Grill conversion etc

[maca]

Ok, so Kevin Rudd has offered to buy me a new grill for my car and i've willingly accepted.. Well firstly I wanted to make sure about something. I've currently got a black Jetta TDI and I was wanting to fit a the black grill commonly found on the Golf GT (all parts will be from VW). Can this be done? Is it a simple swap or is it too much hassle to worry about it?

Also, if I go ahead with the above project, I really don't want to drill number plate holes into the new grill so i'll be mounting the plates into the lower grill.... Is that ok or not recommended? The attached photo shows exactly where I want to mount them.

Thanks!

[gregozedobe]

..... I really don't want to drill number plate holes into the new grill so i'll be mounting the plates into the lower grill.... Is that ok or not recommended? The attached photo shows exactly where I want to mount them.

That lower grill is meant to let cooling air into stuff (radiators, intercoolers etc) that needs to be cooled, so " No, not really recommended ". If you do a search you might find various ideas for how to mount your number plate.

[BarneyBoy]

I've currently got a black Jetta TDI and I was wanting to fit a the black grill commonly found on the Golf GT (all parts will be from VW). Can this be done? Is it a simple swap or is it too much hassle to worry about it?

Thanks!

Yes, all the grille parts are interchangeable. So your centre top grille and centre bottom grille will swap right out for the GT type. And it's a very easy procedure too. The side grilles can be swapped with GT versions too or R-line (I've got those) if you want something a little different.

[Greg Roles]

Dude that will block your intercooler, and she'll run hotter = less power!
Two small screw holes could be easily filled though, if for some reason you were not going to run a front plate??

[RhysQ]

Seriously guys

If the number plate is not going to be any larger, you will have no issues at all. Air will easily pass by the number plate and onto the radiator. If you are planning on taking your car to the race track regularly or doing plenty of F&F style street racing , then I wouldn't recommend it as your car MAY overheat, but even still most probably not. The only way your car would possibly overheat is if you screw the numberplate to the actual radiator core, completely blocking that surface area from air flow.

Dude that will block your intercooler, and she'll run hotter = less power!

Is the intercooler not a side mount?? Doesn't the air get in through the drivers side front intake vents.

[Big Yellow]

Seriously guys

If the number plate is not going to be any larger, you will have no issues at all. Air will easily pass by the number plate and onto the radiator. If you are planning on taking your car to the race track regularly or doing plenty of F&F style street racing , then I wouldn't recommend it as your car MAY overheat, but even still most probably not. The only way your car would possibly overheat is if you screw the numberplate to the actual radiator core, completely blocking that surface area from air flow.



Is the intercooler not a side mount?? Doesn't the air get in through the drivers side front intake vents.

Golf GTIs have a front mount which sits behind the front intrusion bars or watever you want to call it. From what I have seen anyway. There are twin-cooler set ups which have the new aftermarket cooler sitting infront on the stock cooler.

[Dragonzdk]

I'd be keen to hear how you go = I've been thinking about doing it for ages too and especially since Kevin 07 is sponsoring it =) ...

...or alternatively a down pipe and pcv fix

the decisions....

[Greg Roles]

Is the intercooler not a side mount?? Doesn't the air get in through the drivers side front intake vents.

Sorry mate, only the 1.9 has a tiny sidemount. The golfs and jetta's etc have a radiator sized one, in front of the radiator, behind the AC core. From my tests it's amazingly efficient too.

eg the "baby" TSI dual charge:

[gregozedobe]

If the number plate is not going to be any larger, you will have no issues at all. Air will easily pass by the number plate and onto the radiator. If you are planning on taking your car to the race track regularly or doing plenty of F&F style street racing , then I wouldn't recommend it as your car MAY overheat, but even still most probably not.

I agree that if you don't drive your car hard in hot weather you probably won't have any problems.

BUT, if you did have a problem (eg engine overheats because the head gasket was faulty), then you have provided VWA with a perfect excuse to deny warranty coverage if they happened to be in skinflint mode at the time (and it seems some dealers are often in that mode).

[Blitzen]

Just use some 3M double sided tape like I have...It wont drop off, and it won't leave any holes.

[maca]

Thanks guys - it's great to get so much feedback and advice! I think I might just mount the plates normally (higher than what they are now) to avoid any problems in the future. BTW every GT i've seen has the massive Euro plate holder on the grill.. I guess if it comes with that i'll just take it off!

Now all I need is for Kevin Rudd's contribution and off we go to spare parts.

Will be posting pics as soon as it's done!

Thanks heaps

Also I'd like to add that the staff member from the spare parts shop was sure the GT grill wouldn't fit on a Jetta... That's false yeah?

[Jettinabout]

Or you could have a look at some of these add ons.....smick...

http://http://www.eurosporttuning.ca...de=VW-J-MK5-ex

[BarneyBoy]

Also I'd like to add that the staff member from the spare parts shop was sure the GT grill wouldn't fit on a Jetta... That's false yeah?

Other than the chrome on it, the Jetta centre top grille is identical to the GT.
So is the centre lower grille, and so is the trim for the lower grille.
What IS different (but is still interchangeable) are the side vents (fog vents) - they have a different chrome trim on them.

Your spare parts man is a .
Unhappily so many of them are.
Couldn't find their own arse using both hands.
If your dealership has ANYONE with a half a clue in these matters, hang on to him/her, and NEVER speak to anyone else. They will only waste great slabs of your life.

You're right about the Euro plate holder on the GTs - they all came with them. If you want to plug the holes that are left from removing the plate holder, there are some options for plugging that aren't too bad.
So you're changing the centre BUMPER part too?

[Mischa]

you could just paint your grille gloss black, arent they the same apart from one being chrome and the other being black???

[maca]

Centre bumper? That's new to me.. I was only going to change he grill... And yes, it's so hard to find someone who knows what they're talking about.. Or someone who's willing to go to the effort to make sure what they're saying is correct!

I've called a body sprayer and he explained to me that spraying over the glossy chrome would be pointless because it would start to peel away almost immediately..