[creepy coupe]

Well worth doing now the gritters are out.

[stevei]

How do you get the kidney grills out (F32)?

[creepy coupe]

Originally Posted by stevei

How do you get the kidney grills out (F32)?

When I did my grilles . I took the four bolts out under the rubber strip at the top and the managed to get behind them.

[stevei]

Originally Posted by creepy coupe

When I did my grilles . I took the four bolts out under the rubber strip at the top and the managed to get behind them.

Nice one cheers
I might as well swap my chrome grills for gloss black at the same time.

[creepy coupe]

Originally Posted by stevei

Nice one cheers
I might as well swap my chrome grills for gloss black at the same time.

Once you get one out. It's much easier to remove the second.

[Ss66]

Took me about 10 mins to pop the old grills out,without breaking the old one's. I did this with just putting my hands through the slats and slowly working my way round unclipping each clip.

[TiredGeek]

I just made sure I did it on a warm day, stuck my fingers through the slats, held my breath and yanked HARD. Both just popped out with no broken tabs.
I think if the plastic is old or cold my method would break the tabs but on a newish car in the warm it's fine

[carl2990]

Finally got round to doing this today, but can't figure out how you mounted the lower plastic, there's no X-cross bars to mount to.

How did you mount the lower portion?

[TiredGeek]

Originally Posted by carl2990

How did you mount the lower portion?

I put mine on outside but the OP explains how he did it in post #1
It's an interference fit.

[willjames]

The Rock, guarding...top job

[Alscoob]

Digging up an old thread but, discovered this week when in for some warranty work, that at 18K miles my AC rad has stone damage and has lost all the gas. Dealer was quoting £825 all in to replace

So as it's not a cheap job to replace suggest that you guys seriously consider protection as described. The rock guards are available separately from BMW if you prefer OEM

rock guard x2 Part no. 1711 848 5042
left mount Part no. 1711 948 7032
right mount Part no. 1711 947 7033

I was quoted £132 for the above parts from Cotswold inc delivery etc.

Needless to say that my specialist indi will be doing it but it's still a 3 hour job and with complete refill regas, rad & guards, it's still around £630.

Just a heads up, hope it helps.

[AlwynMike]

Obviously they didn't think it was a warranty job even though there is a problem with the design and there is a OEM fix!

[Alscoob]

Originally Posted by AlwynMike

Obviously they didn't think it was a warranty job even though there is a problem with the design and there is a OEM fix!

Nope, external stone damage not faulty part.....just faulty design!

[Tux]

Originally Posted by Alscoob

Digging up an old thread but, discovered this week when in for some warranty work, that at 18K miles my AC rad has stone damage and has lost all the gas. Dealer was quoting £825 all in to replace

So as it's not a cheap job to replace suggest that you guys seriously consider protection as described. The rock guards are available separately from BMW if you prefer OEM

rock guard x2 Part no. 1711 848 5042
left mount Part no. 1711 948 7032
right mount Part no. 1711 947 7033

I was quoted £132 for the above parts from Cotswold inc delivery etc.

Needless to say that my specialist indi will be doing it but it's still a 3 hour job and with complete refill regas, rad & guards, it's still around £630.

Just a heads up, hope it helps.

anyone have any real pictures of these parts and / or install instructions?

[Alscoob]

Originally Posted by Tux

anyone have any real pictures of these parts and / or install instructions?

So my parts were replaced yesterday (low pressure rad, brackets and rock guards). Didn't need a regas as there is a separate condenser unit and the rad in question is purely to cool the condenser apparently.

I can take some pictures of it on the car for you later but not in such great detail as most is hidden The rock guards are horizontal plastic type units that fit over the upper and lower sections i.e. behind the front grille and lower mesh.

I looked for instructions on how to replace the units and it seemed that you had to remove the standard radiator first to then remove the low pressure one. However, my indi, did it the simple way and removed the front bumper so easy access from the front and didn't have to disturb the cooling system.

Have to say that considering the work / cost of the guard protection, if I hadn't needed to replace the rad part due to damage, I would just do a DIY guard as per the others on here, which I am sure is just as effective as the OEM parts.

[gippy]

Originally Posted by Alscoob

So my parts were replaced yesterday (low pressure rad, brackets and rock guards). Didn't need a regas as there is a separate condenser unit and the rad in question is purely to cool the condenser apparently.

I can take some pictures of it on the car for you later but not in such great detail as most is hidden The rock guards are horizontal plastic type units that fit over the upper and lower sections i.e. behind the front grille and lower mesh.

I looked for instructions on how to replace the units and it seemed that you had to remove the standard radiator first to then remove the low pressure one. However, my indi, did it the simple way and removed the front bumper so easy access from the front and didn't have to disturb the cooling system.

Have to say that considering the work / cost of the guard protection, if I hadn't needed to replace the rad part due to damage, I would just do a DIY guard as per the others on here, which I am sure is just as effective as the OEM parts.

i stumbled across this concept of needing a radiator guard after a totally random comment on youtube! jeez!

was already worried about corona, but now i'm REALLY panicking

i'm assuming there's an OEM part for the F32 as well? I'll have a look now - please do post pics etc once you get it done.

[gippy]

Originally Posted by Techno 9000

Having seen the comments about damaged radiators, I realised how many bits mine had accumulated in the few thousand miles I've been running it. I think it must have been renewed just prior to buying it, as it was utterly as new last December, and now looking somewhat secondhand.
I was looking at the BMW rock guards, but decided they;
1. cost a bit
2. took a bit of dismantling to fit
3. didn't cover the whole rad in any case

Sooo, I took a look at the bay of e, bought some mesh [Universal Honeycomb Black Plastic vent car tuning racing Grill Mesh 40x120 cm ( 371513683770 )] for under £20 and have fitted it in front of the diagonal stay bars with a few cable ties.

Hi,
many thanks for this, i'm going to do the same rather than enquire about OEM - your ebay part still exists too.
I was wondering if you could take pictures of exactly where you've put the cable ties?

i know yo'uve described where to put the ties for the top mesh, how about for the intercooler?

thanks

EDIT: You did say "no fixing for this piece" (reading properly now) - ok so it's just sort of been slotted in there 'freely' and wedged in? didn't quite get what you meant by making the piece a bit bigger etc...

[Techno 9000]

Hi Gippy,

...to do the area in front of the intercooler...
No fixing for this piece, i just made it slightly longer (wider) than the area available, so that it bows forward to keep it clear of the intercooler and prevent it rattling about. To clarify this piece sits at the base so it cant drop down any further.

This rock guard has worked a treat, no issues at all since fitting.

An update in regard to power available since I have now had a remap.

Attained 363bhp on a rolling road with a custom / live remap to my requirements last Autumn. A pre-map run giving 309bhp so no obvious issue.

[jackstrath]

i retro fitted the guards to mine not long after i got my car, i didnt go for the brackets as i figured id be able to attach them with cable ties. And i did.

Washing the car before i came offshore last week and there was a decent size stone in between the front grill and my protected charge cooler rad ... needless to say im certain with out that guard id of had a hole int he charge cooler rad! so yeh money well spent and i would highly recommend doing this if you have a b58 engined car.

[un1eash]

Effects B48 engine cars also, my 2018 F36 has them fitted from factory.

[Alscoob]

Originally Posted by gippy

i stumbled across this concept of needing a radiator guard after a totally random comment on youtube! jeez!

was already worried about corona, but now i'm REALLY panicking

i'm assuming there's an OEM part for the F32 as well? I'll have a look now - please do post pics etc once you get it done.

Here you go you can see the nice clean rad behind the guards. The guards are set immediately behind the front grilles and the lower grille, not necessary in between as the bumper protects it.

[RyanCawdor]

Originally Posted by Techno 9000

Top piece I cut to 69 cms wide by 21 cms tall.
The intercooler piece 73 cms wide by 19 cms tall.

Did this to my wife's F20 LCI today. Astonishingly the same part (even the same item ID) was still listed on ebay UK.

Your dimensions were also pretty much spot on for an F20 (I ended up with the bottom piece a little less than 73cm).

Removing the grills was the biggest hassle, harder on an LCI than a standard F20, ended up unbolting the top of the bumper and jamming my arm in.

Thanks for sharing.