Digger

Who has a billet grille from "Grille4U" on Ebay? I got mine last night and quickly went to put it in and was a bit bummed by it. The arc of the grille doesn't match the arc of the bumper and the bars are not straight across, it looks like it's frowning. Anyone else try this grille and have better luck with it? I'm trying to figure out if I get a bad piece or if this is typical.

Ghost_1

I'll tell you, I knew I was going to ge a POS but I didn't care. I figured I could fix it up. I was right and wrong. I'm kinda lucky cause I work at a service garage. One of the mechanics is really good at fabricating stuff. Anyway, here's what I had to do.

I put it on a bearing press to make the arch match with the hood. (I'll put a picture of it on my profile (not really confident about postin pictures)).

Then I took it to a grinding wheel. The top two tabs that, according to the company"should fit in where the original clips go" well they don't. So I grinded out the hole to make it a slot so I had a little movement. Plus the holes didn't match before or after I put the grill on for a test run.

Last part was the fun part. I used aluminum sheeting and cut out sections to match inbetween the vertical bars. Spray painted them black with high heat durocolor paint and epoxied them on. Then just to make sure I used a hot glue gun to make sure that the aluminum plate stayed in. Duct tape also. . .I use duct tape for everything.

To mount the grill I used about three washer, a bolt, red threadlocker (loctite), and a nut. The only thing I didn't have to modify were the screw holes, I used those like I was supposed to. If I get the chance I will post some photos.

The final result was pretty good looking considering all the crap I went through to put it on.
two problems though.

First, on the left side of the gril I went a little crazy on the bearing press and kinda bent the grill funny. I got it bent back into place, but it still has a little waviness to it.
Sencondly, I before I fabricated the aluminum panels the grill whistled. I guess it's not a problem anymore but it was when I was doing 80mph and it sounded like someone stuck a whistle in my grill.

I had a lot of help and had access to tools that most people would be able to. I hope your able to figure something out. I'll tell you this much, everyone who knew what I payed for the grill also told me, "You get what you pay for."

good luck on fitting the grill up, I'll see if I can post some pitures. In the mean while, I know the pictures have lots of glare and don't show much but check out my profile pictures.

DoWopBx

I got that grille too and tried to make brackets for it, etc. and finally just used the tie wraps. The grille is intended to mount atop the ridge on the bumper. Once I set it there it looked right. Before that, I assumed it was supposed to be even with the surface of the headlights, which it is not.

Dewmerz

moved

sciondrgn

same set I got and there total crap IMO.. after a a few weeks the black inbetween the bars started flaking off and my middle bar was the worst.. it was actually longer then the factory one and stuck out on both sides.. I was so happy when I finally got them all off and just left it factory for now..

Ghost_1

So here we go. . .

This is the bearing press I used


This picture show that I got the curve close to the to original but it kinda arches upwards.


I had to shave doen the grill to get it to mount flush with the headlight. It's not mounted perfectly but I am happy with the result.


Inside with the duct tape hot glue gun, covering up the painted aluminum.


Mounting was a pain. . . here is where I grinded down the mounting hole so that I could fit a bolt through. When I got done I used some washers, bolt, nut, and loctite. It looks like crap when you open the hood. But hey I don't do show and I hated the OEM grill.


One last photo, the grill looks funny cause of my camera so bare with it.


I am sorry about the quality my camera is also my phone and pda. It's got a really crappy 1.3 mp camera on it. I'd buy a new camera but I got some plans for my xB javascript:emoticon('')

grizzly_choppers

I looked but couldn't find that seller. I searched and found that similar grilles are going for between $110 and $175 plus shipping. Did you get yours cheaper?

I've seen a few of the style posted here and they all seem to go a bit "bendy" at the ends. Mine are quite solid and I really like them. I sell them for $250 plus tax and minimal shipping if anyone is interested. You can shoot me a PM.



-Alex

Ghost_1

The grill from grille4you on ebay is about $65-70 shipped. It's tempting for those who don't have much money. check grill4you.com.

I posted a review in the parts section. Hopefully people don't have to do what I did to make the grill work.

Digger

I gotta say that I'm disappointed with Grille4u on this grille. I bought one from them last year for my F-150 and it fit great, not like this pos. I might just send it back and paint the oem black, that'll look fine on the TCM.

I have access to the bearing press but think it's pretty bad when something like this doesn't fit right for anyone that gets them. I guess you get what you pay for.

I'm also confused on the post that says "moved", moved from where to where? This is where I posted it and it's still here. Please explain.

Ghost_1

The admins moved this post from the "general xA/xB" to "Drag Coefficient xB".

I just had the mind state of . . . if it's too good to be true then it probably is. I would have returned it but like my father, I'll make it work if it doesn't. He's one of those guys that makes a square peg fit into a triangle hole. . .ha ha ha. If you do decide to use the bearing press be patient when bending. One of the guys I work with got a little impatient and kinda bent the grill a little funny. Then tried to use pliers to fix it. No no, when it comes to aluminum. Good luck on whatever you choose.

Kool_B

B-COOL billets are the best that I have found and sell quite a few of them.Those that have bought from me know the quality and no problems installing. Under an hour install with basic tools and a little mechanical knowledge. Check my website yes they are expensive but last a long time. They also come Polished, Brushed, or Powder Coated Black.

sexyscionlover

Nothing beats the quality of the Putco grills Alex sells!
they fit on nicely and look sweet. no fitment issues. hell, i watched two guys do it in 15 mins (all 3 grilles) RIGHT before the show they were entering. if I had the money I hop on the Putcos. they look awesome!

TXboxdriver

i think mine are the same, maybe--purchased long ago

TXboxdriver

also a good pic of the TERRIBLE HEADLIGHT FOGGING

hot day and i washed with cold water :sniff:

hotbox05

re-seal ( in all actuality make sure they even are sealed )

TXboxdriver

i don't want to turn this into a "How To FIx Crappy E-bay Lights"
but, the lenses are too long and rest on top of the fender
this pushes the lens out and away from the housing
there is no adjustment to the light, and the fenders and bumper are moved to accomodate--still crap

Boxed_In

I have a set of 3 coming in from Street Scene in brushed aluminum, should be here soon. I hope I don't have similar trouble you've had with the brand you bought. I'll post a pic when they're installed.

Digger

Ok guys, I e-mailed Grille4U back with a link to this thread, they have replied and even returned my money. They claim that they were not aware of this problem and will try to fix it before any others are sold. I'm sure they will get this worked out for us soon, since they understand the power of the internet in relation to sales.

Boxed_In

Got my grills yesterday and put them in today. Here's the link to the post on Street Scene. 56k beware

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...=900309#900309

xBSciontist

I purchased this grille just last week and installed it a couple days ago. The 'issue' is not fix where the grille contours to your car. Also, when I go over 45 mph, I too get the 'whistle' type sound. In conclusion, I'm not satisfied with this grille but I will leave it on for a while. I will probably go back to my OEM grille and just spray paint it a different color? Any recommendations of color with spraying painting the OEM grille on a Polar White xB?