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.
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.
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