Well, I finally pulled the trigger on an Aero Grill after having my car for a little over a year and having wanted it the whole time. I picked it up about a week ago. Today I went to do the top part - you know, the easy part - and after I had the old slat grill off, I pulled the Aero grill out of its bag to find a broken tab (one of the "corner" ones making it the worst possible spot) . D'oh!

I decided to give Super Glue a shot since I'll have to wait until at least Tuesday now to get a replacement. So a quick trip to Wal-Mart for some Super Glue followed... Get home and re-attach the broken tab and let it dry for awhile. Then I get the grill positioned and the tabs re-inserted and put on the first nut and washer. They fall and miss the towel covering most of the engine. I found the nut but the plastic washer is MIA. Get another washer and finally get the nut to "take". Then I go for the broken tab figuring I better find out fast if it's going to hold. It doesn't . So I take everything back off again and gather up the nuts and washers and put them in a ziploc bag. I count them to make sure they're all there (minus the one washer) and now I'm missing 2 nuts and 3 washers. I was so careful! Who knows where they went...

Anyway, to bring this long story to a close, I hope the dealer will give me a free replacement (hope they have nuts and washers too). I don't know how the tab got broken on the first one. It could've been that way when I picked it up or maybe I did while transporting it. I honestly don't know. We'll see.........

Just had to share that story. Thanks for reading. I'll post an update in a couple days.

 

sorry to hear about your mishap. :(

is there any way you could have used some 3M trim mounting tape
instead of reattaching the broken tab?

 

A suggestion if you don't get a replacement grill. Mix up some two part epoxy, apply liberally and let dry for 24 - 36 hours before attempting to mount the grill. I've had good luck with cured epoxy. Hope all works out for you.

 

Some mods go well, others do not. My recommendation is a lot of patience, go get the grille replaced with one that isn't broken, and do it right. Using broken (or maybe the wrong model) parts somehow adds time exponentially to an install.

 

Don't give up, each mod has its own little challenges (afterall the car is Britiish) chalk it up to character and use it as a chance to learn more about the car. I had a rain storm delay me yesterday doing some one off stuff; sorry to hear about your grill being chipped hopefully they'll assume it happened when it was shipped out to you. Let us know how it turns out, I've been eyeing the aero grill for a while myself.

 

good luck with the dealer. hope you get your replacement

 

The nuts are .12 cents each and the washers are 10. cents each! Order extra ones you may lose more putting them back on. Putting them on was harder then taking them off. (For me.)
As for the lower grill you need to take of all the material around the outside of the grill down to about an 1/4 of inch if you want it to fit flush. Leave the tabs and it will snap in. Oh you need to take your time and have a steady hand w/ the Dremel! Also you will need to cut out the louver behind the louver to make it fit flush. You will under stand when you see it.

Good luck!

 

the fartest tab on the left broke on my upper aero grill too
but after I tightened all the tabs beside that one, it sits there like it's been bolted. Try all the other tabs.. it will stay on like it's been glued..

 

Hmmm... if they don't give me a free replacement I might try that. I'm afraid it will stick out some since that is the one that's closest to the edge. The grille has a "springiness" to it that makes the outer edges want to pop out.

Thanks MiniMeg - I'll buy a handful of each just to be safe! And I don't see myself attempting the bottom part without at least the help of someone that's done it before. Hopefully I can bribe someone to do it for me .

 

Yeah. I thought about calling for a replacement but I figured it would be a hassle for me + them. So i snapped the bolts on, believe it or not, it sits just like the other side WITH the tap.

Give it a try when you can't get a replacement.

 

Small update - called the dealer and they said they'd swap out the broken aero grille for a new one, no problem. Woo-hoo ! I'll be driving there after work to get the new, hopefully un-broken, one (you can be sure I'll check it before I leave).

 

cool!

 

Happy ending (now I just gotta get the bottom piece on sometime):