If you’re looking for an easy way to customise your car and add some style, then changing the car grille is a place to start. This is one of the most distinctive and defining features of any vehicle, and instantly recognisable. It differentiates between makes and models, and speaks volumes of brand history.
What is a Car Grille?
A car grille is the front portion of the vehicle, located just above the bumper and between the headlights. Its main purpose is to allow airflow to hot engine parts while shielding delicate components like the radiator from road debris. It also gives carmakers an empty canvas to portray what the brand stands for in terms of looks and personality.
Key Purpose of Grilles
While the parts may be becoming extinct on electric vehicles, on petrol and diesel vehicles grilles serve multiple purposes:
Improve airflow – one of the main functions of reliable car grilles is to act as an air intake and redirect oncoming air to the engine, suspension and brakes. This prevents overheating by keeping engine coolant at defined temperatures, and reduces wear in brake and suspension components in hard braking and when driving on bad roads.
Increase aerodynamics – performance and luxury cars also benefit from grilles that reduce wind resistance. Different designs direct air to where it’s needed while also lowering drag coefficients. Performance cars can also regulate how much air gets through.
Protect vital vehicle parts – a well-designed and durable car grille is also tough enough to prevent flying road debris such as gravel, rocks and dirt from damaging the engine and other car parts. This is more evident in larger SUVs and 4WDs where the parts work with bumpers and bull bars to prevent direct hits.
Looks – show car enthusiasts the front grille of any car and they’ll instantly guess the make. Grilles are the face of cars and steeped in years of car design and history. Anyone can make out the famous BMW kidneys from the vertical bars of Jeep models, or the rectangular mesh in Bentleys.
Why Look for Replacements
Cracks and other visible damage are the first signs you’ll need a replacement. Parts chipping off can reduce protection and undermine the functionality of the car grille in shielding expensive parts. This is more evident in cars involved in collisions or accidents. Moreover, corroded grilles due to water or mud ruin the overall look and finish of your car.
Also, consider loose or hardened moulding and hardware that holds the grille in place. Misaligned grilles hinder proper airflow to the engine, increasing the risk of overheating or keeping debris out. Lastly, consider a new grille for car if you’re intent on changing the aesthetics of your vehicle. There’s a wide range of designs and materials to choose from to emphasise personal tastes and get the look you’re after.
Common Styles
Factory car grilles come in two basic styles – mesh and billet. If you don’t like the look of the one on your car, you can always choose a custom-built grille.
Mesh grilles have a woven pattern often seen on luxury and sports cars. They’re simple yet elegant and usually a one-piece part. Choose fine interwoven mesh for an understated look, or go with more pronounced patterns and thicker mesh for SUVs and 4WDs. The latter also offer more functionality off-road. High-end brands like Bentley, Audi and Lexus often use polished aluminium or stainless steel to emphasise upscale looks, while lower-rung brands go with chromed-coated reinforced plastics.
Billet types consist of vertically or horizontally stacked bars resembling ‘billet’ or square ingots of steel or aluminium casting. Car brands vary the thickness of the bars to go with brand personality. Common materials include chromed steel seen in Rolls Royce, or combined plastics or aluminium found in different Jeep models to accentuate the rugged and go-anywhere designs in their 4WDs and SUVs.
Choose OE replacements made to the same specifications and materials as the original grille. Or go with custom designs with materials that suit your needs. Metals, reinforced plastics and carbon fibre can be formed into one-off shapes that can also include space for light upgrades, revised air intakes and other car modifications.
Buying Considerations
Buyers have different needs when opting for a new car grille. To ensure you get a quality product that does as advertised, consider materials, precise fit, easy installation and the range of aftermarket brands that undercut OE parts by some margin.
Materials can be the same or mimic the look of the original, while also offering other benefits such as better debris filtering, higher strength or lower weight. Metals are common in both billet and mesh designs and can be coated for enhanced weathering and pronounced looks. ABS plastics are reserved for car models and brands at the lower end of the price range. And carbon fibre is popular among tuners for its higher strength and rust resistance.
When choosing aftermarket replacements, also check sizes. Manufacturers take out most of the guesswork in terms of overall lengths, widths and heights, but for peace of mind, measure the dimensions of your new grille and ensure that moulding, inserts and other mounting hardware fit factory mounting points for a clean fit.
Installing replacements is a relatively easy DIY job, requiring basic tools on most car models. Nevertheless, car owners can also have a professional do the work for a cleaner fit and finish. Lastly, choose parts from reputed aftermarket brands that meet or exceed OE specifications and build. This ensures your new grille lasts, looks the part, and most importantly meets your needs.
