Front Grill Removal - (How-To) - Discussion Thread

[heyou]

I tried this today, and I couldn't get it off! I undid the side tabs, and removed all the bolts fromt he bottom, but it WOULD NOT COME OFF!! I removed #2 from picture 2, and undid the two lower tabs one ahc side, but I was reluctant to ynak on it, it was still being held on along the top. Just pull on it? I started taking off the entier front clip but got stopped by rain so I put it back. Took my snowbox out though. I have a 2000.

If I end p taking the front clip off, I might as well make a CAI and put it in while I'm at it!

[weldtech]

I'd like to find a new grill for my 2002 with the fog light holes, but I can only seem to find them without them.

[marvins_dad]

Originally Posted by heyou

I tried this today, and I couldn't get it off! I undid the side tabs, and removed all the bolts fromt he bottom, but it WOULD NOT COME OFF!! I removed #2 from picture 2, and undid the two lower tabs one ahc side, but I was reluctant to ynak on it, it was still being held on along the top. Just pull on it? I started taking off the entier front clip but got stopped by rain so I put it back. Took my snowbox out though. I have a 2000.

If I end p taking the front clip off, I might as well make a CAI and put it in while I'm at it!

If your car is pre-2001 you have to take off the entire front clip. Sorry. I believe in the How-To's there is a link to how that is done as well...either that or it is somewhere in this thread.

[heyou]

Oh hell! Well, I might as well do some other mods while I have it off. CAI anyone?

[pinktimbs]

I know that this thread is about doing it yourself, so I hate to be the dork that asks this dumb question, but I'm dying to know:

Is changing out the front panel, grill and coupling a job that the dealership can do?

*Sigh*

I hate to pay an exorbant amount of money to have the VW dealership do a job that seems very simple, but I've got a '99 which would require taking the whole front bumper off.. and, well, I just don't have the patience or the heart to do it myself. I also have any friends who are knowledgeable enough to do this for me.

At the same time, my front panel is cracked at the bottom (thanks to the previous owner hitting debris on the road that flew off a vehicle ahead of her). The P.O. kept the piece together with silver duct tape (which seemed to be fine) but in the six months I've owned Sparkle, the duct tape isn't doing it anymore. Today, I got home and realized that I had drove all over and the duct tape didn't keep the cracked panel piece from popping loose and flapping around everywhere. On top of that, the driver's side of the front panel appears to be popping out a little on the side. It's not looking good.

If I can just drop off Sparkle and pick her up a couple hours later all taken care of, it'd be much easier than having to pull her apart and face the inevitable losing of parts and misplacing screws and effing up the "putting her back together" part.

So sorry I'm not worthy enough to do it myself!

(But this was a fun thread to read. )

[callisto9]

of course the dealership can do this for you, but it's going to cost ya! the only reason i did mine myself was 1) i was broke and 2) the parts i needed to replace didn't require the whole front bumper to come off.

call the stealership and have them quote you an amount and then figure out if it's worth the cash. the parts will cost some $, too, and VW parts bought at the dealership will run you much more than getting them unpainted from www.1vwparts.com, which is where i got mine. in fact, the dealership parts will be unpainted, too.

if it's just your grill and parts immediately surrounding the grill that need to be fixed, expect to pay around $200 for a DIY job ($80 paint, but i did mine all black, would be more for color matching, $100 or so for the parts). and it took me about 2 hours to do this job.

good luck and let us know what you decide.

[pinktimbs]

I just called our local VW dealership and asked about having the front panel, grill and coupling replaced due to it being damaged and cracked. The guy in the service/parts department told me that it wasn't something the dealership could do. It was a body shop problem, not mechanical. I think he's mistaken, as I had my driver's side mirror replaced after a deer charged the side of Sparkle in December, but I didn't feel like arguing with him.

Maybe I'll just buy the parts and see if the guy who did my belt and water pump changes can do this for me, too.

[Breez]

I dont think I could handle seeing my beetle without a front... lol. Im lucky, I finally figured out I have a model that doesnt require the whole front bumper off... so now I just need to find a new fog lamp to fix the darn thing.

[marvins_dad]

Yeah - what Callisto said...get the parts from 1stvwparts.com (cheaper than the stealership) and either try the install yourself or that mechanic could do it in no time. It's not that tough.
Are there any org members in your area? I'm sure someone would help you out.

[lkchris]

Originally Posted by 1999 BEETLE

Hello i`m looking to add fog lights to my 1999 GL

Can anyone tell me where the parts are available,and does anyone know if the fog light wiring is there ?
I`ve already added the euro light switch with the fog function,wondering if the cars wired for it,like the cd changed thingey ????????

Happy New Year to you All

Can't tell that this question was ever answered--is the wiring there on models without foglights OR what is the wiring harness part number if separately available? Mine's 2003

[Don_n_Herbie]

Originally Posted by marvins_dad

Here is another thread that shows some good pics.

The beginning shows taking off the entire front clip.

Page 2 they explain the more the method that the How-To is based on.

http://forums.newbeetle.org/showthre...threadid=16569

THIS LINK DONT WORK WAS IT ON THE OLD ORG

[marvins_dad]

Sorry...when that was posted the Old Org was still operational(10-22-2005).

[Don_n_Herbie]

Originally Posted by marvins_dad

Sorry...when that was posted the Old Org was still operational(10-22-2005).

THATS WHAT I THOUGHT DO YOU KNOW OF ANY HOW TO FOR REMOVING THE FRONT BUMBER OR ANY HINTS AND TIPS

[marvins_dad]

Unfortunately that was the best how-to I knew of at the time. I don't know if Bentley has a good exploded diagram or not. I have to reinstall it on my laptop to find out. If anyone else has one handy can they post something?

I have taken my front clip off and seen it done a few times...it is time consuming. You have to take off all the torx screws under the hood, take off the fender liners and the headlights. I believe there are 2 or 3 torx bolts in the headlight area, then about 2-4 bolts and a bracket in the wheel wells.

[marvins_dad]

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3702181

[noR]

Best tip I have is use a powered screwdriver.

It's not really too hard, just a bunch of screws. Keep up w/them in baggies or something.

under the wheel liner there one or two that might fool you into thinking they have to come off, but they're really just holding the fender and bumper together. There's a couple that have to come off too.

Good luck Don, it's not so bad.

[south9490]

Howdy Folks,

I just pulled my grill off of my NB and it was fairly easy

I just what the other people are saying take the three push pin rivets and i used a dowel rod to push mine thru the hole.After I did that I unscrewed the two screw that hold the fog light on and then started gently pulling it down.On my car it was a snug fit and I just took my time undoing everything.I hope this helps a little and does not confuse anyone.

[KevinR]

In the process of tackling this now. Removal was easy: just drive your car too far forward over a curb, then reverse and listen to the sound of cracking plastic...

My wife's car is a 2003 GLX turbo, if that makes any difference. Part numbers for reference, since I haven't seen them listed in this thread so far:

grill surround - Part I was given was wrong. Will correct info when I get correct part.
black mesh grill - 1C0 807 681 C 01C
fog light assembly, left - 1C0 941 699 B
fog light assembly, right - 1C0 941 700 B

My local dealer was able to beat 1stvwparts' price for the grill surround and the mesh grill. I didn't need the center trim bar, so I don't have that part number.

I also didn't NEED the fog light assemblies, but after 8 years on the road the lenses are badly pitted and I figured I might as well replace them at the same time. Be advised, replacing the fog light assemblies more than doubles the cost of this project. As of today (3/22/2010), 1stvwparts gets $92.62 each for the fog light assemblies.

I don't think cars that came without fog lights are pre-wired. In my 25+ years of experience with VWs, they rarely put in the wiring for options not found on the car. But I could be wrong.

I still have to get the surround painted and I haven't ordered the fog lights yet, so this will take some more time to complete.

[SpyderMike]

Just an update from my experience tonight changing my wife's driver side foglight on a 2005 convertible turbo...

I didn't have to remove the grill.

I removed items 2 in the picture 1 above (3 places using small wire cutters under the push in fastener).

I removed item 3 which is the lower screw for the foglight assy.

I disconnected the electrical connector from the foglight assay.

I slide out the other electrical item near the foglight (attached to the same harness and in the way) and let it dangle.

Using a large flat blade screw driver from behind the grill I popped the lower tab for the grill and the grill released forward an inch or two. This allowed me to get my hand in the space with a small screwdriver. I removed the remaining two top screws and pulled the assy out from the back side.

Replacement was the reverse. Total time about 20 minutes.