Bought my car a year ago. 2014 F56S with 80,000 miles on it. It was in bad need of some compound and wax and the front "bumper" had a crack in it. Interior was immaculate and aside from it needing new air filter it has been mostly good to go operationally.

So far I have swapped out the air filter, gas purge valve and changed the oil. Soon after getting the car, my wife insisted on stripes so did those. Now it was time to fix the "bumper" protrusion.
I was just going to replace the "bumper' alone but .. figured I would have to take the grill off anyway so might as well replace the whole thing since I didn't really care for the faux bumper anyway. I went ahead and ordered the Cheap Ebay GP3 knockoff.

Here was my experience with changing it out. It took me about 4 hours and change. Its NOT a difficult install in terms of complexity. There are 5 screws across the top. One on each side stepped down. There is one each behind the front fender plastic and a few 8mm across the underside. The screws under the fender plastic are the hardest ones because you have to be extra careful so you don't break the clips and that plastic is expensive if you crack it.

I had to disconnect the driving lights and there isn't a lot of room. It looked like someone had messed with the drivers side driving light and the wires were way short so I extended it before reinstallation. Taking the grill off I would rate a 3/4 out of 10 on the difficulty scale mostly due to the screws you have to get to under the fender molding. A second set of hands would have been nice but not needed,

So why did it take so long you may ask? According to carfax the car has spent its life in the heat. Vegas, Utah and Arizona and I currently own it in AZ. In this heat .. plastic, rubber and batteries don't stand a chance. So the hardest part of this whole gig. Unclipping the seemingly hundreds of little plastic Mattel plastic clips that are brittle as hell.. Its not so bad if you break the clips on the things you are removing but its real important to keep the clips sound on the frame that supports all of the front end bits. That was a pain in the &^$%.

Disconnecting those clips without breaking them took hours. That was a miserable task and there didnt seem anyway to get it done short of just slogging through it like you were playing the board game "operation."

Attaching the new grill after I finally got everything off was cake and putting it back on the car .. easy breezy.

Now the grill. I think even if my bumper wasn't cracked I think the look is an upgrade. Maybe not for everyone but I like it. I am a bit confused because the red funnel section in the middle comes as a separate piece and I couldn't figure out why they just didn't mold it in but perhaps it was because they were different colors. It is a little delicate though when not clipped in. Once clipped in it is solid. The only possible warning if you decide to get one .. the old Strip/ cowling piece that holds the grill in place along the top will not work. They provide a new one which is great but There are no screws or other means of fastening it to the grill itself. Luckily I had some 1/4x20 stainless screws and nylocks in my drawers from a little motorcycle work I did and they did fine but .. know going in before you start to grab some screws nuts and washers or use whatever works for you but there is no provided means of attaching the part that screws to the car with the grill. I provided a pic.

All in all .. even though the job should have been half the time (what do I care I am retired) I am happy. Cost was $147 plus tax and shipping was free from California. I have since done about 60 miles and was expecting to hear a big crunch as I drove over the new grill after it fell off the car but It is solid as a rock.

Cracked Bumper

B4 Pic

After Ebay Grill

After Ebay grill2

Screw Attachement

.

 

I'm glad I found this post. I have been looking for a solution to secure the upper portion of my GP3 grill since the grill does not come with attachments to secure the upper 5 points. After seeing your solution I now have a better idea how to secure mine. Thanks!

 

You are very welcome. I am glad you found it helpful!

 

Looks fantastic mate! I wish they had that option in all black, without the red accent. I'm going all murdered out completely so I'd have to paint it or wrap is possibly.