where did you get that grille?!!!
you must tell me. or i will haunt your dreams
Thanks for the compliments guys! The grille is the one you see on ebay from Kakumei-Motorsports, Buy-It-Now for $80. Only problem is that they charge $40 shipping when it's really only $14.75! (nuts)
I liked the Mazdaspeed version but it's a lot more expensive. This one is similar for less money. My main concern was fitment. Another grille on ebay, similar to this one but cheaper, had fitment issues so I went with this one eventhough it was twice as much (still 1/2 the price of the Mazdaspeed--including the shipping!). I read a couple of feedbacks from buyers that had bought this grille and one of them remarked that it fit great. So I got it.
It is made of fiberglass and comes painted with white primer. I had a body shop that I deliver to (UPS driver) paint it black mica to match the car and they remarked how they were impressed that there weren't any small pinholes in the primer that are apparently common with aftermarket fiberglass parts. So kudos to Kakumei-Motorsports for that!
Fitment is good but not as perfect as the OEM grille. Just a little bit bigger gap along the top compared to the OEM. Not a big deal, I'm just being picky. Nobody's gonna notice it. Had to drill the holes in the hood a little bigger to accomodate the included bolts. The only concern I have is that the bottom of the grille is a little flimsy. It uses the bottom part of the OEM grille that is molded on the
5-door's front bumper for support. When you pop the hood, you naturally grab the bottom of the grille to lift and if you aren't careful I could see the thing breaking or cracking. However, if you know about it then it shouldn't be a problem. Overall, I'm very pleased with the way it turned out. Thanks again for the compliments!
Here's the link to the ebay auction:
https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)
Edit on the fitment: Looks good but bottom tip of the Kakumei-Motorsports grille rubs on the bumper cover. Not really a huge issue unless you switch back to OEM grille. Then there will be a mark rubbed through the paint on the bumper cover just in front of the bottom of the stock grille.
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