A few idle hours result in mesh treatment for lower front of our M Coupe

[paul4223]

The OEM lower cover was cosmetically-challenged. I was about to replace it when I remembered I had some black diamond mesh left over from another car project. I decided to fit that mesh to the lower openings on the Coupe. I think it looks pretty nifty, and hides some imperfections on the bumper. Initially I just did the center but I decided it would look better if I also did the brake cooling ducts, and I think it does. Lighting in the photo was a bit spotty- the overall effect is a lot smoother.

[BimmerBreaker]

Excellent craftmanship!!

[paul4223]

Excellent craftmanship!!

Thank you, Sir. It was a rather "fussy" project. It's completely reversible if I choose to go back to stock appearance. All I'd need to do is purchase a new OEM lower cover. I like the new look a lot and will likely stay with it.

[KBH22102]

Looks great! Also details please on that front license plate mount.

[deni2s]

Looks awesome! What did you used for part around the mesh? It adds quality look.

[dimm6]

Looks awesome! What did you used for part around the mesh? It adds quality look.

Same here. I think the trim around the edges finished it off just right. It looks great.

Also, what about the license plate mount? How'd you do it?

[kojohns]

Bravo, that's the best mesh application I've seen and the trim around the edges is the key to the professional look

[paul4223]

Thanks very much for the kind comments!

The part around the mesh is a rubber molding/trim strip which fits tight. The trim has a small slit in it which enables it to be worked onto the mesh. I found the mesh, molding, and fasteners at customcargrills.com -No Affiliation. The site has some excellent tutorials. Working with the bumper on the car makes the job fussier and more time-consuming. I did trial and error paper templates until I was happy with the fit. It was a case of measure 5 or 6 times and cut mostly once, except for a bit of fine-tuning. Getting the rubber trim onto the cut mesh requires patience and care- the cut mesh is SHARP! The mesh material is powder-coated black and makes a subtle but noticeable "statement" on the car. I didn't want silver mesh.

The license plate bracket is from Skene. skenedesign.com. No Affiliation. Word around Seattle area is that LE is getting much more aggressive about writing tickets for no front plate, and I decided to finally "get legal." I preferred a center-mount, rather than the ones which utilize the tow hook area, but I definitely wanted something less bulky than OEM, so I went with the Skene design. You do have to make two small holes but they are not visible unless you're on the ground looking up. I also mounted the plate lower than the way it's portrayed on Skene's website.

[Vinci]

How did you affix the mesh to the bumper?

[fuz9]

Yet again I'm jealous of your front bumper...

[paul4223]

How did you affix the mesh to the bumper?

For the center section I used little plastic gizmos pictured below, held in place with foam tape and a small black screw. The gizmos have slots to run a small zip tie through. This system works quite well. Grill is definitely secure!

For the side sections I used two smallish pieces of double-sided foam tape for each side, top and bottom. I colored the edges with black marker and used black electrical tape on top of the tape where it showed behind the rubber moulding. All 3 pieces are a snug fit. The side pieces, especially so. After I got the sides positioned on the tape, I used a thin plastic blade to gently push any visible tape under the rubber. If you get super close, and you're looking for it, you can barely see it. From a few feet away, it's invisible.

Yet again I'm jealous of your front bumper...

Yeah, but you've got the Schnitzer rep spoiler on your roof!

[lokijibber]

Great work! I too was a bit scared reading the title, but that is excellent work.

[SalishZ]

Word around Seattle area is that LE is getting much more aggressive about writing tickets for no front plate

An elegant touch, indeed!

And thanks especially for the local tip. I've been meaning to float the question before I removed the unsightly front plate from my Sterling 3.0i. I'll trade a little sadness for the extra hassle.

Hope I see your lovely (Oxford?) green coupe 'round the Sound this summer. Being so close to a British Racing Green, it's just about the only color I envy...

[paul4223]

Great work! I too was a bit scared reading the title, but that is excellent work.

An elegant touch, indeed!

And thanks especially for the local tip. I've been meaning to float the question before I removed the unsightly front plate from my Sterling 3.0i. I'll trade a little sadness for the extra hassle.

Hope I see your lovely (Oxford?) green coupe 'round the Sound this summer. Being so close to a British Racing Green, it's just about the only color I envy...

Thank you both. I attended a very demanding art school. Some of those design assignments were migraine-inducing. The training has helped with little projects like the mesh grills or when I refinished the bumper last summer.

Of course I much prefer the look of our cars sans front plate, but I got tired of "fearing" LE or even parking meter attendants. The color of the Coupe (I like using a capital C) is Boston Green Metallic. On a cloudy day it does resemble a dark BRG. On a sunny day, it really pops!

[BimmerBreaker]

Everytime I click this thread I like it a little more...

[deni2s]

Me too. Best mesh application ever seen on z3. I'm mentally preparing myself to do something similar on my carline bumper.