Carbon Fiber Kidney Grills

[TeMercZHP]

Just tried my first set of these from Bimmian.

Driver side fit ok, but not perfect by any stretch.

Passenger side wouldn't even fit into the well at all.

Sent them some pix and awaiting their reply on what they're going to do, send me new ones right off or whatever.

[kayger12]

I'm still rocking the piano black from Khoalty. No issues and still looking good

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

[quikryptonite]

A few more of the tabs on my kidney grill broke last weekend so I decided to replace the set. I was thinking about the glossy M Performance set but ended up trying out the ECS CF grills. I was really, really worried it would be a bit gaudy and brash; especially since I don't have any other CF parts on my car. But, I was very pleasantly surprised. From a distance, they simply look like matte black grills. Then upon further inspection up close the CF pattern becomes visible. I really like the more subtle, aggressive look they offer. The chrome just wasn't doing it for me anymore.

The fit was perfect, which was another thing I was worried about. Overall I am very pleased with the purchase and glad that I saved some moolah instead of buying the BMW OEM parts.

Before:


After:


Closeup:

[fredo]

Looks good, man ! Hey, that's a TX car ... where did you find her ?

[quikryptonite]

Thanks.

Yeah, I was looking and looking here at home and the only Mystic Blue car I could find had been backed into a telephone pole. So, I started venturing into out-of-state classifieds. I came across it on another forum and everything worked out. I flew down to the DFW area and met up with the seller and drove it home.

He was a very nice guy who had just upgraded to a new E90 M3. He had been living in Texas for a few years and I love Texas; so I decided to leave his registration stickers up in the windshield. I guess as sort of a tribute to the car and the state.

[Snuffalufigus]

So I am resurrecting this thread! Has anyone tried the multi-colored kidney grilles? Does anyone like them? I currently have the Carbon Fiber ones but they are chipping and peeling like crazy. These are the ones I am talking about: Do you guys think it's too much?

[BMWCurves]

I'm pretty sure someone here has these, or at least the ones from ECS Tuning:
- Sedan: https://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-33...lle/ES2826973/
- Coupe: https://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-33...lle/ES2826972/

For a sedan, the colored slats are more in the middle of the grille compared to the coupe's version. I personally prefer it off to the side more like in the coupe's. I have the BMW Performance Gloss Black grilles and love them, and recently put on the Bimmian ///M-color vinyl stickers. They've held up well so far and I think they look good:

[Snuffalufigus]

Woooow! Looks amazing! Only thing that's making me hesitate is that I have Sparkling Graphite Metallic. I don't know how good it would look... But it sure looks good on yours

[BMWCurves]

Thanks! Sparkling Graphite Metallic is one of my favorite colors on E46s, and I think the grilles would look good on it. You must have a coupe? The ECS Tuning grilles were cheaper about a month or two ago, now they're about $20 more at $90. Anyways, if I didn't already have my BMW Performance grilles, the ECS ones are the ones I would probably get.

[johnrando]

Looks great William.