Changed the Grille

[mfogarty]

Ordered from Aliexpress, took 6 days to get here. £22 delivered.

They literally fit over the top and are secured with what seems to be the stickiest double-sided tape known to man.

At least if I decide to remove them it's not too big a pain.

 

[youngwilliam]

Cool, like having an LCI update.

 

[Mustrum Ridcully]

Interesting look if the STL file for the shapes turns up anywhere on line folks could 3D print their own versions to suit season or mood. Use velcro tape for easy swapping.
I think you can with care and a recent vintage of cell phone camera do a 3D scan of a part. If that did not work you could drop the £22 ($29- $30) on a set and send them to a service to be properly scanned. Once you have that scan you could create your own designs for your (or a friend’s) 3D printer. Or send your designs to a printing service.

A set with colorful decorations on each kidney might be fun. You could even run red LED lights to each eye for this design.

I a political election year you could express your sentiments in the space again with the option of LED lighting. You could even fit displays in each side for complicated imagery voice-controlled from your phone via Bluetooth

They say “to a man with a hammer every problem looks like a nail” can you tell I just got a 3D printer?

 

[Oldsparks]

Ordered from Aliexpress, took 6 days to get here. £22 delivered.

They literally fit over the top and are secured with what seems to be the stickiest double-sided tape known to man.

At least if I decide to remove them it's not too big a pain.

View attachment 1337

Hi well done that was a great price I bought a set about 12months ago but I paid around £52 the set They have been on for a year now and still look .

 

[mfogarty]

Hi well done that was a great price I bought a set about 12months ago but I paid around £52 the set They have been on for a year now and still look .

Yeah, I keep looking at them and I'm leaning towards keeping them on. I do like them but wasn't sure until they were on the car proper.

 

[tob1as]

Neat. Does anyone know about a way to source the last production graphic BMW added to late models (I think)? Was it a sticker?

 

[alohart]

Neat. Does anyone know about a way to source the last production graphic BMW added to late models (I think)? Was it a sticker?

Love2Customize offered copies of these stickers in 2023 but when I tried to order a set, I was told that they were working on making the installation of the BMW kidney stickers easier. The surface in these kidneys is a compound curve which would make installing a planar sticker difficult to do without wrinkles unless heating to stretch or shrink is possible.

Bimmer Vinyl offers a set as well. They might have made each of them in 2 pieces to make installation on the compound curve easier.

I have not seen either of these in person and have decided not to order a set due to the potential installation difficulty and not knowing how durable they would be. The design appears to be printed on vinyl film. If this is on the top surface of the film exposed to the weather, road grime, car washing, etc., the printed design might fade or wear off.

 

[tob1as]

Ok, just ordered the bimmer vinyl one, so I’ll be the guinea pig and report back
Went for the frozen blue to match accents, even though I think this only ever came in grey from factory?

 

[ABQDanJ]

I ordered the "Unique Forever Edition" grille graphic from the local BMW dealer. It came in about 7 days and I happened to be having some minor repair being performed and the body shop installed the graphic for free.

 

[alohart]

I ordered the "Unique Forever Edition" grille graphic from the local BMW dealer. It came in about 7 days and I happened to be having some minor repair being performed and the body shop installed the graphic for free.

In what country are you located? The Unique Forever Edition was never sold in the U.S., so I wonder whether a U.S. BMW dealer could order these graphics.

Do you know whether these graphics are printed on "shaped" rather than planar vinyl so that they fit nicely inside the kidneys which has a compound curve? Are the graphics printed on the exterior surface so that they're exposed to road debris, weather, etc.?

 

[ABQDanJ]

The BMW dealer in Albuquerque, New Mexico had no problems ordering it. Part number 51-13-5—a3c-f49 matched the VIN of my i3S. It's planar with no raised surfaces and fit the kidneys fine. It has held up in the last 18 months. I do wax it whenever I wax the car so it's easy to wipe the bugs off. It mimics the iX grille, but I haven't fooled anyone - yet.

 

[tob1as]

Reporting back as promised. Bimmervinyl graphics installed. It isn’t perfect, but I like it a lot (from 10 feet away ). These are all individual stickers that came mounted in two pieces (per side) on transfer tape. Instructions suggested installing the top portion first (from center), but when I have to redo this in a couple of years I might start with the bottom, because the larger array of triangles should be more accurate as a guide as to placement). Regardless, two thumbs up overall for the fresh look (and the availability of different color options - I went with the one matching the electric blue accents on my black car, obviously )

 

[ABQDanJ]

Looks nice - love the blue!

 

[brdeleo49]

Ordered from Aliexpress, took 6 days to get here. £22 delivered.

They literally fit over the top and are secured with what seems to be the stickiest double-sided tape known to man.

At least if I decide to remove them it's not too big a pain.

View attachment 1337

 

[brdeleo49]

I ordered the AliExpress cover vs the Bimmervinyl sticker. The cover seems to give more depth to the grill cover vs the sticker. I shall see when the cover arrives at the end of the month. Thanks for the idea....

 

[Darenhayes]

Reporting back as promised. Bimmervinyl graphics installed. It isn’t perfect, but I like it a lot (from 10 feet away ). These are all individual stickers that came mounted in two pieces (per side) on transfer tape. Instructions suggested installing the top portion first (from center), but when I have to redo this in a couple of years I might start with the bottom, because the larger array of triangles should be more accurate as a guide as to placement). Regardless, two thumbs up overall for the fresh look (and the availability of different color options - I went with the one matching the electric blue accents on my black car, obviously )
View attachment 1367

Do u have a link for the blue grill? Thanks!

 

[tob1as]

https://bimmervinyl.com/shop/ols/pr...orever-inspired-accent-kit-set-of-2-pre-order