F30 BMW M Performance Parts Black Out Grill DIY Install

The first of many F30 DIYs to come from the Bimmerfest.com Project 328i. And for you 335i owners don't worry, we'll have plenty of 335i DIYs as well. We got one of the first sets of F30 M Performance Parts black out grills from our friends at Turner Motorsport. The grills from Turner are $129.90 and dramatically change the look of the F30. I'll have photos of the full car shortly.

Tools needed

• T20 torx bit
• T30 torx bit
• Pick or small screwdriver

1) Pop the hood and removed the front hood seal by pulling up. It is a friction fit and pulls off easily.



2) With the seal removed you'll see the 6 T30 torx screws. Remove these and set aside.



3) Remove the two T20 screws, one on each side that screw into the top of the headlights.



4) Gently pry the top of the bumper up and forward so you get access to the back of the grills. Wedging a flash light into the gap will give you room to work and light to see the clips on the back of the grills.



5) The grills are held in with three clips across the top, one on each side and three on the bottom. Use a screw driver or pick tool to push in the release tabs on the grills while gently pulling out on the grills. Go slow and work your way from inside to out one clip at a time.



You can see the clips clearly with the grill removed



6) With the first grill removed you can remove the second one by working through the grill opening. This is considerably easier then working from the top. Again work one clip at a time while pulling lightly on the grill from the front. Work your way around until the grill pops out.



7) With the grills removed the hard part is over! Unpack your new F30 M Performance Parts black out grills from TMS and pop them in. They snap right in.



8) With your grills snapped in place we need to reconnect the top of the bumper. In addition to the torx screws removed above there are four metal clips that hold the bumper in place and two tabs on the headlights. Make sure you slid the top of the bumper under these clips and tabs.



9) The hood seal has a U groove on the back that snaps onto a ridge on the bumper. Work your way across snapping the grove onto the ridge. The seal also snaps on the headlights.



10) You're done. Stand back and enjoy the new look of your F30!

Thanks to Turner Motorsport for the parts and Jay and Derek for the installation help.

Nice write up!

looks like a lot of work tho, and some of those tools, i dont have lol

maybe i can get the dealer to do it for me

Looks awesome. Are they plastic like the originals, or metal? I have to say I was surprised when I went to touch the 328i sport grill and it was plastic. Do you have a before/after pic?

I received my F30 a few weeks ago. For those that think this is a bit difficult or involved; it absolutely is not. It's actually very easy if you follow the great instructions provided by Tim330i. It may seem like a lot but it's only because he's spelled out every little step in detail. It took me 15 minutes to complete and I was taking my time so I wouldn't scratch the paint. I'm sure someone with more experience could do it even faster. My before and after pictures below.

they looks so great in person

Originally Posted by Cbinc

I received my F30 a few weeks ago. For those that think this is a bit difficult or involved; it absolutely is not. It's actually very easy if you follow the great instructions provided by Tim330i. It may seem like a lot but it's only because he's spelled out every little step in detail. It took me 15 minutes to complete and I was taking my time so I wouldn't scratch the paint. I'm sure someone with more experience could do it even faster. My before and after pictures below.

Nice before and after.
I would say the front end would look better if the tag was in the middle and just below the grill instead of being off to the left side.

Originally Posted by LarryboysUDM

Nice before and after.
I would say the front end would look better if the tag was in the middle and just below the grill instead of being off to the left side.

I was back and forth about this myself. I decided on the tow hook hole because I just couldn't bring myself to drill holes into the bumper.

Very easy as per instructions and photos - Took me 35 minutes. thanks

ive seen the bimmerfest f30 around the boston area, arent you afraid you're going to get pulled over for not having the front license plate. cops around here are ruthless about that.

also has anyone done this on both an e92 and the f30. The e92 was a real pain and I couldnt get the damn thing off myself, i tried a screwdriver, poker ting, even a butter knife. The tabs just wouldn't budge. have they made it easier at all?

How would the blacked out grille look on a black car?

some people love it but i think it basically camoflauges the entire front end

Seriously, pull the bumper up and forward?

Since there are merely clips holding it (which is similar to the E82 grill), you just put both hands into the grill slots on the left and right edges and yank it towards you to remove.

Then to insert the new grill with your hands in the same location push it in until you hear it seat.

Zero tools needed, 30 seconds elapsed time.

At one time I actually had 3 separate grill sets; the stock one; one with painted surrounds; and a black matte one. I was constantly swapping them out once I got tired of the look.

Like a female trying to decide what hairstyle looked better, I was always changing my mind after a while.

If I had to do this DIY instruction each time it would be a one time deal.

did you ever do an E92? Mine was so damn difficult. Just gave up after trying like 5 times. Maybe I was just being too cautious and didnt want to break anything.

Originally Posted by chris328

did you ever do an E92? Mine was so damn difficult. Just gave up after trying like 5 times. Maybe I was just being too cautious and didnt want to break anything.

No. My wife has an E91 and I want to swap her's out with shadowline one's, but she gave me that look that basically said "don't even think about it", so even though it's reversible I never pursued it.

I think underlying is that she knows once I get started I find it hard to stop tinkering with it.

Unless you have plans to sell the old stocker grills or reuse them later it's worth a shot to use the old yank 'em out method after you tried the finesse approach.

Thank you for taking the time to post this. I had the dealer install my grilles. I knew it was an easy install but, didn't want to mess up my car knowing my past experience! I will return here when I decide to reinstall my OEM grilles.!