Issues fitting OEM stickers with side gills?

[Darkboyz68]

I purchased these color matched side gills with tinted LED lenses. The OEM sticker I got from my OEM (chrome)side gills. As i was test fitting the sticker on the color matched side gills, i saw that it didnt fit quite right. Has anyone experienced this issue? See the pics below. Also do these color matched side gills look like OEM? I took some pics of the detail of the tip comparing it to OEM chrome.(last 4 pics)

btw thanks to 'The Tech' for helping me uninstall my OEM side gills. you got some sick mods!

[SchnellM3]

It looks to me as if the light strip isn't pushed all the way though causing the fitment issue. They're pretty easy to pop in and out, I'd try that and report back if it doesn't help...

[THE TECH]

Glad I could help!! Nice meeting you. See you on Friday.

[Darkboyz68]

Originally Posted by SchnellM3

It looks to me as if the light strip isn't pushed all the way though causing the fitment issue. They're pretty easy to pop in and out, I'd try that and report back if it doesn't help...

Thanks SchnellM3, i tried that first with the screw tightened so the lens sits snug, same issue. i took pics but i'll upload later.

[Darkboyz68]

heres the pics of the lens screwed in...

[THE TECH]

Is the far end of the LED that has the tab, fully seated? May need to be readjusted and then tightened. Since those don't appear to be OEM ones that were painted like we assumed they were yesterday, that may be the culprit.

[Darkboyz68]

i also made sure the LED tab on the opposite end of the screw was pushed all the way in the slot.

[THE TECH]

Guess my next call would be to IND to see how they think you should deal with it.

[Darkboyz68]

Originally Posted by THE TECH

Guess my next call would be to IND to see how they think you should deal with it.

Thanks man, i already PM'd the sales guy who helped me out. Hopefully i get this resolved soon.

[geneatals]

strange, I thought IND uses OEM parts..which is why the price was a bitter higher than most overseas vendors and their products....hmmmm

[IND-Distribution]

PMed ya back sir.

Sorry for the late reply, our internet/phones are currently down at the office thanks to our service provider.

These are not OEM side grilles. We offer two versions of side grilles which are matte black side grilles that are made by AutoTechnik. We use these to paint as the base of the matte finish helps with the paint process to adhere to the surface properly compared to sanding and painting over the OEM chrome pieces. However the LED lens that we tint are OEM BMW.

The other option is the BMW OEM Edition side grills which come from the factory in a black chrome finish.

With that said these items are painted by us in-house and the LED lens does need a little more force to sit properly in the tab cutout. Having it screwed in will not guarantee that the LED is sitting in the correct spot. Tab may look like they are flush in the tab but theres still room if the sticker is overlapping the lens.

We took some photos to demonstrate this. Here is a lens that is screwed in and sitting in the tab cutout. However its not correct.



Now we took the screw out and pushed the lens even further towards the tab end so it sits flush however there is almost no difference in how the tab is sitting in the cutout. Its small amount of movement that helps everything to sit flush.



Hope this helps. PM me if you have further questions and we can resolve this for you.

[Brucewonder]

I have the IND side gills and bought OEM stickers and they didnt fit perfectly either. One side I had to trim a tiny bit off with a razor blade.

[LarThaL]

Sounds like this is an issue that needs to be properly addressed.....

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=653426

[Nate@IND]

Originally Posted by VVG

Sounds like this is an issue that needs to be properly addressed.....

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=653426

Hate to say it but the sticker problem is 100% install error. The photos Jesal posted show the difference. When we get the Internet problem fixed at the office I will get a video up.

[Darkboyz68]

Originally Posted by Nate@IND

Hate to say it but the sticker problem is 100% install error. The photos Jesal posted show the difference. When we get the Internet problem fixed at the office I will get a video up.

I pushed the lens up the gill cutout as far as it will go. Still off by a 1mm. Anyways, i just filed a bit from the front of the lens and back that bumps into the sticker. i also did the same with the sticker, just enough so now it fits snug. i didnt touch anything with gills.

If the tinted lens i ordered are OEM like Jesal said, and my sticker is OEM since it came from my original gills, then it might be one of two things... either i got a bad batch of aftermarket gills, or the coat of paint just made it thick enough in the inside where the lense sits.

I'm thinking the occurance of this issue is far and few, since IND is pretty popular in this forum and have nothing but great reviews, hence i chose to shell some cash and invest in their product.

[LarThaL]

Originally Posted by Nate@IND

Hate to say it but the sticker problem is 100% install error. The photos Jesal posted show the difference. When we get the Internet problem fixed at the office I will get a video up.

It shouldn't be this difficult. If it is, then the units should come assembled or there should be some kind of proper instructions on the exact techniques required to get everything to perfectly fit. For me, one side came together with no issue, so why is it that I didn't have an install error on that side, and I did on the other? In fact, the side that I did first came out fine. The second side is the one that didn't fit......Just sayin'

[stefan]

That is 100% what happened to my IND side grilles. In no way is it install error, as I've installed several of these now. I'm not blaming IND, as it likely isn't their fault being an OEM part.

The sticker does not fit the OEM assembly for whatever reason. For mine it was the passenger side. It's a simple fix. Mine was out almost the exact same amount yours was. Just take a metal file and carefully file down one side of the sticker. There is no visual impact to doing this as it will sit flush against the indentation. This worked for me as it only took around 1-2mm of filing. Good luck.

edit; nevermind I thought they were OEM. Turns out they aren't. Typical aftermarket design issues.

[bohdistava]

i have the flat black version you must shave the end carfully with a new razor blade this is the only way. if you screw up dealer sells new emblem.

[geneatals]

so basically then one can buy these gills from autotechnic, paint from a local shop, and skip the IND mark-up...sounds good

flame suit on

[Merlosso]

I'm glad I came across this thread. I recently bought a pair of IND side gills with tinted lenses used from another member. I had this exact problem with one of them and was going to trim back the emblem before I installed them. After reading this I popped out the lens and put it back in and it fits perfectly!

I put the end with the tab in first at an angle, seated it well, then folded the lens in. Perfect fit.

[Nate@IND]

Originally Posted by geneatals

so basically then one can buy these gills from autotechnic, paint from a local shop, and skip the IND mark-up...sounds good

flame suit on

Most vendors/shops don't use a primer on the grilles. We use a primer, paint and thick dupont clear coat. Also each iND side grille is buffed and hand waxed.

Originally Posted by Merlosso

I'm glad I came across this thread. I recently bought a pair of IND side gills with tinted lenses used from another member. I had this exact problem with one of them and was going to trim back the emblem before I installed them. After reading this I popped out the lens and put it back in and it fits perfectly!

I put the end with the tab in first at an angle, seated it well, then folded the lens in. Perfect fit.

I'm glad the post helped! The LED just needs to be installed correctly for the stickers to fit.

[stefan]

Originally Posted by Nate@IND

I'm glad the post helped! The LED just needs to be installed correctly for the stickers to fit.

Again, this isn't always the case. Like I said, I've installed tons of these things. I've only encountered one with this problem. Installing the lens correctly makes no difference if the housing for the emblem is of physically different dimensions than OEM. This isn't a difficult comparison to make or measure. So please; don't suggest we don't know how to install a simple side grille. There is a very minor quality control issue here. That's all. This should be of no surprise to anyone knowing they aren't OEM parts. I'm not hating, just stating the obvious. Definitely not an issue on the IND end.

Originally Posted by bohdistava

i have the flat black version you must shave the end carfully with a new razor blade this is the only way. if you screw up dealer sells new emblem.

Do not do this. Like a few of us have pointed out, the difference is only around 1mm. That works out to essentially the excess curvature on the leading edge of the emblem. Taking a fine metal file, just file the edge down. This results in a smooth, uniform, parallel edge that is completely undetectable to the observer. Sits flush.