Decided to have a go at painting the chrome kidneys black and try and save myself a few quid so thought i'd do abit of a walk through to go with it:

Step 1: Remove the kidneys there's about 6 clips that hold the chrome part to the black grille part and they just simply clip off and come away, just be careful as the clips are very flimsy and break quite easily.

Step 2: Once you've removed the chrome rub them down with some very fine wet & dry to take the shine off otherwise the new plaint won't stick:

Step 3: Paint any colour you like, (you can prime if you want but I was told not to bother by a car sprayer) I did 1 coat then allowed to dry, then 2nd coat allowed to dry then baked in the oven on a very low heat to harden the paint then a coat of clear laquer:

Step 4: Re-fit:

Before:

After:

This is a home attempt so will let you know if they stand up to everyday use.

They look good mate luckily my nephew owns a spray shop so he did mine free but would of charged about £40 to a customer

Im thinking this....<_<

Well you can buy them from ebay for about £30 but why bother when you can paint them yourself, I've been up and down the M6 today and they're still fine no chips or flaking or anything like that B)

I did mine ages ago now and the still look good and one of the cheapest mods ive done :)

They look good but the thoughts of de-chroming my BMW makes me cringe...

Gonna try that Andy, nice one B) ...But gonna discard the fins and put mesh in there too, Lol

Gonna try that Andy, nice one B) ...But gonna discard the fins and put mesh in there too, Lol

Let us know how easy it is to do mate that's what I want to do next I think it'll look much better B)

I know it wont be easy because the plastic grille/fins carry the trim !

I'm gonna use my Dremel to take the fins out then model some mesh to fit using either windscreen bond or dark self-tapping screws (or both for secureness) B)

Be ware of cheap £30 ones from eBay there not genuine BMW and don't fit as snug as original

Gonna try that Andy, nice one B) ...But gonna discard the fins and put mesh in there too, Lol

Fail :(

Fail :(

Will see how the silver mesh looks first, if shitty then painted black ;)

I think mesh will look really good I would probably need to glue the kidneys in place 1st then screw the mesh into them, you could cut the fins out but I wouldnt do it myself just because i'd make a mess of it.

You could be right, Andy... Might try layin the mesh "over" the fins first just to see the effect !

You could be right, Andy... Might try layin the mesh "over" the fins first just to see the effect !

Keep it prestige Dabz! Your to mature for those 'speed-racer' antics! You drive a 7er! :D

Not wanting over-the-top shite on my 7 Daz... Just something different, the slightest changes to make 'em look again, eh?

BTW, @44 I still act like 24 lol

Not wanting over-the-top &#33;Removed&#33; on my 7 Daz... Just something different, the slightest changes to make 'em look again, eh?

BTW, @44 I still act like 24 lo

Well said mate @43 you can still me nipping down the high street in skinny jeans and me converse boots

Well said mate @43 you can still me nipping down the high street in skinny jeans and me converse boots

:lol: B)

I know it wont be easy because the plastic grille/fins carry the trim !

I'm gonna use my Dremel to take the fins out then model some mesh to fit using either windscreen bond or dark self-tapping screws (or both for secureness) B)

what you think of these mate check them out ebay number 180703103182

looks great especially with the angel eyes, just had a quick practice on an old e36 grill, done 2 coats of primer and one coat of matt black, gonna get some laquer and it will be the first mod on the X5

what you think of these mate check them out ebay number 180703103182

Dabs what you think of these mate

Quite sweet Christian B) My mesh-gapping is a bit larger though !

Might look even sweeter in gloss black and maybe the BMW stripes on one side ? Just a thought :unsure:

They look cool though B)

BMW stripes now there's a thought

Quite sweet Christian B) My mesh-gapping is a bit larger though !

Might look even sweeter in gloss black and maybe the BMW stripes on one side ? Just a thought :unsure:

They look cool though B)

Just won them for £40 happy days

RESULT B)