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Technical Topics Cosmetic and Lighting Modifications (exterior & interior) Chrome vs Black grille

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      12-11-2021, 07:00 AM   #89
StevenDS85
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Some better pictures with entire nose.
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      12-13-2021, 09:31 PM   #90
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Anyone put a M340i grill on a 330i?

When I took out the 330i slat grill I realized the air duct things would be pressed against the grill so I went back to the 330i grills. I wonder if anyone has done that swap with no downsides to the car? I don't want to choke it out to make it look better lol
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      12-13-2021, 10:55 PM   #91
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Black Grille

I bought my Mineral White M340i off the dealer lot in 2020, but before I signed up for it, I had the dealer change the all-black wheels and black grille surround for these wheels and the cerium gray surround, but retaining the blacked-out grille.

I prefer this look - less boy-racer image, more Q-car. Must be getting old ! Not too old not to enjoy the performance though !
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      12-14-2021, 01:38 AM   #92
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Yes, the M340i will have a different ‘vent door’ and has to be replaced as well if you want to give your car an M340i look with OEM parts.
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      12-20-2021, 11:18 PM   #93
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CardinalZeus77 View Post
I think the black grille looks the best
That grill looks familiar sir
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      12-21-2021, 08:54 PM   #94
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Quote:
Originally Posted by StevenDS85 View Post
Yes, the M340i will have a different ‘vent door’ and has to be replaced as well if you want to give your car an M340i look with OEM parts.
Do you think the active shutters from a 330i work with the M340i grill?

I'm concerned because of the bumps I feel like they might hit the grill and never open, potentially damaging the engine!
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      12-23-2021, 09:37 AM   #95
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BklynNYBMW View Post
Hi All, Figured I would chime in here. Cerium grey here. Like most of the comments I agree that it depends on the exterior color to go with the Black or Cerium grey. Either one looks great though
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2021 M340i xdrive. Tanzanite Blue with W/Oyster with Red Calipers. All options except Adaptive M suspension, Driver Assistance Professional Package, Cooling and High Performance Tire package. AKA Blue Angel
*Retired 04/30/21: 2018 340i MSport Xdrive sedan. Glacier Silver w/Oyster. All options except active cruise control and window shades. AKA Airstream
Great color with the cerium gray.
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      12-23-2021, 05:59 PM   #96
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Turkish Pickle View Post
Do you think the active shutters from a 330i work with the M340i grill?

I'm concerned because of the bumps I feel like they might hit the grill and never open, potentially damaging the engine!
The M340i has flat active shutters indeed which means the OEM honeycomb grill of an M340i won’t fit on a 330i unless you also change the active shutters to the flat ones.

However, when you look at below video it does look like it’s possible but personally I wouldn’t risk it as BMW is using different active shutters. Maybe just because of the looks ...

Last edited by StevenDS85; 12-23-2021 at 06:10 PM..
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      12-26-2021, 05:50 PM   #97
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Black grills can be had by going to a body wrap shop. They will wrap the surround in any color you want. I did my 2021 M440i in black and it looks terrific for about 1/3rd the price of just the part from BMW. Then you have to add $3/400 for installation.
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      12-27-2021, 01:18 AM   #98
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is anyone able to confirm if m340i diamond grille works fine with 330i ribbed active grille?
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      01-15-2022, 09:15 PM   #99
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Going to try the slanted grill with my 330. Will see if there is a way to modify that bracket, or if it looks too stupid without the bracket on there, i'll see if I can come up with maybe a small M logo or something.
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      01-21-2022, 04:34 AM   #100
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Black all way!
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      01-24-2022, 02:42 PM   #101
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Quote:
Originally Posted by v_ckash623 View Post
I pulled the trigger on the angled double slat grille. Game plan is to pop off the mesh portion from the cerium gray surround on the OEM grille, and pop in the slats from the gloss black grille I ordered. I've seen the full gloss black grilles around and I think it makes the space between the headlights look muddled. Nothing there to really make a distinction as to what's what unless you're 3 feet from the front end. A lot better than going chrome though.
How did you pop off the mesh portion and place it into the cerium grill? I bought the black M style angle grill, but it doesn't have a slot for the parking camera, so I think i have to swap the outer surround of my current grill with the angle insert in it. Wondering how you did that without breaking anything..
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      01-24-2022, 03:12 PM   #102
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pneumodoc View Post
How did you pop off the mesh portion and place it into the cerium grill? I bought the black M style angle grill, but it doesn't have a slot for the parking camera, so I think i have to swap the outer surround of my current grill with the angle insert in it. Wondering how you did that without breaking anything..
Really carefully. There's tabs surrounding the entirety of the piece. Take your time and pop them off. It'll fall right out once it's free. If it isn't moving, then a tab is still in place.
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      01-24-2022, 03:34 PM   #103
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Quote:
Originally Posted by v_ckash623 View Post
Really carefully. There's tabs surrounding the entirety of the piece. Take your time and pop them off. It'll fall right out once it's free. If it isn't moving, then a tab is still in place.
The tabs are a pain though. I tried it on the OEM grill since I still have it lying around and thought I'd try plastidipping the chrome since it'll probably end up in the recycle bin anyway. I could pop two tabs and by the time I got to the third tab, the ones I popped out would pop back in. And the cycle repeated. Since I don't have a lot of patience, I ended up just putting it in a box in the corner of my garage.
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      01-24-2022, 03:50 PM   #104
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I wonder if there is a way to just get the piece for the camera and attach it to the new one. Will need to do some investigation.
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      01-25-2022, 05:02 AM   #105
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I like the dark barbecues better (thus they are on my car now). I additionally added the carbon fiber reflect covers to adjust it. BTW I have a similar MG as you. The best perspective on the change is an immediate perspective on the front. I didn't appreciate that the barbecues were actually the main piece of chrome on the vehicle. Got various commendations on the search for a couple of other BMW proprietors at work.
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      02-08-2022, 02:27 PM   #106
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I like the black but when I was ordering mine I just thought the Cerium grey grill, mirror caps and wheels tied together better for me. If I went shadow line with the Cerium wheels I don't think it would have looked right. For me personally, it was all black or all cerium.
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      02-08-2022, 07:08 PM   #107
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Another point to black!
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      02-11-2022, 04:58 AM   #108
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dallas13 View Post
Grill color definitely dependent on body color. Here is my new M340i in Aventurine red and prefer the look of cerium gray.Attachment 2729981
Your car’s colour is gorgeous and so much less common than my Tanzanite Blue!
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      02-16-2022, 05:45 PM   #109
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IMO the black grill and for that matter shadow line looks good on only some light colored vehicles. On some colors it looks like the car is unfinished. And the chrome on the 22 M440i Gran Coupe is more a brushed stainless steel look. All black wheels look good only when highly polished--otherwise drab.

Reminds me when I was in high school in the 60's--we painted our wheels black after taking off the hub caps and modified the grilles anyway we could.
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      02-16-2022, 06:58 PM   #110
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