Hi, I have just had a pigeon fly straight into my 2015 facelift 4x4 TDI Yeti whilst driving on a dual carriageway. It has left a big hole in my radiator grill and had to be removed from inside. Unfortunately it did not survive the impact. Does anyone know how to remove the grill please? Also any recommendations on the best place to buy a replacement would be appreciated.

Superskoda stock them and you could take the opportunity to go for the Monte Carlo style?

Expensive though so a breaker may prove cheaper

Thanks Ken. I have had a look and am going to get the Monte Carlo Black Pack surround as you suggest. Mine is Silver with a black roof so should work well. Many thanks for the advice.

I did think about it for my all black yeti, but perhaps it would be too much?

Unfortunately mine is the run out model so came with silverbody wing mirrors and roof rails, whilst I would have prefered the previous standard black rails and body colour mirrors. Not going to change these either though.

 

When I have the black winter steel wheels on as well it looks a different car!

The cheapest source is TPS, most of the ones on Ebay, Superskoda etc cost more than the genuine VAG article, still expensive for a piece of plastic.

 

Removal of the old and refitting of the new is very tricky, you have to remove the whole grille and surround from the bumper releasing plastic clips that are not intended to be released, then do the same to remove the grille from the surround with even more difficulty and the risk of breaking the fragile surround (I did 🙁) the reassembling at which point the clips will prove that they wont want to refit.

 

Its why for an accident repair its always a new bumper, grille and surround even if the latter are undamaged.

 

But with patience and perseverance it is doable.

When I first saw this thread title I thought it sounded a bit fishy! 😁

Monte Carlo Grill surround and new grill went on today. Not an easy job, I had to use a Dremel to cut some off of the old retaining clips in the end! Pleased with the look though. Thanks for the advice.

Well done, did the old surround survive your removal?

 

If so is it a chrome one and do you want to sell it?

 

Mine was bent in the accident and broke while removing it from the bumper and the grille from it, I re-used it with the new grille but it has a sharpish visible butt joint between the two broken edges.

 

I wasn't going to pay top money for that and also the plastic slam panel above (I plastic welded it) when they will be cheap one day in the breakers.