Kidney Grille personalisation options?...

[Watch Carefully]

Hi Guys,
I've searched a bit here and elsewhere on-line for images and suggestions for cosmetic changes to the kidney grilles that will look cool on my Schwartz II roadster with matte emblems and no visible chrome (other than the grille surrounds). I've decided the remaining silver accents of the grille are contrary to my intended look, so am wondering what products or color options or styles you could recommend (and, hopefully, can show). I realize that Photobucket has screwed up a lot of historical threads by making images unavailable. Anyone who can share opinions/recommendations, I'll be grateful.

FYI, my roundels are all matte black, as is the lip spoiler. I am leaning toward just spraying the grilles matte black also, but maybe a bit of red accent or even black mesh would appeal to me. Also, I've seen some adverts for grilles with curved slats (see below), but have not seen these on a Z3. Any images? I wonder how they look in situ. I'm planning this to have a low financial impact, so billet mesh grilles costing $100s are out.

Cheers,
Brad

s-l1600.jpg

[BimmerBreaker]

The grille you showed a picture of always looks weird to me because of the "eyebrow" on the top. The OEM grilles don't have that and it looks weird installed

I'd plasti-dip your current grills. It's removable if you ever want to change it back and only $6 to try it out. Otherwise if your current set is in good shape, keep an eye out for an already painted or used and cheap OEM set, if you ever sell the car it always helps to be able to return it to stock.

[Watch Carefully]

The grille you showed a picture of always looks weird to me because of the "eyebrow" on the top. The OEM grilles don't have that and it looks weird installed

I'd plasti-dip your current grills. It's removable if you ever want to change it back and only $6 to try it out. Otherwise if your current set is in good shape, keep an eye out for an already painted or used and cheap OEM set, if you ever sell the car it always helps to be able to return it to stock.

Thanks for the tip. I might just look into the plasti-dip. I've heard a lot about it and a reversible change is appealing (I simply sprayed my roundels matte black via non-reversible rattle-can, because they had aged entirely to silver.
Still seeking images of those curved-slat grilles. I suspect I would share your opinion of them, but want to be sure.
Cheers!

[jajou318]

please don't put mustache grills on your car.

[deni2s]

I had seen those grilles in person, they look very bad - like some chinese fake copies (which they are). Attached pic is the only one where they look ok, but I think that's because they compliment a little hamann "eyebrows" on headlights.

10945646_10207343117006399_947208574976794171_n.jpg

I would suggest matte black or car color coded (had seen a few cars, looks nice, now I'm doing the same on my car). No accents on grilles - had seen a lot, noone looks really well.

[bubbafett]

Might want to look at these, they are made just like the OE grills, two pieces that snap together, in matt black. https://bimmian.com/Accessories-for-BMW/Painted/Grills/Grill/?veh=37

<a href="https://bimmian.com/Accessories-for-BMW/Painted/Grills/Grill/?veh=37" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">

[s8ilver]

Ebay matte black version on my Coupe...I was surprised that the construction seemed a bit better than OEM. OEM grills were tucked away in the boxes for the next owner.

20160922_143334.jpeg

[Watch Carefully]

Ebay matte black version on my Coupe...I was surprised that the construction seemed a bit better than OEM. OEM grills were tucked away in the boxes for the next owner.

20160922_143334.jpeg

Looking good! I was curious how matte grilles would look on my shiny black car.
Nice cloud shot, too!

[deni2s]

Looking good! I was curious how matte grilles would look on my shiny black car.

Then this is how matte black looks on my car:

[deni2s]

11156273_1104218169595010_3037478591413168604_n.jpgDSC_2921.jpg56539.jpg11226920_10207343128526687_151764431083485484_o.jpg11952049_10207343049484711_2835650692998958226_n.jpg

[deni2s]

16304163_large.jpg27533659.jpg06_2009.jpgIMG_1881goodsm.jpgIMG_1909goodsm.jpg

[Watch Carefully]

Thanks!

[s8ilver]

This local Coupe has a bit of a more shiny black grill. I think it was painted more a gloss black to go with his black painted hood grill chrome.

I was just staring at his wheels so didn't notice the grills at first.

20151013_112054.jpg

[Watch Carefully]

SERIOUSLY?



Maybe this requires a bit of 'dutch courage.'
What's the recommended way to remove an e36/7 grille?

Ah, never mind--I managed to remove them for application of PlastiDip. With a combination of finesse and brute force.

[LannVouivre]

Your video link suggests that brute force and finesse are basically indistinguishable.

[Watch Carefully]

PlastiDip job done....now I just need to fill the many stone chips!

Matte is the new Schwartz:

[Tim95M3]

Why is your roundel just a black circle? Is that a thing?

[Watch Carefully]

Why is your roundel just a black circle? Is that a thing?

I guess it's my thing, a stealthy thing. I've not seen any others.
I blacked it out because, when I bought the car, all 4 roundels were faded entirely to silver.

March 2017:



Rather than spend $40x4 for new ones to advertise excessively that the car is a BMW (in addition to the roundel on the steering wheel and one on each wheel), I sprayed them black. That $160 saved paid for one new Continental ExtremeContact tire.
In person, at a distance of a handful of feet, the raised BMW lettering and other elements of the roundel are discernible beneath the matte black.

July 2017 (sorry for the crappy photo):

[BimmerBreaker]

Id go with ebay roundels before painting over them personally...