the bolts are way longer than necessary. The biggest thing are the actual wing pieces though. They don't remotely match the angle of the fender so if you were to tighten them down all the way you would simply break the plastic by trying to twist it to a right angle with the bumper. My solution was to simply snug the nylock nut down without putting any undue pressure on the fender.
That worked well enough on the driver's side but when I got to the passenger's side, literally the last bolt in the install, I realized that CBI had not drilled the mounting hole in the bumper for the wing. &*()*D(_& At this point there was really nothing I could do. The fender is hanging there unsupported but in reality it's no worse than the flex we have with the rear bumper plastic pieces (which bug me). There is no way to drill a hole through 1/8 plate steel with the angles I had to work with so I just left it off. Very irritating though and an example of really poor manufacturing quality control!
Correct, hole for bolt...
Nope, no hole on the passenger's side....
The last thing I'll mention is the license plate bracket. I bought this from Amazon. It works great if you need a front plate (as we do in WA state). Because the bumper is angled down a bit I had to bend the bracket on the license plate mount so the plate would be vertical. I also replaced the bolts that came with it as they weren't quite long enough to engage the nylock part of the nut. Easy fixes though and it was cheap enough.
Finished product.
The shackles are these units from Amazon. There's not much to say about them. Seems like they'll work and you can get them in many different colors.
Final thoughts:
Overall I'm satisfied with the bumper. It looks good and assuming the mounting bolts provide sufficient attachment to the truck it should work well for the life of the vehicle.
Would I buy the same one again? Probably not. There is a lot of competition and IMHO CBI didn't deliver the best possible product. They honestly wouldn't have to change much to have a great product though. Provide a bit of QC and ensure the holes are all drilled, spend the time to do a real install video for the actual product, make the wing pieces actually match the angle of the truck's fender, provide a packing list with accurate parts included, move the holes for the winch forward ~1/8", and above all else improve your customer service response. It's a list, but it's a simple list. It all adds up though!
First of all, let me start off by saying that this post is not meant to be a negative review of CBI. I'll try to state facts and be constructive in any criticism I might have. Interestingly though, as I'm typing this I'm also attempting to access their website and it appears to be down, which is a pretty good synopsis of my experience dealing with them. I will also be transparent and say that since doing the install I have yet to attempt to contact CBI with my concerns. I intend to, if for no other reason that I hope they can make changes to make the install easier for future purchasers. I'm not looking for any compensation or anything. An apology would be nice but even acknowledgment would feel like a win.
I completed the install of the bumper by myself on my 2024 Tacoma OR. It took me 12 hours, which sounds like a long time (and it was) but a lot of it was fiddling around with other things. If I were to do it again and just install the bumper I could probably do it in half that time.
CBI makes two front bumpers for the '24 Tacoma, the Covert Bumper and the Covert Super Stock Bumper. The Covert provides more coverage and replaces the plastic around the factory fog lights and also includes space for a light bar. The Super Stock just goes to the first line of the plastic and doesn't require relocation of any lighting or sensors. The Super Stock is what I decided on since my main goal was the installation of a winch. That being the case I had a few questions for them prior to purchasing the bumper around what size winches would fit. They assured me most any winch should fit so I went ahead and ordered it on Nov 22, '23. I knew when I ordered it that I was looking at ~10 to 12 weeks, and that ended up being fairly accurate. If I recall correctly I received the bumper on Jan 31st.
The bumper was packaged very nicely with plenty of material to protect it and a sturdy box. The bumper itself is heavy gauge steel with a nice finish. I don't see it rusting anytime soon. It is a nice bumper. That said, there was absolutely no documentation or packing list of any kind. I always like a packing list so I can verify all the correct parts are included before I start. In this case it's a pretty minimal parts list. The bumper, washers and bolts and two "wing" pieces to affix the fenders to the bumper (since you're removing all the plastic that formerly supported the fender). Everything was there but there was a separate bag with four smaller washers. I have no idea what these were for. They're too small to fit any of the included mounting bolts.
Plenty of room for the Harbor Freight Apex 12k winch. Note in the picture I had the extension cables installed to relocate the solenoid. I ended up NOT needing to do this and returned it back to having the solenoid mounted on the winch.
I have a love/hate (mostly hate) relationship with Harbor Freight but I have to reluctantly admit that their quality has improved dramatically in the past few years. I'm very impressed with the winch. It came with everything you would need, including a solenoid relocation bracket and extension cables, a nicely polished fairlead, forged hook, wireless remote and cover (unnecessary for this install). I had a 25% off coupon so paid ~$450 for the winch.
Installation:
There were no installation instructions included. Only a QR code on the outside of the box which directs you to a collection of Youtube videos for all CBI products. I sent them a message asking if there was a video for my specific product since the only video is for the standard Covert bumper. I never heard back from anyone but after watching the Covert video I determined they expect you to just infer the difference between the two installs. The video does mention the Super Stock bumper, specifically in the difference in cutting the plastic, but that reference is it and once I got into the install I noticed quite a few differences but they're all easily identified if you're paying attention. One are of concern was relocating the winch solenoid. The video states that "every bumper we sell comes with a relocation bracket". Mine did not so I actually picked up the phone and called customer support. After talking to a nice (but clueless) lady for 15 minutes I was no closer to an answer. She did determine that the Super Stock didn't need to have the solenoid relocated and the installer in the video "didn't know what he was talking about" (her actual words). I wasn't comfortable with that answer so continued to press the issue. She finally said she would talk to engineering and call me back. That was weeks ago and I never received any call. In the meantime though I found another thread here where the relocation bracket on the Covert actually caused the solenoid to hit the grill shutters and threw an error. That being the case I decided to not pursue the issue w/CBI and if necessary design my own bracket (which turned out to not be necessary).
Taking the front end off the truck is easy and there are a ton of videos out there on how to do it so I won't go into detail.
There are four or six bolts holding the factory crush bumper on. It's an easy removal. Interestingly the bolts on one side were torqued really tight while the other side was barely finger tight.
Note that the solenoid has plenty of space under the grill support beam but also note I've removed the support structure that hangs down. CBI removes it in their video and never reinstalls it. The main issue is that with the support installed you can not turn the freespool lever. This is universal to all the installs I've seen regardless of the manufacturer. RCI is the only one I've seen that really solves the issue. If you watch their install video, they actually include a replacement bracket (the 7:40 mark shows it) that allows the support to be used whilst still allowing the lever to turn. Very nice! That said, I decided to leave the bracket completely off and I think it's fine. The grill does not move at all so I'm not concerned and I can reach in and easily turn the lever. I could even plug the controller in if I had to, although there would probably be scraped knuckles. Wireless is the way to go...
At this point I ran into a huge issue. If you look at the picture there is a tube running down the radiator on the driver's side. I don't know what this is for but it seems like a coolant or a/c line or some sort. Upon tightening the bolts to the bumper down, I found that the winch was physically pressing against this tube. Quite hard against the tube, hard enough to flex the tube. This was not acceptable to me. Sooner or later vibration would wear a hole through the aluminum tube, probably at the worst possible time. You might say "that's not CBI's fault, you're installing a winch that's too big". I'd argue this is a huge design flaw on CBI's part. They suggest the Warn VR Evo 10-S as an add-on purchase on their site. I compared the factory stated specs on the two winches and the Warn is not as wide but it's actually deeper than the Harbor Freight winch and depth is the issue here. I see no way the Warn winch would work. After mulling over various solutions I found some large 2" galvanized fender washers in my toolbox. I used these to space out the bumper. It's less than 1/8 inch but that gave just enough clearance that nothing is touching.
There are five total bolts on each side (10 total) holding the bumper to the truck. Two on top on each side and three that go into the face of the frame. Two of these reuse factory bolt holes but the third utilizes a drilled hole that you need a supplied bolt and nut for. The front of the frame has a bit of a scallop to it so you have to fish a spacer between the bumper and the frame. CBI just provided an additional washer for this purpose rather than a dedicated spacer. Thing is, the washer isn't really thick enough to be effective. They should include a dedicated spacer. In my case since I had to space the bumper out anyway I ended up using three of my fender washers to fill the void. What a PITA! There is no access whatsoever to this gap. You have to somehow try to fish the spacer up into the gap and hold it there while you put the bolt through the hole. It's hard enough with one spacer, try it with three! I finally made the three washers into one by wrapping tape around them. This worked great and, being so thick, was actually far easier than it had been with the one thin washer.
This leads me to what is probably my biggest concern with the bumper design. The Covert bumper wraps further under the truck than the Super Stock and has two additional bolts that go into the original tow hooks holes. The Super Stock only mounts to the front face of the frame rails. This concerns me. I've read that this was an issue with bumpers on previous generation Tacomas and that heavy pulling could actually bend the face of the frame. Thoughts on this are welcome. I'm considering going to a fabricator and having a couple of straps bent to connect the bumper to the tow hook holes but I don't know if I'm just being paranoid or not....
Cutting the plastic was fairly easy. I used my jig saw to cut most of the plastic away. Once that was done I used a rasp on the sides to finish them off. I didn't feel like spending all night using a rasp on the top so I got out my laminate trimmer and just ran the bearing along the remaining plastic. This worked well and I put enough thought into it to tape off the plastic to prevent the bearing from marking it, but I didn't think about the router plate. The plastic is so soft that just sliding the router over the plastic scored it. *sigh* The plastic is also marked where the license plate was rubbing so there's a bit of damage. I'll try to buff it out a bit at some point.
The last piece after putting the front end back on was to attach the two little wing pieces that secure the fender to the bumper. The hardware included with this seems to be an afterthought. There were two different bolts, one for the fender and one for the bumper. One is a nice black bolt, the other a plain carriage bolt. It's clear you would use the nice bolt where it's visible but in the installation video they swapped the position, one side they put the nice bolt out, the other they put the plain bolt out. Small things... Also, the bolts are way longer than necessary. The biggest thing are the actual wing pieces though. They don't remotely match the angle of the fender so if you were to tighten them down all the way you would simply break the plastic by trying to twist it to a right angle with the bumper. My solution was to simply snug the nylock nut down without putting any undue pressure on the fender.
That worked well enough on the driver's side but when I got to the passenger's side, literally the last bolt in the install, I realized that CBI had not drilled the mounting hole in the bumper for the wing. &*()*D(_& At this point there was really nothing I could do. The fender is hanging there unsupported but in reality it's no worse than the flex we have with the rear bumper plastic pieces (which bug me). There is no way to drill a hole through 1/8 plate steel with the angles I had to work with so I just left it off. Very irritating though and an example of really poor manufacturing quality control!
Correct, hole for bolt...
Nope, no hole on the passenger's side....
The last thing I'll mention is the license plate bracket. I bought this from Amazon. It works great if you need a front plate (as we do in WA state). Because the bumper is angled down a bit I had to bend the bracket on the license plate mount so the plate would be vertical. I also replaced the bolts that came with it as they weren't quite long enough to engage the nylock part of the nut. Easy fixes though and it was cheap enough.
Finished product.
The shackles are these units from Amazon. There's not much to say about them. Seems like they'll work and you can get them in many different colors.
Final thoughts:
Overall I'm satisfied with the bumper. It looks good and assuming the mounting bolts provide sufficient attachment to the truck it should work well for the life of the vehicle.
Would I buy the same one again? Probably not. There is a lot of competition and IMHO CBI didn't deliver the best possible product. They honestly wouldn't have to change much to have a great product though. Provide a bit of QC and ensure the holes are all drilled, spend the time to do a real install video for the actual product, make the wing pieces actually match the angle of the truck's fender, provide a packing list with accurate parts included, move the holes for the winch forward ~1/8", and above all else improve your customer service response. It's a list, but it's a simple list. It all adds up though!
Sponsored
Last edited:
