The short answer
Five things decide whether a grille fits: the exact model year, whether the car is pre- or post-facelift, whether it has front parking sensors, whether it has a camera or radar behind the badge, and how the badge mounts. Get those right and it is a 30-minute job. Get one wrong and the grille is going back.
See the full range in OMI Grilles.
1. Facelift is the one that catches everyone
Manufacturers restyle a car part way through its life — usually three or four years in — and the front bumper and grille aperture almost always change.
The model name does not change. The body code does not always change. The grille absolutely does.
So "a grille for a 2017 model" is not enough information if the facelift landed in 2017. Work out which side of it your car sits on before ordering. A registration date is a starting point, but a car registered in March can be a late build of the previous version.
How to be sure: compare the shape of your existing grille and the surrounding bumper against the product photos. The aperture shape is the giveaway.
2. Parking sensors
If your car has front parking sensors, some sit in the bumper and some sit in the grille surround itself.
A grille made for a car without sensors has no holes for them. You cannot neatly add them afterwards — the sensor needs a specific diameter hole in a specific place, and a drilled hole in a painted grille looks exactly like a drilled hole in a painted grille.
Count the sensors on the front of your car before you order, and check whether any sit within the grille itself.
3. Cameras, radar and cruise control
Adaptive cruise control uses a radar unit, usually mounted centrally behind the badge or in the lower grille. Some cars also have a front camera for lane assist or a 360 view.
These need a specific mounting point and, for radar, a specific clear area. A solid mesh grille in front of a radar unit can affect how it reads the road.
If your car has adaptive cruise, say so when you order. It changes which grille you need.
4. How the badge mounts
Most people reuse their original badge. How it attaches varies: clips through the grille from behind, pushes into a moulded recess, or sits on pins.
Check whether the grille you are buying is supplied with a badge mount, expects you to transfer yours, or is designed to run without one. Some styles — particularly the vertical-slat designs — relocate the badge or integrate it differently from the factory grille.
5. Finish
Gloss black is the most popular by a distance and suits nearly everything. A few things worth knowing:
- Gloss black shows dust, stone chips and swirl marks most. It is also the easiest to touch in.
- Satin and matt hide marks better but cannot be polished — polishing matt finish makes it shiny in patches.
- Chrome and silver suit older designs and pit over time with road salt.
Whatever the finish, a grille lives at the sharp end of the car and takes the stones. That is the nature of the part.
What fitting actually involves
On most cars the grille is held by clips around the aperture and a few screws along the top edge, reached from inside the bonnet shut.
A typical job runs like this:
- Open the bonnet and remove the top slam panel trim if there is one
- Release the screws or clips along the top of the grille
- Press the side clips inward and ease the grille out forwards
- Transfer the badge, any sensors and the radar bracket
- Offer the new grille up, line up the side clips, press home and refit the fixings
Most people manage it in half an hour with a trim tool and a screwdriver. Some cars need the front bumper off, which turns it into a two-person job. Check a walkthrough for your specific model before you start.
Use a plastic trim tool rather than a screwdriver on the clips. Painted bumpers mark instantly and the mark will be right where everyone looks.
Common questions
Will a replacement grille affect my MOT?
A grille is not an MOT item in itself, as long as it does not obscure lights, registration plate or number plate lighting, and has no sharp protruding edges. Keep the plate mounted as it was and you are fine.
Will it affect insurance?
It is a cosmetic modification. Most insurers want to know about any modification. Tell them — it rarely costs anything on a grille, and an undeclared modification is a reason to question a claim.
Can I paint a grille to match my car?
Yes, ABS plastic takes paint well with the right primer. Expect a body shop to charge for prep, which is most of the work.
Are these genuine manufacturer parts?
No. These are aftermarket grilles made in popular factory and aftermarket styles. They are not supplied by the vehicle manufacturer and carry no manufacturer branding.
What if it does not fit?
Send us the make, model, engine, year and a photo of the front of your car before you order and we will check it against the listing. That takes two minutes and saves a return.
While the front is apart
If the grille is coming off anyway, it is the moment to look at anything else behind it. Our performance range covers radiators and charge coolers, intercoolers and cold air induction — all of which are far easier to reach with the grille out.
And since the front of the car is about to look different, a new set of wheels is the other half of the job.
Check it with us first
Send the make, model, engine, year and a photo of your current front end to sales@omiwheels.com, message OMI on WhatsApp or call 028 6625 1123.
We dispatch from Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, so orders to Ireland and the EU arrive with no customs declarations and no import duty.