Do the black grills in the Cooper S back bumper cover serve any purpose besides moderate to slim air flow release from under the car. I was thinking of putting a thin piece of stainless plate there instead and then red reflector material to met the DOT standards with the clear taillights. What do you think?

To make it a little fancier I was thinking of jeweling the stainless in a mill like they do with many custom rifle bolts.

 

I think the only purpose is to hold water after washing

Other then that I don't know. But from the replacement that comes with the aero kit I'd say you would be safe to remove them. The aero kit comes with two white stickers/decals that go there. I know the bumper cover is replaced but other then some minor cosmetic changes I can't see any thing different that would concern the airflow. Anyone else?

 

They're decorative fake grills that serves to break up the visual mass of the bumper facia. Period.

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I was actually thinking of replacing them with fabricated metal pieces too. Great idea. However, replacing them might be harder than I thought- I took a look behind them, and they're hard to get to from behind unless the bumper is removed first...maybe I'll just stick the metal over the plastic instead unless someone knows of a better way.