Painting B8.5 Allroad Grille

[KFizz]

I've never really been a fan of the chrome trim on my Allroad. I always wanted to go with a white and black (dark grey) theme, and I feel like the chrome plus the stainless steel is just too much going on. The plan is to remove the chrome trim from the vehicle. I have some matte black vinyl coming for the window surrounds. I've ordered gloss black emblems front and back. Whats left is the fog light surrounds and the chrome strips on the grille.

I've tried plasti-dipping the grille before. It looked okay initially, but I thought it was too much black and eventually it began to peel in areas. Removing the plasti-dip then became a multi day task that I never want to repeat.


My idea now is to remove the grille, remove the surround/strips and paint them individually gloss black. I'm hoping this gives me the darker look, while still having the contrast with the dark grey background of the grille itself. What are peoples thoughts on this? It's difficult for me to know how this will look without actually doing it. I already tried painting the fog surrounds and had some issues with the paint chipping off. Admittedly I didn't do a great job of prepping the plastic.

Here is what the grille looks like front and back. Am i getting in over my head? Is this going to look like crap?

[pwdrskr]

Any luck figuring out what you are going to do?

I'm somewhat in the same boat as you. Plasti-dipped the grill in place a couple years ago. Started to look like crap, decided to redo, cleaned it over two weekends then attempted to re-dip. The spray nozzle on the can malfunctioned and didn't spray evenly. Looks horrible. However, I really don't want to kill another couple of weekends doing this again. So, I'm going to buy another grill, paint and then install.

BTW, do you know where to find a DIY for the bumper removal? Have only been able to find instructions for A4/S4s. Not sure if that is close enough and don't want to start only to find out something is different that I can sort out.

[KFizz]

I'm in the process of honing my paining skills. I removed and painted the fog surrounds 2 weeks ago, didn't turn out 100%. So now I've sanded them back down and primed them. If those look good I'll move onto the grille.

Corbin just removed his front bumper/grille to install an intercooler. I just assumed that it would be the same as the a4/s4, but I'm not actually sure. Corbin could probably confirm

If I can't get the paint to look right, I may look at wrapping the trim. I have some shadowline trim for the windows, there will be enough left over for the grill if need be.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[ATL_wagon_guy]

In for the bumper removal differences. I'll be replacing my grille with a plateless version soon. I'm still on the fence about painting it - the stock look is growing on me.

[BrewDude]

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...lacement-Guide

Pretty much the same. There is a plastic bracket where the bumper meets the fender that needs to be removed (10mm x 2 on each side) as well as a screw that holds it all together. Also the air flow panel has 4 plastic tab bolts and zero screws holding it down. Remove the plastic tab bolts and gently pull upward. There is a screen in the air inlet, be sure not to lose it (probably a good time to clean it as well).

[pwdrskr]

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...lacement-Guide

Pretty much the same. There is a plastic bracket where the bumper meets the fender that needs to be removed (10mm x 2 on each side) as well as a screw that holds it all together. Also the air flow panel has 4 plastic tab bolts and zero screws holding it down. Remove the plastic tab bolts and gently pull upward. There is a screen in the air inlet, be sure not to lose it (probably a good time to clean it as well).

Thank you!

Where would you rank the allroad bumper removal on a scale of 0 to "you're going to hurt yourself and screw up your car you klutz"?

[BrewDude]

Thank you!

Where would you rank the allroad bumper removal on a scale of 0 to "you're going to hurt yourself and screw up your car you klutz"?

I'd rank it at "if you can't identify basic hand held tools you shouldn't be wrenching on your car". As long as you follow the guide and ensure you've got every nut/screw/bolt removed it's pretty easy.

[pwdrskr]

I'd rank it at "if you can't identify basic hand held tools you shouldn't be wrenching on your car". As long as you follow the guide and ensure you've got every nut/screw/bolt removed it's pretty easy.

Got it, thanks. I meet those requirements, barely. Haha.

[BrewDude]

Got it, thanks. I meet those requirements, barely. Haha.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

[ATL_wagon_guy]

And how much variance is introduced with the addition of a 6- pack?

[pwdrskr]

Gave this a shot over the weekend fully intending to document the entire process. Well, I did take pics along the way, attempting to do so in order. As the project went on I made some errors, had to back track, got stuck, solved the issues and finally got everything apart. I'll still attempt to write something up. Biggest differences I ran into occurred once I had the bumper off the car were that I had to disassemble a few additional components in order to gain access to the lower four screws including:
-The grill Backing Plate (item #6 in this diagram: https://www.audiwholesaleparts.com/p...iagram=1390010)
-the Absorber (item #17: https://www.audiwholesaleparts.com/p...iagram=1390005)
-the Rear Plate (item #15: https://www.audiwholesaleparts.com/p...iagram=1390005)

The worst part of the whole thing had to do with the way the grill attached to the main bumper. There are four tabs on the bumper that slot into the lower part of the grill. I had a hell of a time getting these tabs to unclip from the grill. I ended up breaking one of them off reaching one of the two milestones in any project I undertake, causing some kind of permanent damage. (The other milestone, loosing a part. Which I did when I dropped a bolt into the engine bay and couldn't locate it.

Another minor difference between the '13 allroad and B8 A4 bumper is the attachments in the wheel arches. I found a bolt that needed to be removed instead of the plastic bracket mentioned by BrewDude. Maybe the bolt was swapped for the clip at some point by Audi.

I did manage to get it all back together without incident and things look pretty good.

On a side note, I will never Plasti-dip a grill in place again! When spraying in place, the Plasti-Dip will also coat the Backing Plate (unevenly). I spent at least an hour removing the Plasti-dip overspray from the Backing Plate once I had it off. Since the Backing Plate isn't a flat item there a lot of nooks and crannies that are a pain in the ass to get to and clean.

[AFONE]

Gave this a shot over the weekend fully intending to document the entire process. Well, I did take pics along the way, attempting to do so in order. As the project went on I made some errors, had to back track, got stuck, solved the issues and finally got everything apart. I'll still attempt to write something up. Biggest differences I ran into occurred once I had the bumper off the car were that I had to disassemble a few additional components in order to gain access to the lower four screws including:
-The grill Backing Plate (item #6 in this diagram: https://www.audiwholesaleparts.com/p...iagram=1390010)
-the Absorber (item #17: https://www.audiwholesaleparts.com/p...iagram=1390005)
-the Rear Plate (item #15: https://www.audiwholesaleparts.com/p...iagram=1390005)

The worst part of the whole thing had to do with the way the grill attached to the main bumper. There are four tabs on the bumper that slot into the lower part of the grill. I had a hell of a time getting these tabs to unclip from the grill. I ended up breaking one of them off reaching one of the two milestones in any project I undertake, causing some kind of permanent damage. (The other milestone, loosing a part. Which I did when I dropped a bolt into the engine bay and couldn't locate it.

Another minor difference between the '13 allroad and B8 A4 bumper is the attachments in the wheel arches. I found a bolt that needed to be removed instead of the plastic bracket mentioned by BrewDude. Maybe the bolt was swapped for the clip at some point by Audi.

I did manage to get it all back together without incident and things look pretty good.

On a side note, I will never Plasti-dip a grill in place again! When spraying in place, the Plasti-Dip will also coat the Backing Plate (unevenly). I spent at least an hour removing the Plasti-dip overspray from the Backing Plate once I had it off. Since the Backing Plate isn't a flat item there a lot of nooks and crannies that are a pain in the ass to get to and clean.

"A picture is worth a thousand words"....or at least the 300 words in this post


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[DirtD1ver]

Gave this a shot over the weekend fully intending to document the entire process. Well, I did take pics along the way, attempting to do so in order. As the project went on I made some errors, had to back track, got stuck, solved the issues and finally got everything apart. I'll still attempt to write something up. Biggest differences I ran into occurred once I had the bumper off the car were that I had to disassemble a few additional components in order to gain access to the lower four screws including:
-The grill Backing Plate (item #6 in this diagram: https://www.audiwholesaleparts.com/p...iagram=1390010)
-the Absorber (item #17: https://www.audiwholesaleparts.com/p...iagram=1390005)
-the Rear Plate (item #15: https://www.audiwholesaleparts.com/p...iagram=1390005)

The worst part of the whole thing had to do with the way the grill attached to the main bumper. There are four tabs on the bumper that slot into the lower part of the grill. I had a hell of a time getting these tabs to unclip from the grill. I ended up breaking one of them off reaching one of the two milestones in any project I undertake, causing some kind of permanent damage. (The other milestone, loosing a part. Which I did when I dropped a bolt into the engine bay and couldn't locate it.

Another minor difference between the '13 allroad and B8 A4 bumper is the attachments in the wheel arches. I found a bolt that needed to be removed instead of the plastic bracket mentioned by BrewDude. Maybe the bolt was swapped for the clip at some point by Audi.

I did manage to get it all back together without incident and things look pretty good.

On a side note, I will never Plasti-dip a grill in place again! When spraying in place, the Plasti-Dip will also coat the Backing Plate (unevenly). I spent at least an hour removing the Plasti-dip overspray from the Backing Plate once I had it off. Since the Backing Plate isn't a flat item there a lot of nooks and crannies that are a pain in the ass to get to and clean.

I know when I plasti-dipped my grill in place, I slipped a fairly large piece of cardboard behind it so the only over spray was a little on the bumper outside of where I taped

[KFizz]

Yea I did the cardboard thing too. But removing the plasti dip was still a complete pain to remove afterwards. I won't be dipping it ever again.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[pwdrskr]

The grill has grown on me since I first got my allroad and coupled with the euro plate I no longer want to paint it anyway. In an ideal world I would've prefer less chrome on the grill but all in all I'm happy. I'll post photos when I'm back home this weekend. Traveling for business in Raleigh, NC until Friday...

[KFizz]

I just finished painting the fog surrounds. I ended up going the matte black route with them. They turned out alright. I'm happy putting them back in the car, however I don't think I'm comfortable painting the grille. I will try removing it later this weekend. I'm thinking I'll vinyl wrap the strips. Not sure how that'll go.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[AUDacIouS4]

I just used a black Sharpie oil based paint pen to paint the grey area, because they're is no way in hell I'm spending $400-500 on what is essentially the same exact grille sans a couple holes. I think it makes the grille look cleaner and I didn't like that grey bar, it's like a mouthful of braces on a beautiful girl.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Audizine mobile app

[Fantasiamon]

Any Allroad owners out there who've been in the thick of it, know if the grey plate section (like the whole horizontal piece) can be removed? Is that middle gray horizontal section blocking anything behind it? Looks like you would have to break clips but whatev's. Curious if anyone ever explored.

Also, anyone ever wrap the grill? Looks like it's probably a PITA but might eventually try that route once I get my hands on the Allroad next year.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[KFizz]

I was planning on wrapping the chrome prices in matte black. I have all the materials, but I backburnered the project because I had some more pressing things to get done. Taking the grille out is a pain, so I need to make sure I have a solid weekend set aside. I'll give it a try in the spring.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[KFizz]

Alright I pulled the front bumper to have a go at this. I took it off for another project and thought I'd try and pull the grill apart while it's off.

The chrome strips do not come off easily. Separating the grill from the bumper alone is a real chore, there is a lot more too it than the non-Allroad models. Removing all the chrome will almost certainly result in breaking some tabs off or deforming the plastic. I abandoned the effort pretty quickly.

I did however use the opportunity to swap my chrome Audi badge with a matte black one. At the moment with everything else chrome it looks plain bad.



Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[Gusman1]

Has anyone tried covering the holes with vinyl?

[AUDacIouS4]

Has anyone tried covering the holes with vinyl?

That's a good idea, not sure the vinyl would stay flat on the areas covering the bigger holes. Im thinking about water getting behind the vinyl through the holes your trying to cover up and causing the vinyl to release. If you could fill the holes with Styrofoam or something first to make the surface more flat and then apply vinyl that could work. The closed cell foams don't allow water to penetrate so it could last a long time if done correctly. I thought about fiberglass and resin, but it's such a tight area to work in I don't think it's possible.

slave of corruption

[KFizz]

Started pulling up the chrome strips and individually wrapping them matte black. So far it's gone well. I'll keep going with it later in the week.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[blew-dub]

I just used a black Sharpie oil based paint pen to paint the grey area, because they're is no way in hell I'm spending $400-500 on what is essentially the same exact grille sans a couple holes. I think it makes the grille look cleaner and I didn't like that grey bar, it's like a mouthful of braces on a beautiful girl.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Audizine mobile app

Do you have more information about the paint pen you used? Also how is it holding up?

Started pulling up the chrome strips and individually wrapping them matte black. So far it's gone well. I'll keep going with it later in the week.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

I have been thinking about this as well, how are is it to pull apart the chrome strips? I was thinking of doing this in order to get to the platinum grey part and paint that black.

[slow_poke25mph]

I've tried both plastidip and paint, neither held up over time. The dip held up longer. Here's and FYI on the dip, spray it down heavily with Goo-Gone and let it soak overnight. The dip will just slough off the next day with a water hose. I also started cutting out the horizontal fins from below the bumper cover portion. That cleans up the look.

Also considering removing the whole grill.....


Sent from GLaDOS, because there was no cake.

[AUDacIouS4]

I used fiber glass resin to fill the holes. It's been dipped for months now. I sprayed a few coats of gloss on it because the flat black looks out of place. I want to try wrapping it in gloss black next.

[KFizz]

I have been thinking about this as well, how are is it to pull apart the chrome strips? I was thinking of doing this in order to get to the platinum grey part and paint that black.

The strips are a bit of a pain to pull out. I'm using a couple trim tools to pry them up. I broke one in half and broke a clip off another. I think I have a system down now, but it takes a little work.

I think this will hold up better than paint.

[KFizz]

I've tried both plastidip and paint, neither held up over time. The dip held up longer. Here's and FYI on the dip, spray it down heavily with Goo-Gone and let it soak overnight. The dip will just slough off the next day with a water hose. I also started cutting out the horizontal fins from below the bumper cover portion. That cleans up the look.

Also considering removing the whole grill.....


Sent from GLaDOS, because there was no cake.

I'm really digging the splitter.

[KFizz]

Got a few more of the slats wrapped. Broke one of them in the process. I've switched over to just wrapping them on the car. It's getting to hard to get the peices out without causing damage.

Should be ready in about 2 weeks..

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[blew-dub]

nice progress

[AUDacIouS4]

Got a few more of the slats wrapped. Broke one of them in the process. I've switched over to just wrapping them on the car. It's getting to hard to get the peices out without causing damage.

Should be ready in about 2 weeks..

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

So I've watched a few YouTube videos of wrapping grilles, it looks tedious but manageable. Are you experienced using vinyl? Is it just one of those things that is going to take a REALLY LONG time??

[KFizz]

So I've watched a few YouTube videos of wrapping grilles, it looks tedious but manageable. Are you experienced using vinyl? Is it just one of those things that is going to take a REALLY LONG time??

So I just finished now.

It's tedious for sure. You get into a groove after a while. I've done the plasti dip thing, this looks better for sure. There's still some contrast with the gray background of the grille, so it's not just a solid black mass.

We'll see how it holds up.



Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[KFizz]

Sorry, these are shit cell phone pictures, it looks good in person.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[WolfzgangVR6]

Been searching for hours on end, sad that the honeycomb grill won’t fit without mods, but this right here seems to be a good solution. I was thinking the same all gloss black everything but the surround and badges, and possibly keep the front plate location. 👍🏻