Protecting the A/C Condenser from Rocks

[JOE MAMA]

My 2012 M5 has very little to protect the a/c condenser from debris, specifically rocks. The grill on the bottom and smaller grill just under the Mazda logo enable some decent sized rocks to pass through. I know who wins the battle between a flying rock and a condenser.

I did some research on Google and the best way to prevent such damage was to install gutter guard, which is basically a smaller diamond shaped mesh made out of black plastic. I removed the front fascia and zip tied the gutter guard to the existing grill. It turned out decent and I'm confident it will do the job while still allowing air to flow to the condenser and radiator freely. Total cost was $4.99!

I did my M3 at the same time - the total time was maybe 2 hours start to finish for both vehicles - removal and re-installation of the fascia is straightforward. Please excuse how dirty my M5 is - construction is in full swing just down the street from where I live and the weather hasn't let me wash it!

The attachments show:
1) The condenser and damage sustained by rocks and debris (vehicle is 14 months old with 40,000km - mostly highway)
2) The back of the front fascia. I essentially installed the gutter guard then trimmed the excess. For the top section, I used the silver screws to hold it in place as well as zip ties.
3) Close up after installation (top portion)
4) Overall look after install.

 

[Silentnoise713]

If there are enough rocks to damage your condenser, I'd be more concerned with hood, bumper, and windshield chips (clear bra?). Mess grills was a fad in the late 90s early 2000 and a lot of people (I admit it as well) went the Home Depot route you described. If you are concerned about lost of effiency, I suggest getting a radiator fin brush to straightened the fins instead. Millions of cars on the road have endured worst conditions, I'm fairly confidant your car will be ok.

You can also make a cut out with the letter "Mazda 5" and spray paint it onto the mesh. Looks nice by leaning a tad towards rice.

 

[JOE MAMA]

If there are enough rocks to damage your condenser, I'd be more concerned with hood, bumper, and windshield chips (clear bra?). Mess grills was a fad in the late 90s early 2000 and a lot of people (I admit it as well) went the Home Depot route you described. If you are concerned about lost of effiency, I suggest getting a radiator fin brush to straightened the fins instead. Millions of cars on the road have endured worst conditions, I'm fairly confidant your car will be ok.

You can also make a cut out with the letter "Mazda 5" and spray paint it onto the mesh. Looks nice by leaning a tad towards rice.

The difference between the bumper and hood is that such damage is superficial/cosmetic as opposed to a rock taking out a condenser. As far as the windshield is concerned, it's higher up and is much better able to deflect rocks as opposed to being 90 degrees like the condenser.

I have never done this on any other vehicle, but due to the grill designs of the M5 and M3 the gaps are large enough to enable rocks large enough to cause real damage to the condenser and its documented. Some vehicles are prone to this and others don't seem to have any issues. Efficiently isn't my main concern...I don't want to replace it.

I think it's cheap insurance. A condenser runs $600.00, and it requires messing with the refrigerant. Why not spend 5 bucks and prevent any issues. I don't think it's a fad, I think it's simple logic.

 

[BRIAN_MP5T]

Any damage to the AC should be considered as superficial as much as a rock chip on the hood or broken glass.

The system is non essential, but IMO The front glass of the car is structure and safety.

Did you try not following cars and trucks so closely.

There, problem solved..

 

[JOE MAMA]

Any damage to the AC should be considered as superficial as much as a rock chip on the hood or broken glass.

The system is non essential, but IMO The front glass of the car is structure and safety.

Did you try not following cars and trucks so closely.

There, problem solved..

A stone chip in the windshield does not pose a safety issue whatsoever and is easily repaired. Given the humid summers in Windsor, a/c is as essential as heat.

I'm not a moron - obviously I don't follow trucks or cars for that matter too closely but most of driving is on a two lane highway so rocks can also fly from opposing traffic.

This forum is a joke. You come here to share something and half of the time people post solely to flame. It defeats the entire purpose of what a forum is designed to do. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but the level of unprovoked disrespect on these forums is ridiculous. In future I just won't bother.

The bottom line is I was sharing something I did in the event others are interested in doing the same. I shouldn't feel the need to justify what I've done to my vehicle.

 

[BRIAN_MP5T]

If you come here with something a bit more intuitive that fixes a problem that other people are having, then your idea will probably get a better reception.

You seem the be the only one with this problem. What more do you want from the forum?

 

[JOE MAMA]

I'm certainly not the only one....Google it....other M3 owners and previous gen M5 owners have had problems with rocks damaging the condenser rendering it inoperable. I may very well be the only one on this forum, but I doubt it.

 

[Silentnoise713]

...The bottom line is I was sharing something I did in the event others are interested in doing the same. I shouldn't feel the need to justify what I've done to my vehicle.

I do applaud you for taking a mod head on and appreciate you for sharing it. What I hope to convey back is that this is called the Home Depot mesh grill mod and has been around for a while and very popular a while back, even before the aftermarket rolled out application specific fit diamond mesh grills. Don't over worry yourself with this extremely low chance what if scenario. Of course, no one knows if you live in a rocky/pebble filled neighborhood but even if you do, your concern for other damage should be as high if not higher (body work is crazy expensive vs a part swap). This is a nice appearance mod and keep on doing what you want to do.

 

[Secondtyme]

Ignore the Protege Troll, he has nothing better to do with his time then to crap on other peoples good ideas. I think you did a great job, you can barely see it from the front and you have effectively tripled the protection for your AC condensor. I would check it carefully as the weather gets warmer and the bugs start to come out in force, the last thing you want is that mesh getting clogged with dead critters. I agree with you 100% Ac Condensor replacement is an expensive pain in the ass, my last new car was a Honda Fit whose condensor is rather famously prone to stone related failures.

 

[Robotazky]

Ignore the Protege Troll, he has nothing better to do with his time then to crap on other peoples good ideas. I think you did a great job, you can barely see it from the front and you have effectively tripled the protection for your AC condensor. I would check it carefully as the weather gets warmer and the bugs start to come out in force, the last thing you want is that mesh getting clogged with dead critters. I agree with you 100% Ac Condensor replacement is an expensive pain in the ass, my last new car was a Honda Fit whose condensor is rather famously prone to stone related failures.

I'm not sure why this guy just showed up one week and starting swinging the hatchet at everyone. Hopefully he's gone back under his bridge.

OP, we love hearing ideas like this so please don't stop posting over this troll. He just showed up and is hopefully already bored and gone.

 

[Wishmaster]

I think it's a great idea, those are quite large holes and no matter how closely or distant you follow other traffic a good sized rock or two is bound to end up smashing into a very expensive condenser (do people not understand that rocks tend to bounce down a road??!! haha). It's a great, simple, cheap mod that I would urge all 2012 and up owners do. Plus you can't even see it unless you look very closely. I think the home depot mod being mentioned is the much more obvious replacement of the grills with mesh, with the mesh being front and center. Your addition of the mesh to the rear of the fascia for protective reasons is a much, much more understated and hidden mod that, to me, has nothing to do with the other home depot grill replacement mod. Plus I don't think I've even seen that mesh replacement mod performed on a 2012+ on this forum so it would actually be a new mod anyway.

Also don't worry about BRIAN_MP5T, he is not representative of this forum, he has blasted a few threads recently with negativity and has since been banned. And I even think the mod Silentnoise713 is confused or didn't properly read your post or look at your pictures. And is also confused about how little damage general rock debris will do to a paint job or windshield compared with an A/C condenser... and does he expect you to put mesh around your entire car?? I don't really get his comment.

Nice work and thanks for posting and for the pics!!

 

[Silentnoise713]

Silentnoise713 is confused or didn't properly read your post or look at your pictures. And is also confused about how little damage general rock debris will do to a paint job or windshield compared with an A/C condenser... and does he expect you to put mesh around your entire car?? I don't really get his comment.

What I am trying to convey is don’t let the “potential” occurrence of a rock strike on your A/C condenser scare you. As a visual mod that “may” provide some safety measure, I’m all for it. To pitch it as a preventative measure is a hard sell and I hope other don’t get “feared” into it. The reference to hood and windshield is meant to be tongue-in-cheek; rock damage to the condenser is just as superficial. Actually, I would hate damage on the hood/windshield more! There are other things to worry about in life and in driving. Just think about the millions of cars on the road racking up millions of miles everyday. “Can” it happen? Sure. Fearing it “will” happen is borderline insane unless you live in an area where rocks/pebbles is a common occurrence, in which case I highly recommend a clear bra. We do have State_DOT who cleans up the road (somewhat).


Some points to consider.
-By adding the mesh net behind the stock grill, you inadvertently create deep pockets behind the OE honey comb grill that can collect debris which will block air flow. Think leaves and other garbage, or ironically, the build up of rocks that are slightly larger than the hole permit.
-There’s the assumption that the meshed you choose to use is strong enough to withstand the impact of the rock (think shape edges + high velocity). Honestly, if a big enough rock that is coming at you at high speeds, I think it will tear through that mesh.
-There’s also the assumption that rocks small enough to pass through the holes will NOT cause any damage to worry about. How do you set the limit on the size of the hole?

 

[xhawkeye]

Added gutter guard to my new used M5.

Bottom at 15.3k miles. (bad panoramic picture)

and the top

The gutter guard holes were too big for me, so installed two layers. Little tedious to offset the second one.

Not worried about restricted airflow. My Civic has a grill guard, with even smaller holes, and a/c is still blowing cold after 250k miles.