The front grill on my '06 RL has these rusty flakes, especially on the shiny bit below the Acura logo, and I'm looking for advice on how to clean them up (see pic). Is that part of the grill chrome or stainless or what? I used Mother's metal polish to shine up my exhaust tips, but it didn't do much here.

Thanks in advance! Link to larger image here.

 

That chrome bar can be replaced fairly easily. And from I remember, it isn't very expensive either.

The "chrome" plating is thin and chips off easily.

 

I think its plastic but it can be painted or replaced

 

yeah I am having the same issue. Can someone send me a link for purchasing chrome, or platinum aluminum grills for 04-08 models? Thanks in advance.

 

$36 @ acuraoemparts.com

http://www.acuraoemparts.com/delray/...All&vinsrch=no

 

Does anybody have directions for replacing the chrome bar?

 

pull the front bumper and remove the grill. they are all bolted together.

the grill is blown out in the pic above, that's literally how it comes apart.

 

I just replaced this trim piece today with a $55 new one I purchased off one of the many oem parts supply stores on the web. Before I started, I covered the new trim piece in some 3M Clear Bra film I purchased for a few bucks off eBay. Hopefully the Clear Bra will keep it from happening again.

The trim piece is easy to replace. All you have to do is remove the plastic engine cover piece sitting on top of the grill. To do this, just pop the several tabs holding the cover in place using a screwdriver. Then slide the cover aside.

The tabs have a little indentation in them where you slide in a screwdriver (or equivalent) to gently pry up. Once it pops, you remove the entire tab. I watched a guy do this to a TL on YouTube first so I knew what the heck I was doing.

Removing the cover exposes the back of the grill. There are two upside down tabs, one on the bottom-left of the grill and one on the bottom-right. These need to be removed, and they are a PITA, but doable. Have a good flashlight on hand. Once removed, the grill will pop out toward the front of the car when prodded a bit.

The trim piece is held in place by 5 philips screws.

Once replaced, just put everything back in reverse. Done. It took me an hour, moving VERY slowly. If I had to do it again, it would be less than 30 minutes. There is no need at all to take the bumper off. Just be careful with the tabs, and maybe have a couple extra on hand, and be careful with the grill itself, as it's rather flimsy and not cheap to replace if you break it.

Pic below is the trim piece before I replaced it. It's the piece at the bottom, all chipped up:

 

^ this. I did exactly the same thing last week and it makes all of the difference. Odd that the top part of the grille trim doesn't chip but the bottom is el cheapo plastic and does. Honda sure did a lot of weird scrimp-type deals like this on the '06-08 model years. I had a '06 Civic Si that had the softest windshield and dashboard ever. Scratched if you looked at them wrong---

 

Just did mine. Trim piece was $55 + tax and shipping ($71 all told). Ordered some clips from ebay and accomplished the whole thing in under an hour. You really do need fresh clips, since by the time the grille piece needs replacement the clips are brittle. Easy cosmetic fix, but I too wonder why that bottom piece is so soft and easy to scratch.

-R-