F30 328i 335i Front Kidney Grill / Grille removal and replacement DIY - Page 2 - BMW 3-Series Forum (F30 / F32)

woo1 · 06-28-2012, 11:39 AM

You actually don't need any tools for this. They pop out easily, and without damage if you pull around the edges and pull one clip out at a time. I recently did mine and it worked perfectly. The dealerships just yank them straight out with one forceful pull. The total time to replace both kidneys was about 4 minutes. If they feel stuck, spray the clips with silicone and pull again. Easy!

wolz · 06-29-2012, 08:38 PM

Should be pretty much the exact same procedure for the F20 eh? Gr8 guide!

BmW13finest · 07-19-2012, 04:38 AM

Great info. On showing step by step installation .

Spikey · 07-25-2012, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by woo1

You actually don't need any tools for this. They pop out easily, and without damage if you pull around the edges and pull one clip out at a time. I recently did mine and it worked perfectly. The dealerships just yank them straight out with one forceful pull. The total time to replace both kidneys was about 4 minutes. If they feel stuck, spray the clips with silicone and pull again. Easy!

Won't forcefully pulling them out rip/break the clips though?

sgbk · 08-17-2012, 03:29 AM

i knew that difficult to move it out, because tabs in the grill too hard for press, you may break it off when press hard.

Save Bluth · 08-21-2012, 02:52 PM

Just did this "mod" myself. Just takes some balls to be willing to pull the top part of the bumper forward (believing you're not going to break it). After that, just requires a little coordination to press in tabs while pulling grill out with enough force.

As said in DIY, once you've done the first one, reach through the open hole and do the second. Plus, you'll know exactly how hard to press/pull.

Best $130 I've spent. Looks great on my Glacier Silver Msport.

328i4me · 08-21-2012, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Save Bluth

Just did this "mod" myself. Just takes some balls to be willing to pull the top part of the bumper forward (believing you're not going to break it). After that, just requires a little coordination to press in tabs while pulling grill out with enough force.

As said in DIY, once you've done the first one, reach through the open hole and do the second. Plus, you'll know exactly how hard to press/pull.

Best $130 I've spent. Looks great on my Glacier Silver Msport.

Looks great!!

cardnation · 08-29-2012, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by woo1

You actually don't need any tools for this. They pop out easily, and without damage if you pull around the edges and pull one clip out at a time. I recently did mine and it worked perfectly. The dealerships just yank them straight out with one forceful pull. The total time to replace both kidneys was about 4 minutes. If they feel stuck, spray the clips with silicone and pull again. Easy!

FWIW, I can confim this as truth.

Working between the teeth just lightly pry the tabs with finger and pull out. Leave the inside bottom for last as its the hardest and works loose easier with some wiggle room.

pohlease · 09-01-2012, 11:30 PM

Thank you so much for doing this write it. Grills are on order and I don't even have the car yet!

Messer-schmitt · 09-18-2012, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by woo1

You actually don't need any tools for this. They pop out easily, and without damage if you pull around the edges and pull one clip out at a time. I recently did mine and it worked perfectly. The dealerships just yank them straight out with one forceful pull. The total time to replace both kidneys was about 4 minutes. If they feel stuck, spray the clips with silicone and pull again. Easy!

I thought I had seen the dealer do that (not mine) and couldn't believe my eyes! Thanks for confirming i'm not nuts!

enriquepetru · 09-22-2012, 10:11 AM

Thanks for your useful DIY thread without it, i wouldnt have been able to install it, i wanted to post pic of my F30 but since i'm writting this post from my iPad it doesnt have the function to attach any files...
Anyways, thanks again for sharing.

nybimmer91 · 09-26-2012, 12:22 PM

Im actually looking for somewhere to get chrome slates.. anyone got any ideas or good sources? I seem to only find the high gloss black ones.

DarthBimmer · 10-10-2012, 07:00 PM

Followed 1freshf30's advice and it was a breeze. Entire process only took about 30 min. and it looks great will post pics as soon as I can.

pkim1079 · 10-10-2012, 08:22 PM

it should take 10 minutes tops!

DarthBimmer · 10-11-2012, 04:54 PM

10 minutes? Maybe if you have little baby hands. Took me a while to squeeze my shit hooks into the tiny space between the fascia and frame.

pkim1079 · 10-11-2012, 05:42 PM

you don't need to squeeze your hands in there if you have a long necked flat head. peel the top bumper back and push down.

i did my gf's e82 in 5 minutes drunk....its a lot easier though, the same process but less clips.

tennistodd · 10-12-2012, 04:30 PM

Very easy of course! Dealer installed mine before pick up BUT I'm not a fan of the 8 bent blades in gloss black. I switched my inserts out. Looks MUCH better. More blunt and the matte blades look better with the bottom m sport meshing. Just my opinion.

) posting pic soon

DarthBimmer · 10-13-2012, 10:17 AM

I didn't wanna pull the nose too far foward and break it. Regardless 30 min. was a small price to pay for the final result. Love the new look.

ocso1606 · 10-22-2012, 10:29 AM

Thanks for the detailed pics! I just ordered the grills lastnight, long with painted reflectors.

Quelque · 11-28-2012, 05:02 AM

Yesterday I picked up the two Luxury Line grills to replace the SEs. The price was better than I expected, almost EUR55 after some negotiations, little less than $70. I think they were even cheaper than the E90/E90LCIs which I did in the past. That was the good part.

So I started to work on it this morning. It took me almost an hour to get them two out. It was far from that easy as it looks in this post. The clips are a nightmare, they were not getting through the notches.

I was thinking why it was so difficult for me while the OP said he did it much quicker and I can think of a couple of reasons:
- His car was probably brand new, everything was still flex. Mine is 6 months old.
- The OP did this in summer time, so the plastics were more flexible as well.

So my suggestion is to keep a hair drier at hand. Probably some WD40 might help as well. And a low chair...

As I was so stupid to put a screw driver in between the grill and the body part, some bumps/bulges were made. Luckily the bumper is so flexible that I was able to polish them away with the back of the screw driver. But this should not be necessary if things go well with the clips.

I want to thank the OP for the pics and to post it as a DIY!

Joshhleee · 11-28-2012, 10:25 AM

any easier way to do this?

Spikey · 11-28-2012, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joshhleee

any easier way to do this?

You could just forcefully yank them out...

I performed this as described by OP a week ago. I had really thought about just yanking them out but couldn't get past myself.. lol

The pics and description of what to do helped heaps and the whole process took me about 30mins. once the first one was out, the second was much easier

06-29-2012, 08:38 PM	#24
wolz Second Lieutenant Drives: bmw F20 120d Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: sweden Posts: 210 iTrader: (0)	Should be pretty much the exact same procedure for the F20 eh? Gr8 guide! __________________

08-21-2012, 02:52 PM	#28
Save Bluth Private First Class Drives: non-Beemer (for now) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 128 iTrader: (0)	Grill mod Just did this "mod" myself. Just takes some balls to be willing to pull the top part of the bumper forward (believing you're not going to break it). After that, just requires a little coordination to press in tabs while pulling grill out with enough force. As said in DIY, once you've done the first one, reach through the open hole and do the second. Plus, you'll know exactly how hard to press/pull. Best $130 I've spent. Looks great on my Glacier Silver Msport. Attached Images __________________ '13 335i M-Sport l Glacier Silver l Black l AlumHex l 8AT retired: '08 335 xi l Silver/Black/Gray Pop l KW v3 l 6AT retired: '01 Z3 2.5i l Silver l Black l 5MT retired: '94 325is l Black l Black l 5MT

10-10-2012, 07:00 PM	#35
DarthBimmer Enlisted Member Drives: 2012 328i sedan Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: NY Posts: 48 iTrader: (0)	Followed 1freshf30's advice and it was a breeze. Entire process only took about 30 min. and it looks great will post pics as soon as I can. Attached Images Last edited by DarthBimmer; 10-11-2012 at 04:52 PM. Reason: pics

10-10-2012, 08:22 PM	#36
pkim1079 Lieutenant Colonel Drives: e90 ///M3 ZCP + e82 135i DCT Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: lost angeles Posts: 1,675 iTrader: (0)	it should take 10 minutes tops! __________________ 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8.3 shift! (repeat!!) who needs software when you can tune the DRIVER?

10-11-2012, 05:42 PM	#38
pkim1079 Lieutenant Colonel Drives: e90 ///M3 ZCP + e82 135i DCT Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: lost angeles Posts: 1,675 iTrader: (0)	you don't need to squeeze your hands in there if you have a long necked flat head. peel the top bumper back and push down. i did my gf's e82 in 5 minutes drunk....its a lot easier though, the same process but less clips. __________________ 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8.3 shift! (repeat!!) who needs software when you can tune the DRIVER?

06-28-2012, 11:39 AM	#23
woo1 New Member Drives: 2008 135i : M Sport/PPK Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Marietta, GA Posts: 13 iTrader: (0)	You actually don't need any tools for this. They pop out easily, and without damage if you pull around the edges and pull one clip out at a time. I recently did mine and it worked perfectly. The dealerships just yank them straight out with one forceful pull. The total time to replace both kidneys was about 4 minutes. If they feel stuck, spray the clips with silicone and pull again. Easy!

07-19-2012, 04:38 AM	#25
BmW13finest Registered Drives: 2013 BMW 535i Deep Sea Blue Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: San Pedro, Calif Posts: 2 iTrader: (0)	Great info. On showing step by step installation .

08-17-2012, 03:29 AM	#27
sgbk New Member Drives: F30 Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: usa Posts: 27 iTrader: (0)	i knew that difficult to move it out, because tabs in the grill too hard for press, you may break it off when press hard.

09-01-2012, 11:30 PM	#31
pohlease Enlisted Member Drives: 2012 F30 Sport Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Minnesota Posts: 31 iTrader: (0)	Thank you so much for doing this write it. Grills are on order and I don't even have the car yet!

09-22-2012, 10:11 AM	#33
enriquepetru New Member Drives: F30 2012 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Mexico City Posts: 11 iTrader: (0)	Thanks for your useful DIY thread without it, i wouldnt have been able to install it, i wanted to post pic of my F30 but since i'm writting this post from my iPad it doesnt have the function to attach any files... Anyways, thanks again for sharing.

09-26-2012, 12:22 PM	#34
nybimmer91 New Member Drives: 320i Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Toronto Posts: 17 iTrader: (0)	Im actually looking for somewhere to get chrome slates.. anyone got any ideas or good sources? I seem to only find the high gloss black ones.

10-11-2012, 04:54 PM	#37
DarthBimmer Enlisted Member Drives: 2012 328i sedan Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: NY Posts: 48 iTrader: (0)	10 minutes? Maybe if you have little baby hands. Took me a while to squeeze my shit hooks into the tiny space between the fascia and frame.

10-12-2012, 04:30 PM	#39
tennistodd Private First Class Drives: 2013 F30 335i Estoril Blue Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Tennessee Posts: 183 iTrader: (1)	Very easy of course! Dealer installed mine before pick up BUT I'm not a fan of the 8 bent blades in gloss black. I switched my inserts out. Looks MUCH better. More blunt and the matte blades look better with the bottom m sport meshing. Just my opinion. ) posting pic soon __________________ 2013 EB F30 335i M Sport Hard Loaded M Performance interior and black kidneys K3 Projekt Concave 20X9 & 20X10.5

10-13-2012, 10:17 AM	#40
DarthBimmer Enlisted Member Drives: 2012 328i sedan Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: NY Posts: 48 iTrader: (0)	I didn't wanna pull the nose too far foward and break it. Regardless 30 min. was a small price to pay for the final result. Love the new look.

10-22-2012, 10:29 AM	#41
ocso1606 Lieutenant Drives: 2013 335i M Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Syracuse,NY Posts: 509 iTrader: (0) Garage List 2007 BMW 525xi [0.00] 2010 Volvo [0.00] 2013 BMW 335i M-Sport [0.00]	Thanks for the detailed pics! I just ordered the grills lastnight, long with painted reflectors. __________________ 2013 335i M-Sport, Alpine White, Red Coral Leather, 6SP M/T, 403m 19" wheels, M- Suspension, CWP, M-Performance Exhaust, M-Performance Power Pack!

11-28-2012, 05:02 AM	#42
Quelque New Member Drives: F30 320iA Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: NL Posts: 19 iTrader: (0)	Oh man, my back! Yesterday I picked up the two Luxury Line grills to replace the SEs. The price was better than I expected, almost EUR55 after some negotiations, little less than $70. I think they were even cheaper than the E90/E90LCIs which I did in the past. That was the good part. So I started to work on it this morning. It took me almost an hour to get them two out. It was far from that easy as it looks in this post. The clips are a nightmare, they were not getting through the notches. I was thinking why it was so difficult for me while the OP said he did it much quicker and I can think of a couple of reasons: - His car was probably brand new, everything was still flex. Mine is 6 months old. - The OP did this in summer time, so the plastics were more flexible as well. So my suggestion is to keep a hair drier at hand. Probably some WD40 might help as well. And a low chair... As I was so stupid to put a screw driver in between the grill and the body part, some bumps/bulges were made. Luckily the bumper is so flexible that I was able to polish them away with the back of the screw driver. But this should not be necessary if things go well with the clips. I want to thank the OP for the pics and to post it as a DIY! Last edited by Quelque; 12-03-2012 at 04:59 PM.

11-28-2012, 10:25 AM	#43
Joshhleee Second Lieutenant Drives: F30 328 jet black/coral sport Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Socal Posts: 225 iTrader: (0)	any easier way to do this?

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