Has anyone blacked out the front kidneys like all the guys do on the z3's??? id like to see how that stupid chrome looks in black, but i dont wanna be the test rat...

Someone tried to buy one on Ebay for the Z4 but it turned out to be a scam. Paypal reversed the payment but the seller was very shady. I'd like to find a good quality blackout for the Z4 M's.

I'd just do the outsides like I did on mine, but you have black "ribs" not silver right? You could paint them silver... :dunno:

http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/7132/p6130005largeay4.jpg

That looks really good, did you go to your local body shop and have them spray it?

no I did it myself with VERY VERY light coats of black plastic paint, and a few coats of clearcoat. The grill surround seperates from the grill itself, making it super easy

yea my front is black...the surround is silver

sooo the WHOLE front being black would prob look super hot!!! hmmmmmm

Nice... thanks gonna have to try it.

Do the base z4's have a black out surroundings? I remember that the base e46 cars had a black outter kidney grill and all you had to do was swap the outters with the inners and done.

They are silver on z4s.

Roffle Waffle...your car is gorgeous.:buttrock

Could you post a close up pic of your grill?
Thanks

i have an 06 3.0si and the kidneys are silver i had em painted at the auto body shop flat black and the surrounds to match the gloss black of the car..looks nice..bav auto has them in stock in black but unpainted

GP20 (Eric) on z 4 um dot com has a full blacked out grill on his 'o6 M Roadster. There are plenty of pics in his picture thread. It looks ok.

Here is a pic of GP20's Roadster with a friends M3....
http://static.flickr.com/57/160340448_4265481249_o.jpg

Spring project for me was to color match (Imola Red) the amber corner markers up front, and maybe black out the grille. Seeing this thread pretty much seals the deal... gunna have to do it for sure! :) Nice pics all around...

well thats on silver...i wanna see it on BLACK... full black front would prob look mean

well thats on silver...i wanna see it on BLACK... full black front would prob look mean

buying blacked out grills is not that expensive or a radical mod.... blacked out grill on black car.... will look pretty black...easy to imagine. :rolleyes

buying blacked out grills is not that expensive or a radical mod.... blacked out grill on black car.... will look pretty black...easy to imagine. :rolleyes

Wow, thats deep. Hence why your post count is 53 and mz4speed4me's post count is 2,558. But thanks for the input, keep it up. ;)

And if it wasnt obvious, mz4speed4me, I'm with you here. Asking to see something always helps me determine by desire for it. Rather than spending money painting a part that, if replaced after due to dislike, would cost $100+ ... it makes sense to at least photoshop it or see another person's car first. I've had my fair share of show cars where I've done modifications without first seeing it, and its a gamble for sure, no matter how small.

well im not going to BUY the part...if i like it ill just paint mine, but i am not in the mood to paint it, then look at like after like ehhhh that looks like garbage...

and obviously it would look black....

but some cars look good, some dont, so looking at a z3, or an e36 is different

my z3 had a blackout front grille, and i liked it, silver car, not black

so i dont know if i will like it on black, might just be too much black, that is all

Wow, thats deep. Hence why your post count is 53 and mz4speed4me's post count is 2,558. But thanks for the input, keep it up. ;)

And if it wasnt obvious, mz4speed4me, I'm with you here. Asking to see something always helps me determine by desire for it. Rather than spending money painting a part that, if replaced after due to dislike, would cost $100+ ... it makes sense to at least photoshop it or see another person's car first. I've had my fair share of show cars where I've done modifications without first seeing it, and its a gamble for sure, no matter how small.

If you recall, I supplied the picture of the blacked out grill for viewing as mzspeed4me requested...he failed to state that he wanted to see it on a BLACK car originally. He simply asked to see a blacked out grill.

As for post count, quality posts over post-whore quanitity... again, :rolleyes

The grills are cheap to buy....buy them and switch them out from time to time! Eric does it to his Silver/grey M all the time. His always looks hot. You cant go wrong...just do it! :buttrock

well i had a bad experience with bought black grills NOT fitting my z3....

id rather just make it a diy

Sorry to bring this back up from dead. I found a black grille trim on bavauto. Didn't see any install instructions. Anyone tried those?
(Not allowed to post URL yet, sorry)

Here's the location if you are interested. I'm ordering mine today (for a white M Coupe)

I did mine with blackout trim tape. $5
I did it mainly as a test run, before painting.

The tape has the same look/gloss as the black grill,
& looks good, so I'm just going to leave it for now.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k76/inTgr8r/Volk%20ME/ME-1.jpg

i like it on the lighter colors...might be weird on black...

and 60 bucks, just for the surrounds is stupid! its not even the whole grill

but on the plus side it won't chip

Here's the location if you are interested. I'm ordering mine today (for a white M Coupe)

Please report back on the fitment and pictures when you have them on.

Anyone know if the Z4 black out grills are the same as on the 07' M Coupe?
Seems like they should, but I want to make sure.

Thanks.

The M Roadster and M Coupe are the same for sure. Mine is on the way.

bringing this one to the top. Anyone got the black grille installed yet? Pics?

I got my blackout grills (FAST!) and installed them the other day. Since I keep getting PM's I figured I better post some pics. I was expecting them to replace the chrome but they actually go over the chrome and come with a tube of super adhesive. The adhesive they sent seemed old so I decided to use that super dooper double sided tape you get from home depost. It has a red backing and you can literally stick concrete to it. Next to tie straps (and lava lamps) it's my favorite thing in the world! Anyway, I took a razor knife and cut the tape down the center the long way and went around the inside of the grill with it. Done neatly, you can cover the surface really well. I cleaned the chrome with the alcohol pad it came with and stuck them on. The fit was perfect. I applied pressure for about 2-3 minutes on each side and then let the car sit for a day. (I had to drive something else anyway but I think the sit time could be very minimal) ... anyway, they seem to be stuck on very well.

awwww yeahhh

like the grill...love the headlights more!!!

Thanks! Here's another angle...

Outstanding. The fit does look awesome.

I ordered and received the covers a few days ago... but after realizing they were covers and not replacement trim I have not installed them, for fear of poor fitment and glue paranoia. But after seeing your pics I may have to reconsider and pickup some double-sided tape as well. Thanks for the great pics.

Can I put this grill instead? :b_mirror

http://www4.autonet.ca/FR/Nouvelles/article.php?file=/Nouvelles/2007/04/24/4126037.html

how come u don't have reflectors on the side next to the wheels?

how come u don't have reflectors on the side next to the wheels?

because it's an M

Strange...I have a M coupe ( '07), It has the 10spd reflectors on it. Is it US Models only?

Does anyone know if there are any aftermarket painted replacements available. I know there were a few tuners that carried these for the E46.

I also installed the Blackout Grill from Bav Auto, mine fit poorly, plastic was warped. They sent a replacement and they are fine, looks very good on a Black coupe.

There are no aftermarket that I'm aware of.
On solid colors, some guys have used vinyl overlays.

I just bought an extra OEM set & had them painted.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k76/inTgr8r/Volk%20ME/ME-3.jpg

Strange...I have a M coupe ( '07), It has the 10spd reflectors on it. Is it US Models only?

Yep.

I did mine with blackout trim tape. $5
I did it mainly as a test run, before painting.

The tape has the same look/gloss as the black grill,
& looks good, so I'm just going to leave it for now.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k76/inTgr8r/Volk%20ME/ME-1.jpg

Do you have to take the bumper off to get the grills out?

Do you have to take the bumper off to get the grills out?

Nope, grab the vertical slats with your hands, push down towards the ground, and then slightly pull the top edge towards you. Basically its down and out.

mz4speed4me,
Did you every get a look at one where the grill was blacked out on a black car?
I think the photo shop idea would be a great way to do it, all you have to do is take a photo of a car with the grills already blacked out and then paint the rest of the car (in your photo software) black...... of course, if your lazy and want to take the EASY way out, take a photo of your car and just paint the grill. :rolleyes

My old car was black on black - I want to do it to the new one as well. Anyone know where to order NEW blacked out grills for the MZ4? I don't want to go the taping route...and I would rather not paint them myself.
I can't figure out how to post pics, but the black on black looked really good on my 330.

jbw219, why don't you want to use tape?????:D
Look up "kevlar" on the z4um thread and he can help you gain more access....
Looking forward to the pic's!! and welcome to the site!!

I just figured that upon close inspection you would be able to see the tape...maybe I'm wrong - I've never seen it personally.
I also liked with my other car that I had the chrome grills on hand if I ever wanted to put them back on.
Now, I'm thinking about painting the OEM's. I guess if I take my time and use several coats of clear coat they should be reasonably resistant to chipping etc...

I just figured that upon close inspection you would be able to see the tape...maybe I'm wrong - I've never seen it personally.
I also liked with my other car that I had the chrome grills on hand if I ever wanted to put them back on.
Now, I'm thinking about painting the OEM's. I guess if I take my time and use several coats of clear coat they should be reasonably resistant to chipping etc...

I was kidding about the TAPE!!! However you are correct, I haven't seen it person either...
:deadhorse: get ahold of Kevlar so we can see some pic's.....

Just joined Friday. I painted my '03 3.0i black on black w/silver trim with 4 light layers of high gloss and 3 layers of clear. The painting process took approximately 8 hours plus 24 additional hours for drying before re-installing them. I kept the grills silver since all black killed the shark nose look (I experimented by taping the grills with black electrical tape). I'd this done before joining this forum so it took a while before I figured out how to remove the trim/grill units. My next project - powder coat the OEM rims hyper black. I saw a set of chrome rims and they were butt-ugly.

mz4speed4me,
Did you every get a look at one where the grill was blacked out on a black car?. . . :rolleyes

Since my 2005 3.0 is leased, I bought a set of 2.5 grills, removed the chrome surrounds, light sand with fine sandpaper, a few coats of flat black and reinstalled. Holds up good to bug removal so must be a good bond.

Here are some pics of my 2005 Black Sapphire Metallic 3.0 with the following:

Blackout Grill
Black roundel replace blue - E-Bay
Black Decals cover front orange reflectors - thanks Adam12Hicks
Smoke headlight lens 5% - Lamin-x - thanks dtothepowerop


http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/jackb1/05Z4BLACK64001.jpg

I did not tint the fog lights as they they are too dim already.

I like the new look over the OEM below -

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/jackb1/05Z4Hardtop64044.jpg

I like my mods so far. Would like "Piano Black" dash and console trim but a big chunck of cash. Also considering side panels.

Have a great day!
Jack

I think it looks great!!!
:woot:

I think it looks great!!!
:woot:

Agreed - looks nice, Jack!