BMW E46  Kidney Grills - Hacky fix 3D model thumbnail

BMW E46 Kidney Grills - Hacky fix

by Jolubeat · via Thingiverse
FormatSTL
CategoryOther
LicenseCC BY-SA
UploadedApr 9, 2026
⬇ 1 downloads ❤ 1 likes 👁 13 views

Description

I sent the whole hood to a body repair shop. The paint job turned out great, but once I got home I noticed the kidney grilles had some play. Considering the age of the car, the original grille mounting tabs tend to become very brittle and break easily. The repair shop fixed this by applying automotive silicone directly over the broken tabs. Since silicone is extremely flexible, I wasn’t fully confident in the long-term stability of that solution. To avoid removing the grilles again, I designed these simple press-fit tabs that can be installed after the grilles are already in place. Murat’s clip design is definitely a more elegant solution https://www.printables.com/model/41913-kidney-grill-clip-replacement-for-bmw-vehicle but this version is extremely quick to install and works perfectly well. Attention • You may need to shave off a small amount of the printed tabs for proper fitment. I included several different lengths to help with adjustment. • This solution requires adhesive. I used two-component epoxy and glued the tabs to the grilles only, NOT to the body panel. • The robustness of the solution depends heavily on achieving a tight fit, using a strong printing material (I printed mine in ASA), and choosing a high-quality adhesive. Epoxy is strongly recommended.
BMW BMW E46 clips e46 fix grills kidney tabs

Originally published on Thingiverse