[The0pportunist]

Hello all,

Just wondering if anyone hows how to remove these 3 lower grills on a SE bumper. I'm hoping it clips out & not involve removing the whole bumper.

I want to sand it down and paint it gloss black to match my gloss black kidney grills.

Thanks

[mob17]

Have to remove bumper

[The0pportunist]

Ok so i have decided to mask up and paint my self this weekend without removing the grills from bumper.

Can i apply primer then paint gloss black then lacquer or will i need to sand it down first? I have colour coded the plastic strips on my e46 before but wondering what kind of results i will get if i do not sand down, im thinking sanding will be quite difficult whilst the grills are still attached to bumper.

Cheers

[shadow191]

Don't people use balloons on the center section so the intercooler doesn't get sprayed?

And bumper removal isn't that hard, it takes maybe 15 minutes and maybe 20 to put back on.

[The0pportunist]

Originally Posted by shadow191

Don't people use balloons on the center section so the intercooler doesn't get sprayed?

And bumper removal isn't that hard, it takes maybe 15 minutes and maybe 20 to put back on.

Ye i was thinking to stick paper behind the middle grill, i'm pretty sure i can reach it from under bonnet.

I have not found any information to show the grills are easily removable when the bumper is taken off so i don't want to remove the bumper then find out the grills too difficult to remove.

[shadow191]

I don't know about the side grills, but the center one is relatively easy to take off once the bumper is off. There are tabs that the grill clips into and once you release those, the grill comes out.

[dy63]

what are you planning to do spray your bumper yourself?

[The0pportunist]

Originally Posted by cupraraj

what are you planning to do spray your bumper yourself?

haha no no, i just want to spray the grills highlighted above. My kidney grills are high gloss black and want to match to them.

[Jase 320d]

Remove bumper

And the unclip from the inside

Very simple

[gaza01]

make sure your primer is black as the grills will get chip in the paint. last thing you want is the grills with grey spots showing.

Best thing is to use simoniz toughcoat. You can get it in mat, satin or gloss. Its paints directly onto plastic so no need fro primer. As the name suggests is ti chip resistant. Its what i used on my grills and winter wheels.

[The0pportunist]

Originally Posted by gaza01

make sure your primer is black as the grills will get chip in the paint. last thing you want is the grills with grey spots showing.

Best thing is to use simoniz toughcoat. You can get it in mat, satin or gloss. Its paints directly onto plastic so no need fro primer. As the name suggests is ti chip resistant. Its what i used on my grills and winter wheels.

Cheers Gaza

I have just spotted the stuff on amazon. Do i still need to sand it down or can the surface just be cleaned and painted.

[Jase 320d]

Paint needs a key to stick

[The0pportunist]

Originally Posted by Jase 320d

Paint needs a key to stick

As you have probably noticed i do hate sanding
Thanks for clarification Jase.

[gaza01]

As Jase said it still does need sanding. As it only small surface areas i used 400grit wet when I was doing mine...just to ensure a good key.

[BoondogUK]

The bumper is really easy to take off, first time will be a bit of a tricky, but once you know here everything is, its really easy. there is a youtube video which shows this.

Once off the grills are easy to get out.
Make sure you key and prime (black as advised)
Take your time and do a few coats when you do them in black.

Then just put it all back together. I would be loathe to do it on the car for the risk of overspray and runs

[Aragorn30d]

My advice is dont do it.

Any DIY painting on the front of your car will last about 6 months before ending up a horrible chipped mess. Plenty folk have tried painting their grills black instead of buying them (including myself!) and if you do any sort of mileage they'll be ruined inside 6 months.

The paint out of a can simply isnt tough enough to withstand the crap the front of the car is exposed to.

[rogerdiaz]

thanks for the thread. For E90 LCI, removed front bumper for grill and finisher rod removal. replaced one and repainted them all gloss black. oem was silver.