I am in the VERY unfortunate situation of having a GT front bumper and Skoda have stopped producing the grill inserts for the lower section at the front.... So, I had to think a little outside the box to fill these gaps. So, with a sheet of aluminium "borrowed" from Dad, a pair of tin snips, and some tweaking I now have this. Now I know up close it will look a bit poor. I think if they're painted black it will look better. They do fit well though, and are held in pretty firmly thanks to the solid structure of the aluminium (which is tough yet can be pliable to make fit)

I hope I don't go down in the legends like the other grill thread. I still need to make the long middle section though....

From afar:

and from a bit closer:

Edited 13 January, 200917 yr by Bigw2069
:D Sorry

that doesn't look too bad tbh

Jason, you CAN do better than that....

Jason, you CAN do better than that....

You obviously don't know me very well then!

Sure, I can try to do better, but it's not easy just mocking something up in situ. I think with black paint, it will be better.

[starts rattling can of black magic!]

:confused:why not try using a cardboard template first, if thats wrong nothing's wasted.

:confused:why not try using a cardboard template first, if thats wrong nothing's wasted.

Yep - a good idea, although the template would need tweaking for the extra sticky out bits that holds it in. I have enough leftover for the long middle bit, and the two side ones should I consider they need re-doing.

back in my younger days i tried to paint mesh black... it doesn't work lol just chips to pieces would look fine if you could find some black mesh

I like the look of the GT front bumpers.

Fancy a swap for my vrs one?

This car does really need a white front bumper in true vRS style, but there's no point me spending another £200+ on this car as I won't see it back again.

Cut about with a black front bumper on it.

Will look cool as.

back in my younger days i tried to paint mesh black... it doesn't work lol just chips to pieces would look fine if you could find some black mesh

lots of stress points in mesh,try spraying after you fit it, its less likely to crack that way.

Erm... yuck! That's not the best perforated sheet to use IMO.

Something like an 8mm stainless steel mesh would work better.

J.

Not too bad

back in my younger days i tried to paint mesh black... it doesn't work lol just chips to pieces would look fine if you could find some black mesh

Powder coat them. Got my front grill mesh done for the exact same reason. Even coated it in laquer and it still chipped away. No problems with the grill since I got it powder coated though

Have Skoda REALLY stopped making the inserts? I thought a car manufacturer was held by law to produce spares for 10 years or something like that?

What happens if an owner of this spoiler gets in a crunch but it's not a write off.. do they get it back with a standard bumper? what a rubbish deal!

Have you spoken to MissP? Maybe she found a source of the grilles for the bumper she got of eBay??

Have a mate who is a prt time painter, and a meshtastic bodger, who refuses to take payment because you are his gaffer at work..

He's done a fablious job on mine today, I'd post a piccie, but I'm still at 'work' *cough*

I'm sorry Jason, but I think they look awful.

Some finer mesh in black would look better, but they'd have to fit the holes properly...

You must be able to find some OEM grilles somewhere surely?? :eek:

Potter & Soar make stainless mesh, they did mine for the Octy Grills

Web site here, far better than that galvanised & painted stuff you get elsewhere

:::::::: Potter & Soar Ltd - Manufacturers of Wire Mesh

They are very helpful & will even send small samples if your not sure, I just said I wanted something Like jag Mesh, I think it came from here

:::::::: Potter & Soar Ltd - Manufacturers of Wire Mesh

Simply make a cardboard template & cut it to size, trim the edge with a rubber 'C' section & bond it all into the bumber

Or if you have acces to a company who can cut stainless neatly let them have the template, they can cut out a narrom edging, say 5mm wide from a flat sheet, bond the mesh to the bumber & bond the cover plate over the top. If you want a strong template use perspex. If you do a stunning job Im sure you could sell a few on here ;)

To add

On mine I trimmed the back of the bumper flush & bonded oversize pieces of mesh on the inside, downside is they are a sod to get off for painting, this was an Octy 1 bumper, not sure it it will work on yours

If there is any body in West Yorks. who needs meshery, I can highly recommend Bethel Rhodes & Son on Alice Street in Keighley.

Pieces of every sort of pattern & type of metal cut to size at a very reasonable price.

I have just paid a tenner for a piece of diamond pattern stainless cut to fit the girt hole in the front of my fabia ( actually it cost me twenty 'cos I fecked up the first one by standing on it, actually it was thirty 'cos I temporarily fitted the second one, forgot, set off, and it fell out & I ran over it...)

I'm sorry Jason, but I think they look awful.

Some finer mesh in black would look better, but they'd have to fit the holes properly...

You must be able to find some OEM grilles somewhere surely?? :eek:

Ta for the advice, and I agree they don't look good, but perhaps better than an open wound? No, it seems Skoda do not make the GT bumper inserts anymore. They are a different shape to the oem bumper ones (you can see the oem gap behind the GT vallance add on - don't line up) - Am a bit peeved Skoda have stopped making them just like that!? :thumbdwn: