plastic grilles below windscreen - removal?

[E30S]

Tidying up a few bits on the car and the grey plastic is looking weathered - does anyone know how to take them off? Guessing they wont be available from dealers still but I'll ask the question and replace for new if not too expensive - alternatively I'll spray them.

Cheers

[pel]

Mine just pulled straight off mate just a few small clips round them. just be carefull.

[Grrrmachine]

It's covered in the Wiki, if you're removing your windscreen wiper motor:

http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/inde ... vent_panel

[E30S]

Thanks both.

[Ranchero]

What the wiki doesn't mention is that the grill should be slid across about a cm before prying off. Can't remember in which direction but it should be self-evident when you come to do it.

[Brianmoooore]

Mine just pulled straight off mate just a few small clips round them. just be carefull.

And you wonder why your cars rust!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The grills have spring clips at the bottom and two fixed plastic catches at the top. "Just pulling them straight off" scrapes the metal clips right through the paint.
The correct method is to slide them downwards,against the pressure of the spring clips,until the plastic hooks come free at the top,then lift them away from the bottom.

[pel]

Didnt mean to give bad info, mine did just come off very easily just a couple of plastic tabs the've obviously been removed before and just been pushed back on.

sorry E30S.

[Jim320i]

Tidying up a few bits on the car and the grey plastic is looking weathered - does anyone know how to take them off? Guessing they wont be available from dealers still but I'll ask the question and replace for new if not too expensive - alternatively I'll spray them.

Cheers

Get the T cut out... Its amazing how new they come out with a bit of cleaning and polishing

[torquey]

Mine just pulled straight off mate just a few small clips round them. just be carefull.

And you wonder why your cars rust!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The grills have spring clips at the bottom and two fixed plastic catches at the top. "Just pulling them straight off" scrapes the metal clips right through the paint.
The correct method is to slide them downwards,against the pressure of the spring clips,until the plastic hooks come free at the top,then lift them away from the bottom.

Thanks for that info Brian as i need to remove one of mine as i noticed water under the grill,is there meant to be drainhole there? Cheers.

[Brianmoooore]

There's a drain channel at each end of the scuttle which exits in the middle of the inner wing strengthening structure,and a rubber 'elephant's trunk' that drains the centre section, near the inner edge of the front battery tray. This one often gets blocked.

[torquey]

Thanks very much for that Brian

[E30S]

Cheers all - i did have a look @ the w/end and thought there was more to it than simply levering off !

I'll try t-cut but not really convinced (cheers Jim320I).

Was thinking of colour coding the panels grey like my side repeater surrounds (looks really effective) - I'll check out the T-cut first though.

[Brianmoooore]

They can be brought back to their correct colour by the careful application of a heat gun, but there's a fine line between restoring them and destroying them.

[Jim320i]

T Cut definately works, just takes lots of going over... I sell them on Ebay after I've polished them back up... I can sell you a set that were probably worse than yours are now, which polished up just fine...

[E30S]

Just been into BMW at lunch - £25.50 for both incl VAT so I'll go down that route.

Cheers all