Finally installed ECS RS grille. Impressed with the look, not with the install

[hotleadsingergu]

To start, I just took it out of the box for the first time today, after receiving it in December. I bought it when it was on sale, but though my parents have a heated garage, the concrete is too cold to lay on for hours on end. Chose to wait until now.

Took it out of the box, and one of the top corner brackets was broken off in the box. It's not a necessary part of the support structure, so I installed the thing anyway, but it still sucked after opening a brand-new piece worth a few hundred bucks to find the plastic was cheap enough to snap during the 30 mile shipping from ECS (I live in Cleveland). Either way, I wasn't ecstatic.

Started taking everything apart, and it all went smoothly. Got the old grille off (pain in the rump), and after everything was off painted the crash bar (and then PlastiDip'd over the black heat-resistant paint). Perfect way to do it, in my opinion. If any stones hit it, it won't matter much. I bought some small-hole chicken wire to line in front of the radiator and intercooler, but ended up not even using it.

Next step was applying the S4 and Audi symbols to the grille. This was the worst part of the day. I grinded down the back of the S4 symbol, epoxy'd it to the grille, then strapped it down with a few straps so it won't move for 24 hours while the epoxy fully cures. Shouldn't be bad, in the end, but dumb that there's no bracket for this included. The next was the dreaded Audi rings. First off, they're horrible to try and get off the stock grille without breaking anything. I semi-broke one of the plastic retainer hooks, but it was still completely usable. Start to put it into the ECS bracket...and it broke probably 75% of the black clips on the cheap plastic bracket. Literally, the only way to get the rings onto the bracket is to push them to snap them into place...and it was too much pressure for the plastic clips to handle. That said, it doesn't matter...because they're not fitted correctly.

The hooks on the Audi symbol do not fit into the ECS-made bracket. Even after getting it all together, there was a *LOT* of play, because the hooks weren't snug up against the clips. I can't explain this very well, but without epoxying it all together, the symbol was entirely loose on the bracket. That was only the first issue I had with the bracket...it flexes when applied to the grille.

After screwing the symbol holder down to the grille itself (using the 3 screw brackets), it actually flexed the symbol holder convexly. This meant some of the Audi symbol detached from it, because of the play in the bracket. I strapped the symbol down to the holder and I'll cut the straps tomorrow afternoon (24 hours), but I'm not sure whether it'll hold there or not.

Pro tip: If you make a bracket for existing items, that bracket shouldn't flex when it's installed properly...since the OEM items won't flex with them.

Either way, I'm satisfied with the end result...just not completely by the ECS product. I feel like I could have gotten a Chinese knockoff for much cheaper that had some type of flush 4 rings holder, and even coming across the ocean it wouldn't have arrived with a piece broken off. I still like ECS, but I wouldn't really vouch for someone to buy this item from them in the future.

Obviously, pics:
In the garage



Just put it in the driveway

[Works2shoot]

The rings sticking out just do not seem right. I've seen more than a few threads on this product with less than stellar reviews. ECS' branded products are all such quality, maybe it's time to spec a new supplier?

[hotleadsingergu]

The rings sticking out just do not seem right. I've seen more than a few threads on this product with less than stellar reviews. ECS' branded products are all such quality, maybe it's time to spec a new supplier?

I wish I'd taken an up-close picture of the rings before I strapped them back down. It was a pretty noticeable flex after I'd screwed the bracket down. I'd say the bottom half of the rings were probably a quarter-inch or more from the bracket.

[StealthBlackA4]

The positioning of the rings is absolutely killing me on this...

[Pyromatic177]

The positioning of the rings is absolutely killing me on this...

Same. Noticed it right off the bat

[14S4GWM]

Same. Noticed it right off the bat

Definitely to low.

[hotleadsingergu]

The positioning of the rings is absolutely killing me on this...

I knew someone would say it, but I actually wanted them that low.

[DBFL]

I knew someone would say it, but I actually wanted them that low.

Perhaps this is why the ring holder isn't fitting correctly.

[pdqgp]

Started taking everything apart, and it all went smoothly. Got the old grille off (pain in the rump), and after everything was off painted the crash bar (and then PlastiDip'd over the black heat-resistant paint). Perfect way to do it, in my opinion.

Next step was applying the S4 and Audi symbols to the grille. This was the worst part of the day. I grinded down the back of the S4 symbol, epoxy'd it to the grille, then strapped it down with a few straps so it won't move for 24 hours while the epoxy fully cures. Shouldn't be bad, in the end, but dumb that there's no bracket for this included. The next was the dreaded Audi rings.

The hooks on the Audi symbol do not fit into the ECS-made bracket. Even after getting it all together, there was a *LOT* of play, because the hooks weren't snug up against the clips. I can't explain this very well, but without epoxying it all together, the symbol was entirely loose on the bracket. That was only the first issue I had with the bracket...it flexes when applied to the grille.

Either way, I'm satisfied with the end result...just not completely by the ECS product. I feel like I could have gotten a Chinese knockoff for much cheaper that had some type of flush 4 rings holder

Congrats on the new look. I'm with you comlpetely on many of the same points. I only paid $230 last year so for the upgrade to me it is what it is, a knock-off upgrade that honestly no one outside of the four-ring world has ever said anything but positive things about. Even the Audi guys most of the time don't know or say anything. It does look good though.

I used a rotary to sand down my crash bar and used some tough bedliner spray. No chips or issues thus far. Winter will be the test time though. Ironically I had the same issues with the clips on the rings. In fact I may just go out there today and fasten them down with some mounting tape and epoxy. Really only I know the bottom sticks out a bit but if you look closely top-down, it shows.

Yours does look a bit low. Totally your call but the four-ring crowd will call it out every time. :)

Here's mine.

[14S4GWM]

^ Your S4 needs to come up one honeycomb.

[ECS Tuning-Audi]

I'm sure if you were to have given customer service a call when you received your grill we'd have been happy to issue a replacement. I never understood how someone can order something and when it arrives not inspect it when it shows up.. Even if you don't plan on installing until later on down the road.

Jason

[hotleadsingergu]

I'm sure if you were to have given customer service a call when you received your grill we'd have been happy to issue a replacement. I never understood how someone can order something and when it arrives not inspect it when it shows up.. Even if you don't plan on installing until later on down the road.

Jason

Your product was broken before/during shipping...are you really going to turn this around on the customer? Do you not think it's possible that I have other things to do with my time and life? I travel for a living, which means I'm not even in town enough to receive packages. This was received by my work place and kept there for weeks before I even managed to pick it up.

"I never understood how a company could ship something in a way that would allow it to get broken so easily; or, on the other hand, I never understood how a company could produce a product of such low quality that it would be broken during the shipping process. See? I can turn that around in exactly the same way."

I'm fine without a replacement, obviously, or I would have called to voice my concern when I opened the box; instead, I installed the grille and kept moving with my day. Though the broken corner-piece adds a good amount of horizontal stability, it's not necessary for anything. That said, I posted my experience and honest review for others to read, because I think it's a valuable point of view. I never said ECS wouldn't have helped or replaced the part, nor did I talk bad about your company.

What I did comment on is the overall quality of the grille and included parts which, I believe, is poor. The clips on the Audi rings bracket snapped well before there was enough pressure to fit the hooks into them (there's no other way to get the hooks in, obviously), there's no bracket for the S4 symbol, despite it being marketed for both A4 and S4, there's no instruction on where the rings must be placed, but if they're apparently not placed in the exact right place (vertically) it bends the bracket enough that the rings pop out, and the grille plastic was cheap enough to snap during transport. Also, though I found instructions on your site fairly easily, I received no instructions in the box, or even a website link to find some. The instructions I did find were very helpful, other than listing the wrong Torx size (the bolts are T25, not T30). The install went smoothly and everything worked, but I'm not sure a Chinese knockoff would have been any better, because of the shortcomings that I experienced.

[ECS Tuning-Audi]

Damaged product happens. It's inevitable, no matter how well you think you can package something it can still end up broken, which is why I said customer service would have been happy to replace it. We do not manufacture these grilles ourselves we have a supplier just like many of the other companies that brand them as their own, so it is possible something can get damaged in transit from our supplier and not be known until the customer receives it. We heavily support any product that carries our name on it, we would not offer a product to our customers if it was not something we felt was up to our standards.

We do not include instructions in the box because we have a PDF listed on the website under the "Installation" tab.

None of these grilles include brackets for specialized emblems so it's up to the customer to determine how they want to mount those emblems. It has been discussed thoroughly on this forum how others have come up with solutions to rectify having no bracket. This is one of the minor draw backs of going with an aftermarket grille rather than something OEM unfortunately.

We felt it unnecessary to provide a location on where exactly the ring holder should be mounted. This is because every customer is different, and that the holder is completely removable and some customers may even choose not to install it at all.

It is unfortunate that your grille was damaged during shipment and you experienced issues with mounting the rings to the holder. We've sold quite a few with very minimal negative feedback so this is obviously a rare occasion.

Jason

[hotleadsingergu]

Damaged product happens. It's inevitable, no matter how well you think you can package something it can still end up broken, which is why I said customer service would have been happy to replace it. We do not manufacture these grilles ourselves we have a supplier just like many of the other companies that brand them as their own, so it is possible something can get damaged in transit from our supplier and not be known until the customer receives it. We heavily support any product that carries our name on it, we would not offer a product to our customers if it was not something we felt was up to our standards.

We do not include instructions in the box because we have a PDF listed on the website under the "Installation" tab.

None of these grilles include brackets for specialized emblems so it's up to the customer to determine how they want to mount those emblems. It has been discussed thoroughly on this forum how others have come up with solutions to rectify having no bracket. This is one of the minor draw backs of going with an aftermarket grille rather than something OEM unfortunately.

We felt it unnecessary to provide a location on where exactly the ring holder should be mounted. This is because every customer is different, and that the holder is completely removable and some customers may even choose not to install it at all.

It is unfortunate that your grille was damaged during shipment and you experienced issues with mounting the rings to the holder. We've sold quite a few with very minimal negative feedback so this is obviously a rare occasion.

Jason

I understand that, and I agree. The reason I went with ECS is because the reviews had been positive, that I read. I'm just stating my experiences.

I managed to mount the S4 symbol fairly easily with cutting part of the original clip and epoxying the entire thing down.

As for the location of the rings...I agree with that sentiment, which I guess is obvious since I decided to place the rings a bit lower than the original, but since placing it lower had a negative effect (that it flexed the mounting bracket, and therefore popped the rings out a bit), I'd think it would be mentioned somewhere.

I'm not returning it, I'm just saying I'm not sure I'd spend the extra money on yours if I had to do it again.

[ECS Tuning-Audi]

We have new ring holders available as well as rings. It may be worth getting in touch with our CS department and see if they could issue you a replacement.

We're very willing to work with our customers to make sure they are satisfied - which IMO I feel paying a little more is worth than someone else who will sell you something at a lower cost and then never be heard from again or give you the run around trying to get any sort of support for their product.

Customer service contacts are below.

Phone: 1-800-924-5172 ex 134

E-mail: [email protected]

None the less we do appreciate your honest feedback.

Jason

[968Reckless]

If you want OEM quality and fit buy OEM...


Sent from my beeper

[Pyromatic177]

I was happy with the quality of my ECS grille. Mine had the built in ring holder though.

[Evan2]

I will state that ECS customer service is top notch but having received an order the other day the packing was not up to par. I received many broken items (which were replaced after a quick online chat) none the less, the shipping could have been better. My brake fluid was dented all to hell, luckily nothing leaked out as that would be a messy day. I noticed a lack of attention to detail as the sprayed on my chemical guys items was broken and the other had tape like it once had a sprayer. I did not even notice until after I talked with CS but the glass cleaner was obviously opened as it did not have one of those little tabs you have to open like all of their items do. Again luckily no leaks but seems I got something used.

[OnEaNgRyBuNnY]

We have new ring holders available as well as rings. It may be worth getting in touch with our CS department and see if they could issue you a replacement.

We're very willing to work with our customers to make sure they are satisfied - which IMO I feel paying a little more is worth than someone else who will sell you something at a lower cost and then never be heard from again or give you the run around trying to get any sort of support for their product.

Customer service contacts are below.

Phone: 1-800-924-5172 ex 134

E-mail: [email protected]

None the less we do appreciate your honest feedback.

Jason

I agree, very good customer service. How do I know that? Because I've had the same shipping issues. But because of their customer service and willingness to make it right and ease of the process, I keep coming back, and honestly feel MORE secure because I HAVE had an issue and they made it right in fantastic fashion. Never having a problem is great, the security in knowing if one DOES happen, it'll be dealt with, is even greater.

All that being said, I had an almost identical experience as the OP, minus the shipping damage ON THIS PRODUCT. I honestly expect a higher quality product from ECS at this price point and every other ECS branded product I've had that I can remember has been of a higher quality than this piece.

To address why I didn't complain to ECS: I did not believe at the time it was worth it. I could deal with the broken tabs and I found my own solution to mounting the rings and the "S4" emblem that worked for me, tho the rings on the mount are a bit loose, the mount is a bit bowed (and I DO have mine in the stock location), everything has stayed put and looks good unless you are about 2" away and poke at things. That more than good enough for me to keep me from dealing with a return and all that commotion when my front-end was already apart, especially at that price.

And yes, I realize I say I expect more from the price point at one point, and at another I say its not worth it at that price point but they are two different analyses, before someone tries to call me out for that ;)

[ECS Tuning-Audi]

Appreciate all the feedback.

We do have another style B8 grille that has a fixed ring holder. This would eliminate majority of the issues those have had with the removable style. At the time we first brought these in the removable style was the only option available to us. We have them priced the same so for future customers - if you do not plan on deleting your ring emblem or like how it sits from the factory it may be worth it to go for the fixed style.

Jason

[ALAN12186]

ECS grill is shit quality returned mine as soon as I opened the box

[schirm]

I feel like all the aftermarket RS grills are shit. I ordered my first one from ebay and same issues OP is stating when installing (minus shipping issues). Was in a car accident needed a new one, got from ECS and same thing, its an aftermarket grill that costs 200-300$ what can you expect. (no shipping issues)