Grill Mounting Gasket Undone - How to fix??

[StudioWizard]

Hey all

I want to change the front grills. I popped them both off and discovered that the driver side mounting gasket (correct part name?) is loose. Somebody tried to glue the grill into place instead of fixing the mount - terrible idea! haha Most of the tabs are still there, but I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get the tabs back into the gasket?

Has anyone had this problem and successfully fixed it?

One idea I have is to shave down the tabs, then epoxy or superglue the gasket into place. I think this would be a last resort.

Also, I pray I can do this without removing the front end....

Any thoughts/help greatly appreciated!!

Paul

 

[patriot66]

Hi StudioWizard It should look like this :?
Looking at your photos the 'gasket' that the grilles clip into should be bonded directly to the rear of the bumper skin. Also the alloy bumper carrier behind looks 2 or 3 inches higher than it should be and possibly also bent nearer to the radiator than it should be. You are missing the polystyrene 'shock absorber' pad that sits on the front of the bumper carrier. There are also some hairline cracks visible in a corner in the clearcoat. All these things would lead me to hazard a guess that the front of your Z4 has had a light(ish) bump sometime in the past. It's only a 10 minute job to remove the bumper and then you'll be able to see exactly what the problem is

 

[StudioWizard]

You have a keen eye!! Thanks for catching those things.

The "mounting gasket" is supposed to clip in, at least on mine. I don't believe it's glued, but I think I may have to shave off the tabs/pins and glue it in. Were you able to see the little tabs the gasket attaches to in my pictures? Also, on the exploded parts page, I don't see that mounting bracket as a separate part... hmmm... Maybe on some versions, the gasket is permanently attached, or maybe my front bumper is aftermarket...???

I'm not sure the car's been in an accident, but I think the front end was repainted a few years ago. The original driver had a habit of scraping curbs, bushes, etc. haha I will remove the bumper and check it out. Maybe the carrier is detached somewhere... We'll see. If it can be put back correctly, I'll then order the shock absorber.

 

[patriot66]

For your reference, some photos of the front of my Z4 last time I had the bumper off. All as it should be, no damage
The 'gasket' is 100% definitely bonded/plastic welded onto the rear of each grille orifice. This is the reason the 'gaskets' are not available as a separate part. You can make them out in this exploded view of USA spec bumperLink to same page https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=BT53-USA-12-2003-E85-BMW-Z4_30i&diagId=51_4848
I would look on Ebay for a decent used front bumper in the same colour, a bumper carrier, shock absorber and pair of grilles....oh, and new BMW roundel also !