ok, i finally did it! i removed and replaced the grill! here are my notes..
my car is a 2001 beetle with fogs. i did a complete removal and replacement of the grill, lower panel and coupling. before you get started, snap the lower panel and grill together. then snap on the coupling. all parts should be secure and snug. no gaps. see picture with letter C.
picture 1: you do not need to remove #1. you will need to remove #2 and #3. #3, use a regular screw driver, #2 are the rivets you will need a metal wire coat hanger. push the center of the rivet through. i lost the center parts (all three!), so you'll probably want to buy 3 new ones. a ripoff of $1.25 each at the local VW dealership.
picture 2: you kind of just have to pull / pry the thing off. i didn't find any kind of release lever or anything. the grill is held into place by "tabs", screws and rivets. since you have the screws and rivets out, you just have to pull it off, but be careful, as the fogs are screwed into the lower panel (part that surrounds the grill). letter A shows where you will have to unscrew the fogs from the lower panel. there are two screws per fog, four total. once you have these off, nothing else should be attached.
picture 3: the place where the fogs are attached to the lower panels. there is a metal part (letter B) here that you'll need when you put the new lower panel back on. these metal parts will need to be pried off the old lower panel and it's not easy. i broke most of them, but they were still quasi-usable.
picture 4: this is where part B goes. the metal thingie. it's some kind of support / reinforcement part for the screws, i guess.
once you get to this part, you just screw the fogs back on, snap the previously assembled grill / lower panel / coupling back into the frame, screw the lower panel to the places it needs to be screw and push the rivets back in.
if anyone has any questions, please let me know! this took me about 30 - 45 mins. total and the cost with paint and parts from
www.1stvwparts.com was about $200. be warned though:
www.1stvwparts.com sent me the wrong grill and i had to get a new one, at twice the cost, at the VW dealership. poo!