[spicoli024]

Thought this post would be helpful to anyone who is considering the AutoTecknic grill for their G8X as I was a bit underwhelmed to say the least. I am not trying to throw shade at any one manufacturer or supplier; however, there is a lot of unclear (and false) advertisement out there and it would be beneficial for anyone considering this grill to have some realistic expectations of what exactly it is they are purchasing.

Quick Background:I loved the aggressive look of the GT3 inspired grill that Vorsteiner initially released. I have always trusted Vorsteiner and their products so I bought one the day it was released. Thereafter a few other companies released their own versions with a similar design. After waiting 7 months for the Vorsteiner grill to arrive and no delivery date in sight I lost patience and decided to seek a similar product by a different manufacturer. Then after going through 3 different suppliers I was able to grab the last AutoTecknic V1 Motorsport Front Grille I could find considering AutoTecknic is another manufacturer whose quality I trust. Grills order, they arrive a week later and the quality looks great so I have them custom painted and installed (see images below).

Expectation vs Reality: I heard rumors the Vorsteiner grills would come with a mesh screen to protect the radiator and oil cooler, but I did not see that in writing anywhere with the AutoTecknic product so I was certainly not expecting them to come with anything like that. I was, however, expecting to replace the OEM grill with one well designed product that would have a more open and clear view through the front intakes into the radiator. Expectations (naively) set. However, what was never advertised (and quite frankly hidden) in every promo image/rendering from every manufacturer of this similar type product is the fact the center piece of these grills do not extend far back enough to cover the foam pads behind the front bumper. As you can clearly see from the attached images, the depth of the center cross bar is cut short just before these Styrofoam pads instead of being designed to extend over and around them for a clean look. Moreover, because they do not extend, you can see the rough edges of the carbon fiber which looks cheap up close.

Takeaways: Patience, for one. I cannot speak towards Vorsteiner's grill, but as advertised they certainly look to solve the issue of covering these foam pads--I hope that is true. In hind sight, I should have trusted my gut and waited on the product from the manufacturer I thoroughly trusted from the beginning.
Read the fine print. If there is not enough fine print, ask questions. If someone on the forum is in your area and has the mod you are considering installed, try and meet up with them to see it in person. And if nobody in your area has that specific mod installed, diligently seek images of installation shots. In the end, these periods of trial and error are all part of the modding process, particularly on new generation models as everyone is experimenting, especially manufacturers, shops and suppliers so you cannot really get too upset about it. However, you can help others by sharing your trials and errors here so others can make more informed decisions. To that end, I hope this post helps some of you and if anyone has found a solution to this issue, please share it with us.

[///MeraldCity_G82]

The reason why is because they are not one piece and it there is no way to push the grill back in enough to engage and lock into the bumpers clips.

I also had the Autotecknic grill with the same issue and exchanged it for the front lip, that ended up not fitting as well, they send me a replacement part they modified and it still did not fit. At this point I hope they give me my money back.

[Bumper2Bumper]

Subbed.

I have purchased as well as sell some of their products and havent really had any issues but now IM concerned. I had a whole list of things I was going to get from them when my car comes in. The front air inlets are on sales right now and I just purchased those a few hours ago.

Little concerned since I wont have my car till Nov or so.

[chicagofan00]

Saw this same thing in person and it is what turned me off on wanting to swap out the grille. The grille itself looks great but if these things aren't covering that foam in full, then it is a definite no go.

[spicoli024]

I am glad I am not the only one who is bothered by this. The installation pics used in the advertising of similar grills do not clearly show this flaw or are so heavily edited that you cannot make out that the foam pads are actually exposed. This seems really unfair to me, the consumer. My best suggestion is to be cautious of any products that are advertised without installation pics, because although they are seemingly being truthful in their advertising, they do not fully explain the product and whether or not the pads are covered.

Does anyone have a "GT3 style" grill installed that cover the foam pads behind the rear bumper?

AutoTecknic is releasing a new version (V2) of the same design that is one piece like the OEM grill, but I am still curious to see if it will cover these foam pads. Here is the link to AutoTecknic's V2 Motorsport Dry Carbon Grill

[///MeraldCity_G82]

Originally Posted by spicoli024

I am glad I am not the only one who is bothered by this. The installation pics used in the advertising of similar grills do not clearly show this flaw or are so heavily edited that you cannot make out that the foam pads are actually exposed. This seems really unfair to me, the consumer. My best suggestion is to be cautious of any products that are advertised without installation pics, because although they are seemingly being truthful in their advertising, they do not fully explain the product and whether or not the pads are covered.

Does anyone have a "GT3 style" grill installed that cover the foam pads behind the rear bumper?

AutoTecknic is releasing a new version (V2) of the same design that is one piece like the OEM grill, but I am still curious to see if it will cover these foam pads. Here is the link to AutoTecknic's V2 Motorsport Dry Carbon Grill

They sent me actual pics of the back side of that grill and I ended up passing on it....

[ARMYG80]

Originally Posted by spicoli024

Thought this post would be helpful to anyone who is considering the AutoTecknic grill for their G8X as I was a bit underwhelmed to say the least. I am not trying to throw shade at any one manufacturer or supplier; however, there is a lot of unclear (and false) advertisement out there and it would be beneficial for anyone considering this grill to have some realistic expectations of what exactly it is they are purchasing.

Quick Background:I loved the aggressive look of the GT3 inspired grill that Vorsteiner initially released. I have always trusted Vorsteiner and their products so I bought one the day it was released. Thereafter a few other companies released their own versions with a similar design. After waiting 7 months for the Vorsteiner grill to arrive and no delivery date in sight I lost patience and decided to seek a similar product by a different manufacturer. Then after going through 3 different suppliers I was able to grab the last AutoTecknic V1 Motorsport Front Grille I could find considering AutoTecknic is another manufacturer whose quality I trust. Grills order, they arrive a week later and the quality looks great so I have them custom painted and installed (see images below).

Expectation vs Reality: I heard rumors the Vorsteiner grills would come with a mesh screen to protect the radiator and oil cooler, but I did not see that in writing anywhere with the AutoTecknic product so I was certainly not expecting them to come with anything like that. I was, however, expecting to replace the OEM grill with one well designed product that would have a more open and clear view through the front intakes into the radiator. Expectations (naively) set. However, what was never advertised (and quite frankly hidden) in every promo image/rendering from every manufacturer of this similar type product is the fact the center piece of these grills do not extend far back enough to cover the foam pads behind the front bumper. As you can clearly see from the attached images, the depth of the center cross bar is cut short just before these Styrofoam pads instead of being designed to extend over and around them for a clean look. Moreover, because they do not extend, you can see the rough edges of the carbon fiber which looks cheap up close.

Takeaways: Patience, for one. I cannot speak towards Vorsteiner's grill, but as advertised they certainly look to solve the issue of covering these foam pads--I hope that is true. In hind sight, I should have trusted my gut and waited on the product from the manufacturer I thoroughly trusted from the beginning.
Read the fine print. If there is not enough fine print, ask questions. If someone on the forum is in your area and has the mod you are considering installed, try and meet up with them to see it in person. And if nobody in your area has that specific mod installed, diligently seek images of installation shots. In the end, these periods of trial and error are all part of the modding process, particularly on new generation models as everyone is experimenting, especially manufacturers, shops and suppliers so you cannot really get too upset about it. However, you can help others by sharing your trials and errors here so others can make more informed decisions. To that end, I hope this post helps some of you and if anyone has found a solution to this issue, please share it with us.

AutoTecknic is made in China I believe... Also I prefer German made or Japan

[Mraceguy]

Originally Posted by Bumper2Bumper

Subbed.

I have purchased as well as sell some of their products and havent really had any issues but now IM concerned. I had a whole list of things I was going to get from them when my car comes in. The front air inlets are on sales right now and I just purchased those a few hours ago.

Little concerned since I wont have my car till Nov or so.

I bought the inlets from Auto Technik. Had no issues. Just had to man handle them a little to have them installed. They look quality.

[spicoli024]

Originally Posted by Mraceguy

I bought the inlets from Auto Technik. Had no issues. Just had to man handle them a little to have them installed. They look quality.

Did you go with the V1 or V2 grill set? If the latter, do they cover the foam pads behind the front bumper?

[Mraceguy]

Originally Posted by spicoli024

Did you go with the V1 or V2 grill set? If the latter, do they cover the foam pads behind the front bumper?

I didn't get the grill. Just the air inlets.

[spicoli024]

Does anyone know if there is a company producing this style grill that covers the foam pads behind the front bumpers? Likewise, does anyone have a suggestion on a metal screen material to use behind the grill to protect the radiator and oil cooler?

[JTO24]

Originally Posted by ///MeraldCity_G82

They sent me actual pics of the back side of that grill and I ended up passing on it....

How come? No clips for the wiring? I think you posted in the other thread about tying the ABS V grill and also having issues, right?

[nearwater4me]

Not sure where I saw it, but there was a pic in which I could clearly see that bumper foam piece.
All the reason to stick to the 1 piece type that are mounted from behind.
I would probably go with the CSL type, since it's probably using the same mold design as the OEM piece.

[spicoli024]

Originally Posted by nearwater4me

Not sure where I saw it, but there was a pic in which I could clearly see that bumper foam piece.
All the reason to stick to the 1 piece type that are mounted from behind.
I would probably go with the CSL type, since it's probably using the same mold design as the OEM piece.

The OEM M4CSL grill does not solve the problem either. If you look closely at the pic below you can still see the foam pads behind the front grill.

[spicoli024]

The issue of seeing the foam pads behind the front bumper is not limited to the AutoTecknic Motorsport V1 Grille. The foam pads are visible behind the most popular manufacturers' products and even through the BMW OEM and CSL grills as seen below, although BMW admittedly does a better job hiding them. Zoom in to each image and you can clearly see the foam pads behind each front grill.

[Luc@Speed&Tech]

I put mesh on mine to hide the foam and tone down the silver radiators.

[BIGW0RM]

Funny you mention this. I noticed the foam looking at your cars pics. Thats the first thing I thought... why does the foam show. Now I know to wait it out. Thanks for the heads up.

[spicoli024]

Originally Posted by Luc@Speed&Tech

I put mesh on mine to hide the foam and tone down the silver radiators.

Thank you, looks great! This is exactly what I was thinking about doing. Can you please share what product you used for the mesh and how you installed it? I was looking into AggAuto Universal 6x12mm Mesh from Amazon.

[nearwater4me]

Originally Posted by spicoli024

The OEM M4CSL grill does not solve the problem either. If you look closely at the pic below you can still see the foam pads behind the front grill.

Oh wow, you're right.
Maybe one could put a gloss black vinyl wrap to cover that ugly foam piece?

[forcefed]

Originally Posted by nearwater4me

Oh wow, you're right.
Maybe one could put a gloss black vinyl wrap to cover that ugly foam piece?

Sometimes the easiest solution is the simplest one, that's definitely what I would do.

[Laguna01///M3]

Originally Posted by forcefed

Sometimes the easiest solution is the simplest one, that's definitely what I would do.

Thought about trying this, but the foam isnt smooth, so the vinyl will show all the texture underneath.

Someone should 3D print some type of blank that can clip over the foam support.

[Limegrntaln]

Originally Posted by spicoli024

Thank you, looks great! This is exactly what I was thinking about doing. Can you please share what product you used for the mesh and how you installed it? I was looking into [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]AggAuto Universal 6x12mm Mesh[/COLOR] from Amazon.

Subbed for this. I'm interested in the mesh and how it's attached.