Grill conversion etc

[BarneyBoy]

Buzz Killington has been defeated! Now we play the waiting game....

Ding, dong, the Witch is dead..."

[maca]

OK so i've finally taken the leap of getting to VW parts and enquired about the part... And I get told it simply can't be done.

The assitant printed out 2 pictograms of the Jetta and Golf front bumper assembly and the different sorts of grills you can fit and they plainly said it cannot be done. It won't fit because the entire front bumper is different and that I would have to purchase a new bumper and respray it and what not. I can scan and post the pictograms if anyone's interested.

NOW! What do I do. Everyone on here has said it can be done no problem. And I believe yous without a doubt, i've even seen pictures of it being done without a hitch. I didn't want to argue with the assistant because, after all, they are supposed to know best and better than the average joe out on the street.

Should I take the plunge, purchase the GT grill and do it?

[Paul_OH]

Is there a helpful GT owner nearby that's willing to do a trial fit? I had the grill off mine on the weekend and it's a 4 screw, 2 clip 5 minute job if someone's willing to give it a go.

[Paul_OH]

OK so i've finally taken the leap of getting to VW parts and enquired about the part... And I get told it simply can't be done.

The assitant printed out 2 pictograms of the Jetta and Golf front bumper assembly and the different sorts of grills you can fit and they plainly said it cannot be done. It won't fit because the entire front bumper is different and that I would have to purchase a new bumper and respray it and what not. I can scan and post the pictograms if anyone's interested.

NOW! What do I do. Everyone on here has said it can be done no problem. And I believe yous without a doubt, i've even seen pictures of it being done without a hitch. I didn't want to argue with the assistant because, after all, they are supposed to know best and better than the average joe out on the street.

Should I take the plunge, purchase the GT grill and do it?

Do you have the part number for your existing one? It's moulded in on the reverse side. If you find out what it is and compare it to the GT one it is likely the same (but could be different due to the different paint finish).

[maca]

OK so i've removed the upper front grill (see image below to see what i'm talking about) and I don't really know which number to write but i'm guessing it's:

1K5 853 651

It was off center to the right, below the badge.

Again, thanks for your help!

[Paul_OH]

OK so i've removed the upper front grill (see image below to see what i'm talking about) and I don't really know which number to write but i'm guessing it's:

1K5 853 651

It was off center to the right, below the badge.

Again, thanks for your help!

That's the one, just chkd mine and it's 1K5 853 653.
I'd imagine though that the part # difference would be for trim/paint difference. They look absolutely identical and I've seen GTI owners fit Jetta/GT grilles.

Go for it I say

[BarneyBoy]

Well, I'm pretty sure the assistant is a tool, but it seems probably 1/2 to 3/4 of the they staff spare parts counters with are tools (ironically enough!).

Here's some old pics of my GT grille for you to compare with yours.
They look like twins, don't they?
Your grille bars are chrome, mine aren't.
Your bumper is (was) chrome, mine's TR (GT Sports are black).

I can only suggest your assistant was looking at a standard Golf (Trendline &c) or an R32 and got confused.

[maca]

Your testimonials are all I need, haha and also been using this as a guide to removing the grill:
http://http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3373193.
The pictograms the assistant gave me had a picture of the standard Golf bumper with overlays of the GTI and R32 grills above it. I'm pretty sure they were pointing to the standard one when telling me it wouldn't fit.

Thanks for the pics BarneyBoy, better make sure I get a GT Sports grill when I order it.. You wouldn't happen to remember the part number would you?

[BarneyBoy]

Thanks for the pics BarneyBoy, better make sure I get a GT Sports grill when I order it.. You wouldn't happen to remember the part number would you?

Sorry, maca. Mine's a GT - as I said the GT Sport have a gloss black bumper.
But I don't know if the Sport part is different - ie maybe they all come pre-primed and are painted by the dealer?

Best advice is to try a different dealer and hope you'll get a parts guy who's on the ball!

[Paul_OH]

You wouldn't happen to remember the part number would you?

Post #36 above?

[maca]

Best advice is to try a different dealer and hope you'll get a parts guy who's on the ball!

Which is why I'm going to call Gold Coast VW today sometimes. I've found that the Customer Service there is amazing and hopefully they'll be able to help me.

Post #36 above?

I saw that, but I wanted to see whether the all the GT's have the same grill part number or whether they're different as per colour.

[maca]

It's Done!!!!

So after a lot of research and help (from Gold Coast VW), here is the finished result

Let me know what you think!

Will post more details when I get home, in a rush now and just wanted to drop some pics!

[Paul_OH]

Looks great, good one.
What type plugs did you get for the plate frame screwholes? Are they from the dealer of your regular auto store?

[maca]

Looks great, good one.
What type plugs did you get for the plate frame screwholes? Are they from the dealer of your regular auto store?

The grill set came with them, to mount the plate frame.

I think it looks better without the frame mainly because of my small plate.

Now I just have to find a way to get rid of the chrome "smile". I was thinking removing the trim and spraying or painting it in a gloss black?

[BarneyBoy]

Looks great, good one.
What type plugs did you get for the plate frame screwholes? Are they from the dealer of your regular auto store?

Have a look at bumperplugs.com

They sell colour coded plugs for this application in a lot of OEM VW colours.
I just bought the version they sell to fill the key hole in the driver's door, and the quality & service was fantastic.