[S302BOSS]

I'm looking to paint the lower grilles black to match my kidneys... How do I take out these grille inserts? I'm assuming I need to take the bumper off? Any tips would be appreciated..

Thanks in advance,

AB

[ala012]

You need to remove the front bumper.

[AndreM818]

I did it without removing the fron bumper. I painted my side ones black and just took out the middle one so the intercooler shows. If you get a screwdriver, you can push down the clip from outside from the right angle.

[Craig@SupremePower]

Originally Posted by ala012

You need to remove the front bumper.

+1..

[S302BOSS]

Originally Posted by Craig@SupremePower

+1..

Thanks guys! Craig.. tell Eric I said what's up! Tell him it's MRballer09 (Adam) haha.. it's been a while, and haven't had much time to keep in touch.. I helped promote you guys a while back in the VW community.. had a BT gti 1.8t

[ala012]

Originally Posted by AndreM818

I did it without removing the fron bumper. I painted my side ones black and just took out the middle one so the intercooler shows. If you get a screwdriver, you can push down the clip from outside from the right angle.

You can of course paint all three without removing bumper.

You can remove middle one without removing bumper but not a side one.

[gizmo335i]

I just taped around them and painted.....easiest mod ever

[Delmoney335]

removed all of them without taking the bumper off.....takes some patience and care but it can be done. You just have to play with it, push in and unclip them and slide them out at an angle. To be honest it's a pain in the ass but I wasn't going to take the bumper off. Worked for me, just got to be patient and careful.

Those who have done it, what kind of paint did you use? I used some krylon ultra flat black spraypaint and i see parts are starting to peel off a bit after 3 weeks of use. I did not clearcoat or anything over them. just curious if theres something out there that wont peel or chip as easy.

[AndreM818]

Originally Posted by gizmo335i

I just taped around them and painted.....easiest mod ever

If you do this to all 3...especially if you have a 335, you will spray the intercooler and thats bad.

[Noc57]

Originally Posted by AndreM818

If you do this to all 3...especially if you have a 335, you will spray the intercooler and thats bad.

FYI people who paint the lower mesh with their bumpers still on their car typically aren't using a spray can, they use the paint-and-sponge method. It's cheap, easy, and comes out great. Just take your time masking off your bumper. Like anything, proper prep work is key.

There's really only 3 ways to achieve "black lower mesh":

1) Paint and sponge method (bumper on car)

2) Remove grilles and spray them (bumper off car)

3) Buy modified/OEM mesh from BMW/vendors (Needs to be modified if you have an oil cooler)

[gizmo335i]

Originally Posted by AndreM818

If you do this to all 3...especially if you have a 335, you will spray the intercooler and thats bad.

Correct what noc says...I used the spray in a bowl, sponge method and it came out great. I knew better than to spray through the grills...

[youngnastyman]

does anybody know where I can buy the lower mesh grilles that are already black? I'm lazy and dont want to do it myself and I thought it might be cheaper to buy the OEM black ones instead of paying a bodyshop to paint them.

[gizmo335i]

Man, trust me...this is SO easy. I had never painted anything before...and mine came out great...took about 30 minutes...just spray in a bowl and brush sponge it.....just remember to tape it off real good...that's the part that takes the longest....

[youngnastyman]

what kind of paint did you use?

[deletedelete]

Buy the black ones from tischer, they are only like 20 bucks. Then just remove the old ones and pop the new black ones in. Thats what I did. So much easier then painting and worrying about chipping and prep work.