I just got a pair of the stainless steel mesh cowl vent grilles from Moss Mini. Is there anyone out there who has installed these and can offer some advice?

The grilles do not use the same fastening system as the factory plastic ones. Instead, they have about 8 metal tabs that can be bent down and around the rim of the holes in the car body. My problems are that this leaves the grilles quite loose, and the edges of the steel grilles are sharp and make direct contact with the car body paint. So I fear lots of vibration and scratching of paint.

My idea is to put globs of clear caulk on the edge of the grille under each metal tab, let them cure/solidify, and then hope that the caulk globs will serve kind of like rubber footings between the grille and the car body, to improve the fit and reduce scratching.

Any advice, experience with this kind of thing? Thanks.

 

I have not installed them, but use a clear silicone and it will dry and mold around the part like you said and keep it in place and keep the vibrations down. It will work out just fine. Good luck.

 

ya know....I don't think I've heard of any positive experiences with Moss Mini and their products. :evil:

 

>>ya know....I don't think I've heard of any positive experiences with Moss Mini and their products. :evil:

I have purchased several things from Moss Mini (on sale) and I'm happy with both the service and what I bought. And got a good value too, because I waited for the sale. (mostly interior comfort mods).

Hope you hear this--my experience was positive. I have read about products I choose not to purchase, but I can't bash Moss on anything I bought. I'm glad people post when they have a problem with a product or company, but keep it in perspective....just my .02

THIS IS AN ADDENDUM: posted 2/10/04

OOps...I'm wrong...the great stuff and service I got was from RSpeed....I was looking at Moss, but bought from RSpeed instead...ran across some receipts...
I recently bought a skid plate from Moss but haven't installed it yet...only purchase I've made! So my .02 on Moss is basically worth .00
_________________

Kewpt Up 02 S Dark Silver/White/Chrome...........
Ride a horse, Drive a truck, Fly the Coop!

 

I alo have dealt with Moss many times in the past (MG parts) and they where always great to deal with and the parts where excellent. When I start moding the new Mini I am sure that I will be buying parts from them. I intend to buy the stainless mesh grills mentioned above.

 

glad to finally see some positives.

 

I purchased the Moss stainless grill for the large front opening. Didn't fit right, scratched the plastic and was held on by zip ties. Pretty cheesy, I thought. Sent it back and got full refund.

 

Thanks, all. I got it on this weekend, using my clear caulk "footings" idea (above). So far that seems to be working fine, with a snug, cushioned fit around each of the metal tabs. I just hope the stuff doesn't melt in the summer sun later.

I have to say, though that I am not completely happy. The installation problem discussed here was one problem. The other is that the grilles themselves are not a great fit. They just don't match the openings exactly, and now that I have them in, there are visible gaps all around the edges. (Partly due to bad fit, and partly due to lack of a good way of attaching to the car.)

But I do love the stainless steel look, and will keep them on for now.

 

I bought the same grilles from Moss and returned them for the stainless steel trim rings that go around the original black grates. The thing I did not like about the stainless steel mesh was that on the drivers side you can see all the shiny metal parts underneith. Return them and get the stainless steel trim rings.I love mine.

 

I ordered the same set from Moss back in December and had to wait for them to come off of backorder (arrived late January). When they finally arrived and I took them out of the box I couldn't believe how poorly they were constructed. The outer rod had grinder gouges in cosmetic areas and the mesh was tacked to the rods leaving multiple sharp edges to gouge into the cowl paint. I called and asked if gaskets were supposed to have come with them and Moss said no. I promptly returned them for a refund with no questions asked by Moss - they handled it very professionally.

My suggestion would be to go with something different or fabricate rubber gaskets to insulate between the grilles and the cowl paint. You would need to insulate all of the way around the perimeter of the grilles and also insulate where the tabs contact the cowl. If this isn't done vibration will cause the grille mesh to chew through the paint and let the cowl panel start rusting. If enough people send these poor examples back the manufacturer just may start making them correctly - they're definitely not worth $100 in their current form.

 

Moss and others now sell chromed plastic cowl vents with grill that are glued on similar to the stainless steel bezel covers. They are around $69.00 and I would imagine not scratch the paint. They are in there latest catalog and also on there website. This may be a better way to go.
Ken

 

Has anyone seen these anywhere other than CTD-Germany and Moss? Moss lost me as a customer after failing to take responsibility for an incomplete shipment (no bolts included with my skid plate, then they sent me the wrong ones, then ignored me), and I'd prefer not to order from overseas. Isn't there anyone else who has produced these domestically that's actually gotten them right?