I wont need to do the grill on my car as I have an aero kit but i would like to purchase some from you any way. Let me know what the sqft price is and ill ppal it over.

 

Jet Black grills from the dealer are special order items. It is cheaper to get the OEM black grills that were made for the MINI One in Europe but now also available from MINIUSA. I purchased my set for $60 from Classic MINI. The nice thing is that the upper grill is a complete assembly (includes the frame and chrome surround) that easily drops in to replace the original grill. Click on the picture for part numbers.


I think vinyl is a great option and I might have tried it if I knew about it, but it wasn't being mentioned in the forums yet when my car arrived last year.

 

I think i will start with the vinyl first to see if i like it, and if i do i will get the Euro black grills

 

Nice, but i noticed in your gallery notes there was an extra slat you ordered? Was that the lower grill piece? And do i need to get more nuts like you did or can i reuse the originals? Im thinking if i get that piece i wont get the lower one and i will get some vinyl that matches cause i dont plan on keeping the stock front bumper forever and its a pain to take off the bumper just for that little piece.

 

Will you want the slats cut or just an uncut sheet?

That would be an option... I hear the upper grill replacement takes literally 10 minutes - it's the lower that's a bear. Just unscrew the license plate frame and apply - easy. Buying the $60 upper and then using vinyl on the lower is a good idea, provided the upper grill isn't glossy... the vinyl most people use is more satin.

 

Yes, the extra slat is for the lower grill (on the bumper). That slat is attached with double stick tape. I took off the bumper (VERY easy -- don't be afraid to do it) but it shouldn't be absolutely necessary. I simply pried off the original slat, which wasn't easy but once you get one end to come up the rest of it lifts off. I later saw some recommendations that sound very good. Use a hair dryer to soften the adhesive and lift up at one end, and slip dental floss under the slat. As for the nuts, they are fragile and easily damaged during removal. They are cheap and you may as well order extra nuts if you order the grill. I reused most of my original nuts but needed a few new ones.

One more note. The slats on the OEM black grill have a glossy finish. I prefer satin to match the other black trim on the car. The slats are made of a solid black plastic material and the gloss should come off by rubbing with fine steel wool. I am planning to do that but haven't gotten around to it yet.

$60 is for both top and bottom pieces. The upper grill is only around $45! However, vinyl is such a simple and low risk approach that I would have tried it first if I had known about it.

 

So for the lower one its just double stick tape? i thought it was bolted to the bumper somehow. I am planning on getting the Lumma front bumper instead of the Aero kit, and it doesnt need that lower piece so maybe i will use the vinyl tape till i get that then just switch to the Euro top piece.

 

i'd like to get one from you, but i'd like enough material to black out the chrome trim too...

 

That's correct, the single trim slat in the lower grill is attached with double stick tape.

 

That looks just gorgeous!
I have a PW cabrio and I think that I am going to have to do this. Seems like an easy DIY.

BTW, I ran a quick google search and found several sites that sell vinyl (key words: custom graphics car vinyl).
Here is one: http://www.edecals.com/index.html

 

Keep in mind that the edecal stuff is only 24" wide, so you'll need 3 feet of it to give yourself enough width to cover the grille - 36" will give you about 3-5 inches of waste at the end, depending on how many times you have to trim the end to match the curve of the chrome outer peice. At $6.00 a foot, that's $18 plus shipping (which I'd bet is about $8). Compared to that, the stuf I found is a STEAL, but it's in-line woth the price I paid at a sign shop.

The good news is that since the grille slat peices need to be 1 3/8 inches, a 24" peice will be enough to cut enough material for at least 3 grills (you need 4 slats cut).

 

I went to Pep Boys yesterday and found that they carry black-out tape. It's 1 3/8" so the size is perfect and was only $5.99. The roll would have been more than enough to do the entire grill, and then some.

Any reason why I can't use that? Can I easily remove it if I want to change the look back to original?

 

Give it a shot... I came across that online someplace (Autobarn.com, I think) but could not find it locally.

Was this what you found?



I highly suggest trying to install the blackout tape using the "wet" application technique - because the grill bends in two different directions over its length, the wet technique will allow you to slide the tape along the curve MUCH easier than you would if it were dry, resulting in far fewer bubbles and wrinkles...

Oh, and remember that some brands of this tape (maybe even all of them as far as I know) have a transparent cover layer that's supposed to be removed after the tape has cured - check yours on a test surface first, wet and dry, and see if there's a clear layer that needs to be peeled off after installation.

Let us know if this works for you!

 

Thanks for your input. No, that's not the brand of tape they had. I agree, I would only like to use the wet application. The info on the back of the package did not indicate whether or not a wet technique could be used. I'll go back and double check.

 

i loooooove it on pepperwhite.

 

OK. Finally got around to putting the blackout tape on my grille. I used the wet technique and it really wasn't too difficult.



There are a few small bubbles which I will try to pop. If that doesn't work, then I will just redo 2 of the slats now that I have the hang of it.

Oh, and what do you think of the shine. I have been using ICE on the car. I think it looks pretty fine.

 

black looks much better, leave it

 

Very well done! I'm all over hand done stuff.

Good Job!

.....Les

p.s.

I see you used some on the dog!

 

LOL. The dog stepped in a big wad of leftover tape. I had to chase her around, then dip her paw in some water before I pulled it off. (Oh yes, the wet technique.) As you can see, she recovered nicely. Here's my daughter comforting her.

 

personally, i like it.

has anyone with the chrome driving lamps done this mod...

am wonderingt how it wold look with the chrome lamps

 

With the factory lights, it looks something like this:

 

Agro, thanks for the photo. I am sold on this mod

 

annewithane, the pics you've posted of your pepper convertible sold me on the black vinyl applique for the grille. I've ordered a goodly amount. I have to say, the pepper looks GREAT as a convertible!

 

Blacking out the grille was the first MOD of consequence I did (I think I replaced my shift **** before it, but that's all), and it's still my favorite. The black tape thing works great, and it still looks like new even months after the initial install. If you use the tape, just hit the grill slats with the same stuff that you use on the plastic trim to keep it looking great and to keep the vinyl from fading.