Ive been thinking of replacing my painted with a chrome, I assume the Coopers grill wont work since the S has an inlet for the supercharger and 3 slat grill opposed to the Coopers 4...

db

 

yes they are interchangable. i have a cooper with an all chrome grill. i will trade you for your grill if its black. whar color is yours and would you like to trade?

 

I have a chrome MC and a black MCS grille for sale here https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=47720

 

all grille pieces are directly interchangeable, no matter how many slats!

 

PM sent.

db

 

I'll have a black grill, upper full and lower single slat for sale, AFTER I'm able to pry off the lower single slat. I read a couple of posts here about how it will pry off, but everytime I try, it won't budge and I'm afraid to force it. I'm not really mechanic enough to drop the bumper.

Anyone have the same experience? Were you able to get it off without damage?

 

yeah thats prb going to be my next question, HOW to change out my grill.
anyone have any tips or suggestions?

db

 

flat head screwdriver and some force, its has some two sided trim tape on it.

 

Hello: I just wanted to report that I successfully installed the aero (black plastic mesh) grilles on my dark silver/black 05 MCS with very few problems, but I can share a few tips and hints.
The top grille that installs in the bonnet is a breeze, just don't expect those "nuts" that hold on the grille to be particularly snug--they hold it on more by numbers than by any individual strength.
The lower grille is difficult to remove and install, just as everyone says. The chrome part removes easily after removal of the glue blobs securing it, but the body colored slat is held in place by double sided tape. It's only about 3/8" wide and not adhered in every place, so it only took prying one end to get it going. Removing the residue was tedious however.
The slat is glued to a similar shaped part on the bumper, which actually interfered with the installation of the aero mesh grille, so I removed it! I have never read in any installation guide to do this, but I realized why--most people leave enough "meat" on the grille part to avoid having to do this, but the price paid is that the grille sits out instead of flush with the bumper. I removed all but 1/8th inch of the lower grille plastic, which makes for a very flush fit, but the hex mesh hits the bumper part referred to above, necessitating its removal with a dremel. I get to see the holes in the aluminum bumper through the lower grill mesh now, which is actually pretty cool, and the lower grille fits very flush both at the top and the bottom in the bumper.
Anyway, there's the scoop (actually I'd like to get that BBM scoop but it's not available yet...) I will post pictures really soon.

cheers,
philip

 

Thanks, Philip, for your concise narrative. Quite enlightening. Glue seems such a crude alternative to nuts and bolts yet one wonders whether someday it will replace them altogether. Your photos will be most welcome. Best wishes.

 

Here's a photo to show the "flush" mounting of the lower grille. Compared to others I've seen it's set back into the bumper a lot more. It's a subtle thing, though.

cheers,