I got some foamy 3m double-sided sticky tape that i found in wal-mart (house paint section). I used it pretty heavily as to be sure it would stick

pretty much any kind of "heavy duty" double sided tape should work

 

my wife had some double stick tape...I put three layers on

the bumper removal was a snap! The only bummer was paying $100.00 for the paint job

I will post pics tomorrow!

 

bummer about the price....but you will forget it in a matter of no time, whereas your car will now always look amazing

 

at least it was done by a MINI owner's father's paint shop
so I got that goin' for me...which is nice...

the over the phone estimate was $62 and then bumped to $96 when they saw it It does look swanky!

 

I re-used the old tape from the stock lower grill slat. Just had to be REEEEEEEAALLY careful with it.

_Dave_

 

Hey thanks for the information! I'm going to call the Mini dealerships near me in Southern California to see what their prices are. Do the slats come with information as to how to install them? I'm scared I might break them off or something.

 

You should look into the Aero Grill mod.... even hotter...



Ryan

 

Like on this CR Mini here.....
Kit can be purchased here:
http://outmotoring.com/mini_aero_grill_kit.html

There are many threads on NAM about how to install these grills into the stock (non-aero) bonnett and bumper, this mod does take some custom fitting as you will learn....

Here is the Motoring File PDF on how to install it... i found this to be a little hard to understand:
http://motoringfile.com/howto/

I also found an EXCELENT thread on NAM that helped me visualize these instructions... I could not understand how to cut the lower grill and where to paint the bumper black... but this helped:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=40017


I think it is a bargain for the price of the mod....


Ryan

 

Let us know if you are successful with having a dealer order the OEM black grill (I doubt they would have them in stock). I'm cautiously optimistic that they can be obtained in the US. Since they are normally only European items, I won't be totally convinced until someone actually obtains a set.

I'm sure that a local dealer would quote the MSRP prices. Classic MINI offers their discounted NAM prices for mail orders. I'm still deciding on my order for Classic MINI (including a bunch of other items) and it will be a few days before I place mine.

As for installation, the bonnet grill is held on by plastic nuts. You might want to ask for extra nuts because they seem to break easily during removal. The bottom slat is on the bumper and it is simply stuck on with double sided tape. The proper way to change it is by first removing the bumper, which involves unscrewing 7-8 screws and bolts. However, I've read about someone who simply pried off the slat with a blade, without removing the bumper.

 

As for installation, the bonnet grill is held on by plastic nuts. You might want to ask for extra nuts because they seem to break easily during removal.



The nuts are actually metal. They cut their own threads on the plastic post on the grille insert. When I found that mine would not tighten enough to keep the grille flush, I went to my local Ace hardware and found what are called "push-nuts" that fit the post.
Jim

 

true dat...

I had to use a screwdriver to help push the nut down the "threads" or what was left of them...It doesn't look to me that MINI ever designed this component to be re-used I may have to try the push on clips but mine were tight enough...

 

I replaced my lower slat without removing the bumper cover. The hardest part was getting the original one off without destroying the adhesive or gouging anything with my prying tools. I used a screwdriver blade wrapped in masking tape and a couple of old credit cards for prying. It got easier once the adhesive started to give. I worked from one end to the other.

The upper grill was more problematic: The self-tapping nuts are an utter pain, but having read about the bad experiences some others had, I used a pir of needle-nose locking pliers (pointy vise-grips) to grip and unscrew the the nuts. By unscrewing carefully, I was able to preserve the "threads" in the plastic posts. I also used a masking-tape wrapped screwdriver blade to help provide outward force behind the nuts when unscrewing them.

The hardest part for me was removing the slat cover from the actual grill frame part, once the assembly was off of the car. There are SO many darn one-way snap-clips molded into the pieces, I almost lost my patience with it. Eventually, I got the original slat cover off, and it wasn't too big a deal to get the new painted one on. This would have been a lot easier if I had an entire upper grill assembly to replace, rather than just the slat cover, but since I got the parts free from my dealer (Thanks Jennifer! South Bay MINI rocks!) I'm not complaining!

_Dave_

 

Thanks am0eba and jimz68 for clarifications on the upper grill replacement. I haven't examined a real upper grill (still waiting for my car), but now I have a good understanding of how it is attached and problems that come up. The parts diagram at RealOEM.com includes what I believe is an entire grill assembly available (p/n 51137133846 <schwartz=black>), which costs not much more than just the slats alone. I'll check with Classic MINI about it.

Are the plastic posts easily replaced items? I could look around RealOEM for a part number.

- Richard

 

the plastic posts are part of #5 in your assembly diagram...if they are broken or cut off by the nuts you will likely have to get a new #5.

When I took the nuts off, there were shavings of the black plastic post all over. Putting them back on cuts new grooves until it reaches the seat where it just spins

 

Why wouldn't vinyl, like used on bonnet stipes work? Easier, and can be changed if they get nicked, dirty, or the mood changes.

 

you'd still have to take the grille off to get a good fit...

I also received mine at extremely reduced cost so I still have my original EB grille to go back to!

 

I think i suggested that earlier in the thread....maybe not though. Thats what i used, and love it :smile:

 

Well, since the whole grill assembly (in black) is only $10 more than the slats alone, I'd go with that and save yerself some hassle. You'll still have to deal with the self-tapping nuts that are made from pressed sheetmetal, and are very easy to deform. As mentioned above, the plastic posts are part of the baseplate (item 5 in the illo), so they cannot be replaced.

This option would not have worked for me, however, as I wanted the slats painted to match my stripe: Dark Silver.

Replacing the upper grill is NOT a big deal... You might get some skinned knuckles and cuss a bit, but if you have a fully assembled replacement, as well as replacements for the 8 or so self-tapping nuts, you can proceed pretty much without fear.

Have fun!

_Dave_

 

I received a reply from Classic MINI already (prompt service!). It is a good part number for a complete grill assembly with black slats. However, it is on backorder and MINIUSA has not set a release date. I suppose something like the situation for the JCW strut brace which dragged on for months. So, either wait for the release and do an easy drop-in replacement, or order just the black slats now and deal with taking the pieces apart.

 

Here is a car i did a few months back. it looked great after it was done. it's also a 04'

 

Here's an update on the OEM black grille.

At my last post, it was on backorder by MINIUSA and not yet released. It has been released and I just received one from Classic MINI. The complete grille assembly including chrome surround is $45.40 from Classic (MSRP $56.75). The black slat for the bumper grille is $13.52 (MSRP $16.90). This is quite a low cost for a dramatic change in appearance.

The bonnet grille should be quite easy to replace. Remove the flange nuts attaching the existing grill, pull off the entire grille, put the black grille in its place, and reattach with nuts. I also purchased extra nuts at 16 cents each, in case I damage some on removal. The grille is attached with 11 nuts.

Now I just need a car to put them on. It should arrive next week!

Here are the part numbers:
Bonnet grille 51-13-7-133-846
Flange nut for bonnet grille 07-13-1-509-597
Upper bumper grille slat 51-11-7-032-899

(edit: Classic MINI thought the following part was the adhesive tape that attaches the grille slat, but the slat has its own double-stick tape. I found it unnecessary to replace this piece, which is a trim strip that goes between the grilled slat and the chrome surround)
Trim strip for bumper grille 51-11-1-490-960

 

be real careful when removin' ur stock grill cuz the one way screws do make it a pain to remove i broke a couple of the tabs on mine!

 

I'll be careful not to break the tabs because I want to save the original chrome grill, either to sell or to reinstall (in case buyers prefer chrome when it comes time to sell the car). If I didn't care about saving the original grill, it wouldn't matter because the new grill is a complete assembly with its own new tabs.

 

on the new tabs, is it a flat like nut that has a screw like form, like a washer...
cuz thats how the oem ones are and once they come off u will be hard pressed to use them again....


didnt know u hadn't received ur mini yet!!

 

I bought the whole grill assy from a dealer that took it off a black car when they put on the aero kit... total sale... $20.00 ( haven got around to putting on the lower section yet )