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      09-02-2009, 04:46 AM   #109
Vaaaan
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Drives: 2009 Jet Black 135i
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Wisconsin

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Once I got to the garage and looked under the hood, I didn't understand this DIY at all. You show how to unhook the bottom clips but not with the grill on the car... there's no room!

Anyway, instead of spending too much time trying to wrap my head around how the hell you accomplished this amazing feat, I decided to just remove the front bumper, and the entire installation took no more than 15 minutes. I would highly recommend that anyone having trouble installing their grills or understanding this DIY to just remove the front bumper.

Basic procedure:
1. Remove the 4 Torx screws from the top (by the way, in case you didn't know, this can be done easily without a Torx driver by grabbing the outside edges carefully with a good needle nose pliers).
2. Remove the 9 or so screws from the bottom (all dark grey, easy to find, all towards the front).
3. Remove the 3 screws in the front of each wheel well (2 are dark grey, 1 is silver, may need to turn wheels to access easily).
4. Stick a splitting tool (I used a spatula from the kitchen) in the crack between the fender and the bumper (the one between the headlight and wheel well) BELOW the rubber piece and wedge that SOB apart (there are 2 'catches' to loosen)
5. Remove the headlight washer covers. Use the spatula to lift up the washer cover a bit, then pull it up with your fingers, grab the fat part of the nozzle *gently* with a pliers, and unclip the cover.
6. Lift the bumper off the little rubber stop up by the Torx screws and the bumper will come right off, allowing you to swap grills easily.
7. Put it back on!

The only 'hard' part is when you put the bumper back on, it can be a little tricky to get the headlight washer covers back on. The nozzles are spring loaded with some serious tension, so what I did was grab the nozzle with a needle nose pliers by one of the two little nubs at the end, pulled it out most of the way, then carefully grabbed the fat part of the nozzle with another pliers, dropped the first pliers, and clipped the cover back on. You just have to be careful not to let the spring send the pliers flying into the paint! Go slowly and carefully for this part and the rest is easy as pie.

Here's proof:
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2009 135i 6MT /// Jet Black \\\ Savanna Beige /// Premium \\\ M-Sport /// Active Steering \\\ Heated Seats /// Premium Hi-Fi \\\ iPod/USB adapter
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