Minor Update - 02-03 "JDM Grill" Review
01-31-2008, 05:27 PM
#1
I'm Down Right Fierce!
Thread Starter
Minor Update - 02-03 "JDM Grill" Review
Well, about 8 months ago, I won this bid for a supposedly "JDM Grill" for the 02-03 TL. Now, Everyone knows there is no such thing as a "JDM Grill" for the 02-03 TLs, unless you're talking about the Saber or Inspire Grill. I initially thought that the grill was actually a TSX grill listed as a 02 TL Grill.
I bid on the item thinking that I'd be essentially throwing away money; no offense, but Ebay items tend to be... well... crappy.
Anyways, I received the item fairly quickly. Took about two weeks as the item was sent in from Hong Kong. Yes, it came from Hong Kong, and yes I again was nervous when I saw that it was sent from Hong Kong, since I expected crappy chinese build quality.
But I was actually pretty impressed with what I saw; the surface of the grill was painted flat black, and just from eye balling the grill, it looked like it fit the TL. Even the tabs all lined up with the OEM Tabs. Also, the actual grill was actually gutter wire that was painted black and held in place with 8 metal prongs that were laid into the fiberglass of the grill insert. I was thorougly impressed, and for $65 dollars, I felt like I didn't get "too" ripped off.
I didn't take any pictures of it from when it came from the seller since I was in the middle of moving and couldn't find my camera. I also didn't get to test fit the thing as I was busy moving homes. So I threw it in a box, and put it away.
So it sat in a box for about 8 months, when this past week I decided to take my TL in to get the front bumper and front lip kit repainted. I remembered I had the grill and took it to my buddy's shop and asked them to spray it to color match.
So this is what it looked like after it was painted.
The work that my friend does is always top notch, and since it was sprayed at the same time with the bumper and front lip kit, the paint match was perfect.
Now, there is one HUGE downside to this grill. As stated before, it's made of fiberglass. And although it has all the tabs that the OEM grill has, the holes do not come pre-drilled. If you've every worked with fiberglass, you know that Fiber glass is a bitch to drill into, due to the fact that fiberglass does not flex very well. The tabs that hold the grill onto the bumper are also made of fiberglass, and are really thin; a few times I was afraid that I was going to crack or break the tabs. My suggestion is to take it really slow when drilling the holes and brace the grill when you drill into each tab. I managed to drill all of my holes without cracking a single tab, but I know that someone out there will crack theirs while attempting to do this.
After drilling the holes, I took off the Acura logo off the OEM badge; I know that the whole point of the JDM look is to have nothing on the grill, but seriously, without something on the actual grill, it looks like a big gaping hole on the 02-03 TL. I fabricated a custom bracket using a piece metal and drilling holes into it so that it could fasten the A onto the gutter wire with the stock screws. After that, it was just a matter of putting the grill on.
And this is what it looks like now:
(Eh.. I always take an ass shot of my TL to show off the WW rear lip
)
Now, here are some final comments on the grill. For the price I got it at, I think its a decent buy for 02-03 TL owners who want a non OEM Grill. But I think there are huge drawbacks as well.
Pros:
Looks good.
Fairly Cheap.
Pretty good fitment
All the Tabs do line up with the stock tabs
Looks like a "Mugen Style" grill for the 02-03 TL
Cons:
Made of Fiberglass (good quality fiberglass, but still fiberglass is crappy. Would be much better if it were made of poly urethane or even hard plastic)
More expensive than OEM style grills currently.
Comes unpainted, will need to pay for paint.
Does not come pre-drilled; may crack the fiberglass tabs while attempting to drill holes.
Fitment is pretty good, BUT not as tight/snug a fit as the OEM grill.
Also, if you notice, I didn't paint the Chrome trim on my Hood. I purposely did not paint the chrome trim on my Hood, because since I was testing out this grill, I didn't want to paint the chrome trim and then learn afterwards that the grill didn't fit, was shitty looking, w/e and I'd be stuck with a painted hood trim, with the stock chrome OEM Grill.
Also that Chrome trim on the Hood for the 02-03 TL is $55 from Acura OEM parts; its damn expensive for what it is. I just ordered an extra to put away with my stock OEM grill, and I do plan to get my Hood trim painted to WDP to match. I want to keep an extra for when I plan to put my car back to stock.
Overall, I'm satisfied with my purchase. If you're looking to do this as well, I'd say put aside $300 to $400 for everything - for paint, the hood chrome trim, etc.
On a final note: Sadly, my days in my 2g TL-S is going to come to an end fairly soon (like in the next 12-16 months). However, I plan to mod till the end: just ordered the Apexi WSII to replace the Custom Invidia setup I have since I was getting sick of setting off every alarm in parking garages.
Expect an updated/final photoshoot in the near future. Thanks for reading.
Oh, and I still have the sexiest WDP 2g TL-s... >.>
I bid on the item thinking that I'd be essentially throwing away money; no offense, but Ebay items tend to be... well... crappy.
Anyways, I received the item fairly quickly. Took about two weeks as the item was sent in from Hong Kong. Yes, it came from Hong Kong, and yes I again was nervous when I saw that it was sent from Hong Kong, since I expected crappy chinese build quality.
But I was actually pretty impressed with what I saw; the surface of the grill was painted flat black, and just from eye balling the grill, it looked like it fit the TL. Even the tabs all lined up with the OEM Tabs. Also, the actual grill was actually gutter wire that was painted black and held in place with 8 metal prongs that were laid into the fiberglass of the grill insert. I was thorougly impressed, and for $65 dollars, I felt like I didn't get "too" ripped off.
I didn't take any pictures of it from when it came from the seller since I was in the middle of moving and couldn't find my camera. I also didn't get to test fit the thing as I was busy moving homes. So I threw it in a box, and put it away.
So it sat in a box for about 8 months, when this past week I decided to take my TL in to get the front bumper and front lip kit repainted. I remembered I had the grill and took it to my buddy's shop and asked them to spray it to color match.
So this is what it looked like after it was painted.
The work that my friend does is always top notch, and since it was sprayed at the same time with the bumper and front lip kit, the paint match was perfect.
Now, there is one HUGE downside to this grill. As stated before, it's made of fiberglass. And although it has all the tabs that the OEM grill has, the holes do not come pre-drilled. If you've every worked with fiberglass, you know that Fiber glass is a bitch to drill into, due to the fact that fiberglass does not flex very well. The tabs that hold the grill onto the bumper are also made of fiberglass, and are really thin; a few times I was afraid that I was going to crack or break the tabs. My suggestion is to take it really slow when drilling the holes and brace the grill when you drill into each tab. I managed to drill all of my holes without cracking a single tab, but I know that someone out there will crack theirs while attempting to do this.
After drilling the holes, I took off the Acura logo off the OEM badge; I know that the whole point of the JDM look is to have nothing on the grill, but seriously, without something on the actual grill, it looks like a big gaping hole on the 02-03 TL. I fabricated a custom bracket using a piece metal and drilling holes into it so that it could fasten the A onto the gutter wire with the stock screws. After that, it was just a matter of putting the grill on.
And this is what it looks like now:
(Eh.. I always take an ass shot of my TL to show off the WW rear lip
)Now, here are some final comments on the grill. For the price I got it at, I think its a decent buy for 02-03 TL owners who want a non OEM Grill. But I think there are huge drawbacks as well.
Pros:
Looks good.
Fairly Cheap.
Pretty good fitment
All the Tabs do line up with the stock tabs
Looks like a "Mugen Style" grill for the 02-03 TL
Cons:
Made of Fiberglass (good quality fiberglass, but still fiberglass is crappy. Would be much better if it were made of poly urethane or even hard plastic)
More expensive than OEM style grills currently.
Comes unpainted, will need to pay for paint.
Does not come pre-drilled; may crack the fiberglass tabs while attempting to drill holes.
Fitment is pretty good, BUT not as tight/snug a fit as the OEM grill.
Also, if you notice, I didn't paint the Chrome trim on my Hood. I purposely did not paint the chrome trim on my Hood, because since I was testing out this grill, I didn't want to paint the chrome trim and then learn afterwards that the grill didn't fit, was shitty looking, w/e and I'd be stuck with a painted hood trim, with the stock chrome OEM Grill.
Also that Chrome trim on the Hood for the 02-03 TL is $55 from Acura OEM parts; its damn expensive for what it is. I just ordered an extra to put away with my stock OEM grill, and I do plan to get my Hood trim painted to WDP to match. I want to keep an extra for when I plan to put my car back to stock.
Overall, I'm satisfied with my purchase. If you're looking to do this as well, I'd say put aside $300 to $400 for everything - for paint, the hood chrome trim, etc.
On a final note: Sadly, my days in my 2g TL-S is going to come to an end fairly soon (like in the next 12-16 months). However, I plan to mod till the end: just ordered the Apexi WSII to replace the Custom Invidia setup I have since I was getting sick of setting off every alarm in parking garages.
Expect an updated/final photoshoot in the near future. Thanks for reading.
Oh, and I still have the sexiest WDP 2g TL-s... >.>
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02-01-2008, 11:57 AM
#20
2000 Acura 3.2 TL (185K+)
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Fort Lauderdale,FL
Age: 40
Posts: 271
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Good buy! i really like it! 
sorta looks like the acura emblem shouldnt be there, but all in all good buy! (color match the chrome peice to set it off right! )
sorta looks like the acura emblem shouldnt be there, but all in all good buy! (color match the chrome peice to set it off right! )
02-01-2008, 04:47 PM
#23
291hp & 245 tq @ 3.5psi
Look nice! I agree that chrome hood bar is kinda out of place but if painted white also, the front car might look too blank. I know it looks much better with NBP paint and on my car, so send it to me! he he....
02-01-2008, 06:11 PM
#24
MYself also was thinking about purchasing that same grill, but i was very picky, because i wanted to still have my CLASSY TL Vip look.......it looks pretty good on your WDP,......i think our grills really make up the front of our car, dam only if u could have threw on a H so i could see how it would look with that GRILL......next time for me ight!!!!!!!!
02-11-2008, 05:43 PM
#32
I'm Down Right Fierce!
Thread Starter
By popular request, I've taken pics without the "A" emblem.
The car was dirty when I put the painted Chrome strip back on; color match is good considering that I used an air brush and did it myself.
I will take far pictures when I get a wash in a couple days.
02-11-2008, 11:30 PM
#39
-Arsenic-
Originally Posted by bkzjimmy
what about a WHITE A?
I think I am warming up to it just being bare tho with nothing on it...I keep coming back to look at it again..
