I was going
through the posts on Bimmerforum.com
today and I came across one on how to remove your grill. Since
I had nothing better to do I decided to try and remove my E36
grill. The following is a list of materials that I used,
screwdriver form trunk toolkit, flathead screwdriver
attachment, and a mirror to see what you are doing.
First I removed
the black panel above my grill by using the screwdriver form
my trunk tool kit. There were six screws. Four are metal, and
two are plastic. Be careful with the plastic ones, and
remember to remove the plastic grommets that go around them.
The red arrows point to metal screws, and blue arrows point to
plastic screws.
Once the screws
are out you should be able to slide the black panel out of
your way, do not try to detach it, it is not worth it. You
have to kind of rock the panel, to get it out and back in
again. By now your car should look like this.
Now you should
be able to access the grills. To get the grills out you need
to separate them from the chrome surrounds that hold them in
place. To do this you will need to use the flat head
attachment, or a small screwdriver to work in the tight space.
Once you have gotten the flathead between the chrome part and
black part, place pressure on the front of the grill to
separate the two pieces. You now have to repeat this process
with each clip. Remember to be careful and not break the
clips, they are tough, but not indestructible.
This
was my favorite tool because it was the only one small enough
to fit in the tight areas.
Once
you have separated the black part form the chrome part you can
slide the grill out. After you have one grill out, it is time
to go on to the next one.
With both grills out your car should look like
this.
Not
really having a good reason to take out the grill, I decide to
give them a much needed bath before putting them back.
When
you are finished removing your grills, simply reverse the
process to put them back in.