Sedan Side Gill Install

[Merlosso]

I tried the DIYs but I was unsuccessful getting the gill out of the grill. If I go any further I'm going to damage my paint or break the stock gill/grill. I'm looking for a reputable shop to install them.

I sent an email to D&V Auto Body but they want $92 for the install. I haven't yet asked the dealer. Any recommendations?

[Raja Ventureshield]

no way, that's way too much. Go to a local meet, I am sure some can do it for free. I would help but you are way too far. :-)

[Merlosso]

Originally Posted by Raja Ventureshield

no way, that's way too much. Go to a local meet, I am sure some can do it for free. I would help but you are way too far. :-)

Actually, I was planning to contact you about a detail. The car has about 3,100 miles on it but I would like a polish and seal. About the side gills, have you installed them on a sedan before? Unfortunately it's not as easy as the coupe.

Distance isn't an issue for me; the longer the drive the more time I spend behind the wheel of the M3.

[Lorde]

Just grab hold of the largest surface area of the gill and give a quick yank while pinching. I don't see why everyone is taking off wheels and scratching their paint with screwdrivers.

[BlownStraight6]

The sedan fender vent grilles are indeed much more a pain in the a-s to remove than the coupe/cab's.

I do it pretty regularly and best method I've found so far (sedan & coupe) is get couple of cheap flimsy butter knifes. Good stout ones won't do, nor will the real push-sticks / pry bars made for body work type of things.... too thick.

First for safety sake line the fender edge around grille with masking tape, couple layers won't hurt. I always start at bottom towards door side and push knifes in maybe inch or so and gently push down on knife to pry up on grille as knife levers against fender edge. Don't just put knife in little bit or you'll just be prying on front half of the snapped together grille peices. You should start to see the little tabs that hold it in becoming visible and hopefully coming out tawrds you. And just keep working along edge same way towards front of car. If knife doesn't go in at all you're hitting one of the little tabs that holds it in, just move bit to either side. The holding tabs are small, maybe 1/4" max, there are prob. 10-12 or so around the grille total.

Once you get it out some it can help to use hands and pull up on it. Once bottom edge and at least a little of each vert. side is out the top should come out easy / drop down towards you.

Sometimes on those sedan ones when trying to take out the front half of the grille will want to spearate from the back - if it happens you'll know what I mean (it doesn't look like it is two pieces snapped together but it is) - it isn't a big deal b/c you can snap it all back together once all out, but getting that front half off won't really help getting the back half off..... it is the same deal whether front half is off or not.

I don't think there are lites on the sedan ones like coupe ones, with the light ones once you unplug it from grille you'd prob. want to be careful not to let wire fall down into fender unless you have a good flexible grabber tool.

As long as you put tape on fender you can't really mess it up that bad beyond maybe marring existing grilles, but if you're putting new ones in no big deal prob.

New ones should just snap right in. The coupe ones need to put front in first and then work back to snap in but I think on sedan ones doesn't really matter, prob. slip tabs along one long side in and then snap in.

And after all that those stupid grilles don't even do anything!! LOL Look cool I guess.

If you have trouble I have pictures of times of done it somewhere burried amongst million other pics, if you want see let me know I will find and post.

Now I will also tell you I have had numerous crumby Chinese knock-off ones people have given me to install that don't fit for sh-t.... not much you can do about that. It is an extremely tight and precise fit on the OEM ones.

[Merlosso]

Originally Posted by Snig

Just grab hold of the largest surface area of the gill and give a quick yank while pinching. I don't see why everyone is taking off wheels and scratching their paint with screwdrivers.

I tried that with no luck. I then used the packing tape method and the whole gill and grill assembly came out. Rather than break it, which I was about to do, I put it back in.

[Merlosso]

Originally Posted by BlownStraight6

The sedan fender vent grilles are indeed much more a pain in the a-s to remove than the coupe/cab's.

I do it pretty regularly and best method I've found so far (sedan & coupe) is get couple of cheap flimsy butter knifes. Good stout ones won't do, nor will the real push-sticks / pry bars made for body work type of things.... too thick.

First for safety sake line the fender edge around grille with masking tape, couple layers won't hurt. I always start at bottom towards door side and push knifes in maybe inch or so and gently push down on knife to pry up on grille as knife levers against fender edge. Don't just put knife in little bit or you'll just be prying on front half of the snapped together grille peices. You should start to see the little tabs that hold it in becoming visible and hopefully coming out tawrds you. And just keep working along edge same way towards front of car. If knife doesn't go in at all you're hitting one of the little tabs that holds it in, just move bit to either side. The holding tabs are small, maybe 1/4" max, there are prob. 10-12 or so around the grille total.

Once you get it out some it can help to use hands and pull up on it. Once bottom edge and at least a little of each vert. side is out the top should come out easy / drop down towards you.

Sometimes on those sedan ones when trying to take out the front half of the grille will want to spearate from the back - if it happens you'll know what I mean (it doesn't look like it is two pieces snapped together but it is) - it isn't a big deal b/c you can snap it all back together once all out, but getting that front half off won't really help getting the back half off..... it is the same deal whether front half is off or not.

I don't think there are lites on the sedan ones like coupe ones, with the light ones once you unplug it from grille you'd prob. want to be careful not to let wire fall down into fender unless you have a good flexible grabber tool.

As long as you put tape on fender you can't really mess it up that bad beyond maybe marring existing grilles, but if you're putting new ones in no big deal prob.

New ones should just snap right in. The coupe ones need to put front in first and then work back to snap in but I think on sedan ones doesn't really matter, prob. slip tabs along one long side in and then snap in.

And after all that those stupid grilles don't even do anything!! LOL Look cool I guess.

If you have trouble I have pictures of times of done it somewhere burried amongst million other pics, if you want see let me know I will find and post.

Now I will also tell you I have had numerous crumby Chinese knock-off ones people have given me to install that don't fit for sh-t.... not much you can do about that. It is an extremely tight and precise fit on the OEM ones.

Thanks for the detailed write up. I have not tried this method but I'll give it a shot tomorrow evening. I'm not hopeful after I saw the back of the grill assembly. 4 of the tabs don't have space to be allow for them to be squeezed; they are blocked from the back.

Obviously they can be removed because many of you have successfully replaced yours. I'm just a little overly cautious.

[BlownStraight6]

^ I'm not sure what you mean ny grille backing. Once you take it out there is just an empty hole in the fender. Sounds to me like it must be coming in half like I described. That is not the way to remove them and taking two halves apart while still in fender is a lot harder then taking apart once whole thing is out of car. What ru trying to take them out for? Did u buy just a replacement front half?

If there is plastic behind what you are taking off / separating, it isn't coming out properly.

[Merlosso]

Sorry, I'm not describing this very well. Let me try again.

I am trying to remove the chrome piece with the turn signal. That's what I mean by "gill." When I tried to remove that, both it and the surrounding black honeycomb "grill" came out together (both halves of still together). Once I had it out there was just a big hole in the fender. I unplugged the turn signal and taped off the wire so it wouldn't fall in.

Next I tried to squeeze the tabs of the chrome gill to extract it from the black grill but I couldn't get it all the way out. I was able to separate it at the back (the end closest to the door when installed) but when I got to the tabs at the deepest part (behind the ///M3 badge) they would not budge. I could have broken them off but didn't want to do that. I'd rather keep the stock parts.

[Merlosso]

Oh, and the purpose is to replace the chrome piece with a color matched piece from IND. The stock honeycomb grill will stay and the chrome part will be replaced with an AW part.