Well after about 6 hours of work, I FINALLY have my aero grill on my MCS! I'm really happy with the final results so I'd have to say it was worth it. I still can't believe that there isn't a single company out there that hasn't made an aero grill that will fit a standard MCS bumper.

Here's how my install went:

Upper Grill
Couldn't have been easier! It took me about 15 minutes to get my upper grill on.

Removal was straight forward, just follow the instructions that many people have mentioned before; use a flathead screwdriver between the washer and bolt.
Once I got the original grill off, I discovered a great way to get the cheap bolts threaded to the new posts on the aero grill:

There were a few mentions on how it was difficult to use a socket to tighten bolts since it was too deep. To solve this problem, I just took a few bolts that were lying around my garage and stacked them into the socket. This created a much shallower socket so I was able to start threading the posts using a socket rather than struggling with my fingers.

Lower Grill
Thanks to AldoS and SCA for helping me out with the lower grill removal. It was really easy to remove the lower grill without removing the bumper. Simply wrap the tip of a thin flat head screwdriver with electrical tape so you don't scratch your bumper, then gently pry the lower grill off. It will not take a lot of pressure. For added bumper protection, I put a towel underneath the screwdriver head. It's also important NOT to twist the screwdriver as this will "scar" your bumper. Once 2 of the clips are released, the rest can be removed with your fingers.

The colored slat was a royal pain to remove. Even worse, once that was pryed off, the tape underneath took about 2 hours to remove. It came off in tiny pieces and left sticky stuff all over the louver. I taped up the surrounding areas of my bumper and used nail polish removal to get rid of it.

I then went to work with the dremel tool to remove all the excess from the lower aero grill. It's important to work SLOWLY. I make a few uneven cuts that took a lot of time to smooth out. I opted to remove all the tabs and just attatch it using 3M body panel tape. In hindsight, this was a mistake. It took longer to trim the tape and attatch it to the grill then it would have taken to just cut tabs. I am also concerned with how it's going to hold up. It seems secure for now, but the tape didn't seem as "sticky" as I thought it should be. The louver that once supported the slat also prevented me from getting a flush fit on the grill, but I can live with it. I wanted the option of going back to stock if necessary. Now that it's been installed, I can't imagine why I would!

Overall, I am really happy with the new look. Below are some pics.

 

nice job, looks great!! Im actually in the process of doing my aero grill install and am color coding the trim chili red. Did you have a body shop do it or did you do it urself? I think painting the black trim gives its such a cleaner look cuz then all u see is the black mesh throughout the front fascia. Cheers!

John

 

i took mine to a body shop here in socal. call some mini dealers or a local mini shop. they can refer you to some shops. that's what i did!

 

looks great. my MCSa comes in this weekand the dealer is swaping
the upper grill for me but my sales guys said I can't gat the lower grill
"as it's part of the areo kit". Did you just order it yourself from MINI?

Thanks

Studog

 

i picked my aero grill up from outmotoring.com it's about the same price as from the dealer i think.

 

The upper component is a direct swap because it's part of the hood and the aero kit has no affect on the hood. When he says you can't get it for the lower grill "as it's part of the aerokit" that's because the entire bumper apron is replaced by the aerokit and the fittings for the different grill parts aren't identical. The shape of the part is the same though, so if you're adept w/ a dremel, etc, you can still attach it. The dealer probably says you "can't" because they "won't" but you can still order the bumper part of the aerokit grill and do it yourself. Just remember, you actually have to modify things a bit, so if you're squeamish about using sharp objects on/about your MINI you might want to just stick with the upper bit....or ask/pay someone else to do it.

 

It looks really good!

Could you elaborate on removing the lower grill without taking off the bumper? This is the first I've heard of this, and I would dearly love to go that route as well.

 

I've always thought the aero grille was MEANT to be colour coded by design....it looks much 'complete' this way!

Nice work!

 

hmmm...well there's really not much to elaborate on other than what i wrote previously:

Simply wrap the tip of a thin flat head screwdriver with electrical tape so you don't scratch your bumper, then gently pry the lower grill off. It will not take a lot of pressure. For added bumper protection, I put a towel underneath the screwdriver head. It's also important NOT to twist the screwdriver as this will "scar" your bumper. Once 2 of the clips are released, the rest can be removed with your fingers.

To remove the outer grill, wedge the flathead screwdriver (with tape) between the bumper and the old chrome grill. place the rag underneath the screwdriver to protect your bumper. GENTLY pry on the grill. it won't take a lot of force! i started on the outer corners at the bottom. once 2 clips are free, you should be able to get your fingers under the grill and then just basically rock it back and forth and the clips will come free.

hope that helps!

 

looks great! the color coding looks good as well, i like them both ways!

I am a long time DIY, but on a recommendation from my dealer I had the high-end body shop that does their work install my aero grill before delivery. I know the people, did their website....very top end. Goes against every DIY bone in my body, but oh well. It would have pissed my off to have a big scratch in my bumper with less than 50 miles on the car!

-jac

 

I think the 2 pieces that are being replaced are the Bonnet grill and the Upper bumper grill.

The Lower Grill is not needed for this mod. The lower grill is the one that is inset below the bumper itself.

 

What was the cost on color coding the trim? I'm getting the aero grill tomorrow and love the look. Totally stealing it from you

 

hahahaha...that's okay. that's why we post stuff right? to give others ideas!


i think i got a great deal. i only paid 40 bucks to get the grills painted. they did a pretty good job! i would guess you could find a place to do it anywhere from 40-80 bucks. a suggestion would be to trim everything first THEN paint it. i got the grills painted first. i had to tape up the bottom grill when i trimmed it. kind of a pain.

 

Gotcha, good advice. Do you trim just 1/4" off all the way around? and leave all the tabs?

I love other's ideas

 

if i had to do it all over again, that's exactly what i would've done. i instead removed all the tabs and just applied it using body molding tape. while it hasn't given me problems yet, i am already having second thoughts. i am concerned with how long it will hold up.

i suggest keeping at least a few tabs on for added strength.

 

Mine took a little longer since this was my first foray in the mod world
I took it slow and easy. And the best advice I can give is get a buddy
to help. Mine happened (Mr. Precision) to have restored a couple of cars.
This post is long I just wanted to share all my steps and thoughts.

What is also very helpful having a hand is some to hold the grill while
it’s being cut. Unless you have a vise mounted to a work bench.

ALSO NOTE: I opted not to paint behind the lower grill.
You see through the upper grill and the bottom grill so I wanted
the look to be consistent. I felt that area would appear to be too
dense compared to the other two grills. And Illinois law requires
a front plate so the middle is covered anyway. Even without
the plate I wouldn’t paint behind the grill.

First I could see any reason to remove the bumper cover.
The extra work of jacking up the car, removing the wheels and then
removing the bumper cover. Not necessary.
With the advice from belikeanthony post, the lower grill pretty much
just popped off. Use a thin but strong flat head screwdriver.
Wrap the edges in tape and then wedge it into one end of the stock grill
And slowly pry up. Once you get a few fingers under there you can
Work your way down the length of the grill and pop it out.
(Be careful when you wedge in the screwdriver, even though you have
tape around the end and shaft you can still leave impressions in the
bumper cover.)

The double stick tape was a little of a pain. It was pretty cold in Chicago
the day I did it so one side of the tape came off without much hassle.
The other side wouldn’t come up at all. So I use gas and a flexible spackle knife.
(don’t worry about gas on the paint it won’t hurt it, I know this
from Mr. Precision) Get a pair of rubber gloves for handling chemicals
or strippers etc. if you don’t want the gas on your hands.

You’ll need about a quarter cup of gas. Cut a piece of old towel about 2” sq
for applying the gas. Apply a generous amount of gas and work off the tape with
the spackle knife. Keep working back and forth until done. The gas brakes down
the tape and it’s great for getting off the residue.

CUTTING THE AREO GRILL:
We went really slow on this. Mr. Precision, measure 5 times cut once but
not a full cut, measure again then complete the cut. Measure again the smooth
out your work. The saw/grinding Dremmel disc rocks. We went through 2 discs
for this. The plastic of the grill wears the cutting disc pretty fast.
As stated by belikeanthony use a white color pencil or a china marker to make
guide marks. Once you get the depth on your cuts go in with the Demmel disc
really light and smooth the edges. YOU WILL TAKE OFF A LOT OF MATERIAL
FROM THE AREO GRILL. DON’T BE ALARMED. YOU SHOULD HAVE APROX
1/8 of PLASTIC LEFT AFTER THE CUTS. AND DON’T CUT OFF THE TABS.

CUTTING THE SLOTS ON THE BUMPER COVER:
First we used painters tape and masked off the perimeter of the area.
Two reasons, it gives you a place to mark your cuts and also protects
the bumper cover if you slip with the drill. Again I just followed earlier
post, first drilled small holes one right after another for the length of the
slot then went in with a larger bit and drilled out the space between the
smaller holes. Then we used the 1/8th bit to clean it up. (Use the drill bit
like a saw, move in and also slide left or right)
CAUTION: When drilling the slot holes on the lower lip go slow use
easy pressure and angle the bit up so you don’t risk catching the edge.
It’s very shallow step to the lower edge.

Then pop the new grill in.

Sorry for typos and any bad grammar. I hopes this helps anyone.

I have more picts. But I'm not sure how to post.

 

good job.

 

I've wanted to do this since I started looking at the mini's years ago...now I have one and want to commit. I'm not too worried about taking a dremel to my bumper...but the modification you have to do -does it prevent you from putting the stock grille back on?

I know, silly question...but if I needed to, would the stock one still fit?

 

The way I did mine, I'm able to put the stock grille back on. I kept all the tabs on the aero grill, and made new slots for them to go into. I'd be willing to help you out sometime if you're able to cruise down to northern Indiana

 

i have to book mark this thread

 

Just a quick update to my post, I recommend against using 3M tape to attatch the lower grill as it does not hold up. mine started loosening up after about 2 months. My solution was using Quik Plastik. It can be found at most auto parts stores. It's this smelly play-doh type of material that bonds to most plastic. I put a few small pieces on the corners, let it cure and have had no problems since! Just be extremely careful not to use too much or it will squish out the sides.

 

Not a silly question at all. I was concerned with the same thing. I didn't drill any additional holes but as i mention in the update below, I did use a somewhat more permanent solution by using Quik Plastik to attatch the lower grill. However, I think with some excessive force, you should be able to pull it off and reattatch the old grill since none of the slots were modified.

Honestly, after having my aero grill on for a few months, I'd never go back to stock!

 

Are these instructions the same for all model years; i.e. can the rear horizontal slat be removed on early MCSs as well?

 

I am not 100% sure. I can only speak for the 2005 model, but I would assume it would be the same process.

 

Looks nice. Here's a pic of mine which I finished about a week ago.




I painted my own and unfortunately, for some reason even after 3 coats its still lighter than the body paint. It may have been a bad can and I didn't check it against the body paint cause all my other parts have been spot on. If I had known I could get it done at a body shop for $40 I would have done that as the paint itself is almost $20 anyway. Also I drilled into my bumper to make slots for the tabs, sawing them off would have been far easier and you probably wouldn't have to deal with pulling the whole bumper off. Also my lower is not flush cause I got lazy at the 11th hour and didn't want to keep taking plastic off with the dremel.

The only thing I need to do now is possibly mask off the parts and put another coat on them if possible, taking them off again would be nigh impossible. And I think I'll paint that lower silver grill black, unless someone knows where to get a replacement? I have scoured the Internet and not found a single one.