Proper way to mount fender grills?

sreams

sreams

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Looking at RealOEM, the diagram shows grommets -and- fillister head screws. I don't see how a screw would be incorporated into the mounting of the grills. The grills each have four pegs that go into four holes on the fender. The grommets seem to fit the pegs just fine, but the screws?

Assuming the grommets are all that are needed, how are they supposed to go on? Do they go behind the fender, or do they sandwich between the grill and the fender on the outside? Thanks ahead for any help.

-Scott
 
The ones I have are black rubber. They seem to work very well on the outside of the fender. The rubber part that goes through the hole in the fender expands with the grill pushed through, locking the grommet securely in place. The side benefit of doing it this way seems to be that the grommets keep the grill from touching the paint, even at the edges.
 
I used a die to thread the plastic posts (10-24 I believe) and then uses some washers and nuts finger tight. I did the same with the front hood roundel. I've had both off a few time and the both go on and off with very little drama.
 
Here are the correct grommets, they go inside of fender.......part# 51 13 1831 395, still avail at your BMW dealer

IMG_0802.jpg
 
These are the ones I have. I like how they mount outside the fender a lot better. They slightly space the grills away from the fender/paint, and they are a lot easier to install on the outside as well. A lot of pressure is required to get the grommets onto the plastic pegs. It seems it would be very easy to scuff the paint this way. Also... no need to remove the mud guard inside the fender.

CSLCOUPE said:
Here are the correct grommets, they go inside of fender.......part# 51 13 1831 395, still avail at your BMW dealer

IMG_0802.jpg
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I don't know either way. Is there a manual or diagram from BMW that describes the proper mounting?

Personally, after pushing the rubber grommets into the body, and then simply pushing the grills into the grommets and watching what happened, I can't see how anyone would think it was a better idea to install them from the back.

HB Chris said:
I think those are meant for attaching from the backside though.
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I would think installing from the back would be more secure, one less way for them to wiggle loose from the front.

sreams said:
I don't know either way. Is there a manual or diagram from BMW that describes the proper mounting?

Personally, after pushing the rubber grommets into the body, and then simply pushing the grills into the grommets and watching what happened, I can't see how anyone would think it was a better idea to install them from the back.
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Don't knock it 'til you try it. These are -not- coming off without great effort. The pegs push the rubber out behind the holes to the point where the grommets can't come back through the holes without first pulling the grill out of the grommets, and the grommets are very, very tight on the pegs. If you checked it out in person, you'd probably agree that there will be nothing coming loose.

Stevehose said:
I would think installing from the back would be more secure, one less way for them to wiggle loose from the front.
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Sweet. Can you get them off for cleaning without breaking them?

sreams said:
Don't knock it 'til you try it. These are -not- coming off without great effort. The pegs push the rubber out behind the holes to the point where the grommets can't come back through the holes without first pulling the grill out of the grommets, and the grommets are very, very tight on the pegs. If you checked it out in person, you'd probably agree that there will be nothing coming loose.
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Stevehose said:
Sweet. Can you get them off for cleaning without breaking them?
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Sure. It just takes some effort. I don't think it would be any more difficult than pulling them out of the same grommets mounted inside the fender. A bit easier probably... because instead of pulling off four individual grommets that are tightly mounted, you just get a good grip on the grill and pull it out all at once. I've done this once to make sure I could.

-Scott
 
Aren't the grommets visible then if mounted from the front? I would think it spoils the effect of the non-functional faux grille
 
if these grommets would be supposed to be mounted from the outside, they for sure would look different (like the ones for the front rondel i.e.).

If you'd like to mount them like this, just do it, but it's not of any advantage I think, beside the fact, that this method might probably don't kill the plastic legs by trying to dismantle the grommets, when they were mounted from the inside. This was already happening to my side grills so far and I decided to drill tiny holes and lower appropriate screws (stainless steel ones for sure) into the grill strap. Works a lot better to me than the original solution and is not that visible at all.
 
Original fitment of fender grills

The original method for attaching fender grills was with steel clips--secure--but the plastic pins did not enjoy having the steel clips removed and clip breakage was common.

Long ago I changed to short rubber grommets made from tubing fitted to the four pins on the inside of the fenders. Easy on, easy off and absolutely secure for the past 30 years or so. Makes for ease of detailing the grills and cleaning behind same.

I don't think realoem's screw on rubber fastener(s) is a good solution--perhaps even an over kill method. A risk of mounting them on the outside sets the stage for snagging the slightly protruding edges when polishing or wiping down after the drive. Or, forbid that one would have someone wash their carriage!!!

Also--there is a thin black vinyl piece fitted to the fender behind the grill that is often overlooked by newer owners after paint work is done. The suggested risk of losing a grill or having paint damage from the grill is a non risk in my long time ownership experience.
 
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Grommets for fastening

sreams said:
Don't knock it 'til you try it. These are -not- coming off without great effort. The pegs push the rubber out behind the holes to the point where the grommets can't come back through the holes without first pulling the grill out of the grommets, and the grommets are very, very tight on the pegs. If you checked it out in person, you'd probably agree that there will be nothing coming loose.
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ACHTUNG: I would strongly discourage the use of these grommets to secure the side grilles from the front or the back unless they will never ever be removed. They are impossible to remove. I made the mistake of trying to remove one and broke one of the four pegs from an original chrome grille (shiny chrome on edge and matte everywhere else). I was really bummed to say the least.
 

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sreams said:
Sure. It just takes some effort. I don't think it would be any more difficult than pulling them out of the same grommets mounted inside the fender. A bit easier probably... because instead of pulling off four individual grommets that are tightly mounted, you just get a good grip on the grill and pull it out all at once. I've done this once to make sure I could.

-Scott
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Scott

I am assuming that when you pull the grill out, the grommets stay on the pegs (when you mount them outside the fender)? Can you possibly still break the pegs if you apply enough force?

In that case, use of a tight vacuum hose may be the safe alternative!
 
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