[HaymakerBaker]

Did you happen to read the OG post? $1k not under warranty. Adapt, overcome…

Kia/Hyundai know what they’re doing.

Oh I read it but my car insurance will cover it if it happens to me. But I've been driving for 24 years and have owned about a dozen different vehicle and never had this issue.

I use to put ~35k miles per year on my Lincoln LS and ended up putting close to 90k miles on it before I sold it. It had a very similar open lower grill and never had an issue with rocks and such.

But everyone is free to do what they want with their own vehicle. Personally I'm not going to bother or worry about it. But I was just replying to the "thoughts?" comment 😁 I wasn't trying to be mean but funny. My bad if it didn't come off like that.

 

[ron1004]

I took a look at three of my vehicles.

Mustang - wide open to radiator
Ford Edge - grill will limit size of particles passing through to the radiator
BMW bike - has a plastic guard directly in front of the radiator

The above cars have a valance that prevents anything coming up from the road getting between the bumper and the radiator.

Looks like some vehicles offer more protection in this area than others, with our Mustang being the most vulnerable.

Why wouldn't the insurance cover this type of impact damage?

 

[zcc_25]

Oh I read it but my car insurance will cover it if it happens to me. But I've been driving for 24 years and have owned about a dozen different vehicle and never had this issue.

I use to put ~35k miles per year on my Lincoln LS and ended up putting close to 90k miles on it before I sold it. It had a very similar open lower grill and never had an issue with rocks and such.
View attachment 120591


But everyone is free to do what they want with their own vehicle. Personally I'm not going to bother or worry about it. But I was just replying to the "thoughts?" comment 😁 I wasn't trying to be mean but funny. My bad if it didn't come off like that.

Maybe I was just very unlucky. Chance in a million. People from other forums claimed that they had their engines overheated because of little stones. If I felt lucky again, I would definitely try my luck for the lottery.

 

[zcc_25]

[/QUOTE]
I guess the grill protection is much more popular among

I took a look at three of my vehicles.

Mustang - wide open to radiator
Ford Edge - grill will limit size of particles passing through to the radiator
BMW bike - has a plastic guard directly in front of the radiator

The above cars have a valance that prevents anything coming up from the road getting between the bumper and the radiator.

Looks like some vehicles offer more protection in this area than others, with our Mustang being the most vulnerable.

Why wouldn't the insurance cover this type of impact damage?

View attachment 120592

View attachment 120593

View attachment 120594

The insurance did cover this damage, the warranty did not.

I guess the grill protector is more popular and meaningful for those performance cars. They are lower to the ground and much more expensive. See this:

.

It also depends on the environment where you live. Roadworks, construction sites, big trucks hauling stones? Or whether you often go off-roading.

 

[to_jayson]

Gotta start at the top and work your way down.

So I started at the bottom and found the bottom of the radiator under the first fairing plate. Also realized the skid plate (that I want to wrap) is pushed into the bumper and isn’t removable from this angle (needs whole bumper removal).

From the top though, after removing the ram intake tubing, which goes through the radiator support (good move Kia). Sorry I didn’t feel like getting pics, there are more body screws on every panel than anything I’ve seen. You have enough clearance to get the grille guard in and place JB weld and hold. I was able to fit my hand through the bottom grille (from the engine bay) from the top.

I’m still waiting on my mesh to arrive 😅. I actually wanted to get the emblem/grille off. Discovered a lot along the way.

View attachment 120395

View attachment 120396

I tried to remove the top body panel (your first picture that shows it partially lifted) that has the 8 plastic black retention screw/clips. After removing the 8 screw/clips, I could not figure out how to remove the body panel because it still felt stuck somewhere. Are there other screw/clips to remove, or do you just pry the body panel upwards? I want to avoid breaking any plastic clips because that usually causes rattling...

 

[C-Trink]

I tried to remove the top body panel (your first picture that shows it partially lifted) that has the 8 plastic black retention screw/clips. After removing the 8 screw/clips, I could not figure out how to remove the body panel because it still felt stuck somewhere. Are there other screw/clips to remove, or do you just pry the body panel upwards? I want to avoid breaking any plastic clips because that usually causes rattling...

Yes there are screws. Three near the hood release opening and the others you have to feel for along the top of the grille. I want to say two more (4 additional) on each side of those. Once those screws are off you’ll be able to tell it’s off.

 

[to_jayson]

Yes there are screws. Three near the hood release opening and the others you have to feel for along the top of the grille. I want to say two more (4 additional) on each side of those. Once those screws are off you’ll be able to tell it’s off.

Still looking for those screws but can't see them. Are you saying you actually have to reach under the top panel and unscrew the screws to be able to remove that top panel? or are you saying that you simply pry that top panel upwards with enough force to "unclip" the top panel from the top of the grill?

 

[C-Trink]

Still looking for those screws but can't see them. Are you saying you actually have to reach under the top panel and unscrew the screws to be able to remove that top panel? or are you saying that you simply pry that top panel upwards with enough force to "unclip" the top panel from the top of the grill?

The top panel clips at each corner above the headlight that can pop up and allow you to lean up the panel and reach under to unscrew the screws.

If you feel/look into the hood release hole in that top panel you can get to those screws through that hole. That’s where I started.

Sorry I don’t have any better pictures, but I’m not taking it off again anytime soon. Screws (6) are yellow and clips (4) are blue.

 

[AlexStewart23]

I installed some wire mesh in the two lower grill openings, and it is a royal pain in the ass. It turned pretty good but I wish kia made it easier to remove parts. I originally wanted to remove some parts but after looking at what it would take, I said screw that. I end up cutting the mesh to size and then pushed it through the grill openings and secured them with zip ties. Hopefully it will hold up.

 

[C-Trink]

I installed some wire mesh in the two lower grill openings, and it is a royal pain in the ass. It turned pretty good but I wish kia made it easier to remove parts. I originally wanted to remove some parts but after looking at what it would take, I said screw that. I end up cutting the mesh to size and then pushed it through the grill openings and secured them with zip ties. Hopefully it will hold up.
View attachment 120820 View attachment 120822

Good call going that route and not disassembling. I wish I would have just folded stuffed mine as well. I think the real "advantage" I had with going in from the top was alignment and ease of attaching. Nice right-angle pick tool, that is the same thing that helped me get the mesh in place.

Has anyone done the middle/upper grille yet? Wish I would have been mindful on my first cut so I could have done it all at once.

 

[AlexStewart23]

Good call going that route and not disassembling. I wish I would have just folded stuffed mine as well. I think the real "advantage" I had with going in from the top was alignment and ease of attaching. Nice right-angle pick tool, that is the same thing that helped me get the mesh in place.

Has anyone done the middle/upper grille yet? Wish I would have been mindful on my first cut so I could have done it all at once.

I was intending on doing the whole grill but after seeing how much time it took just do the bottom openings, I don't think it would come out looking so good unless I pretty much disassembled the whole front end to be able to do a more professional job.

 

[noshortcuts]

For those visiting this thread that may have missed the link to my post in the "mods" thread of how to install radiator guard without removing any parts....
1. cut screen to shape
2. apply black duct tape to cut ends. This will prevent scratches during installation and rattling noise after installation.
3. fold horizontally (not vertically!) and insert through grill
4. patiently and carefully unfold and fit - using both hands reaching through grill.
5. pull forward GENTLY with fingers and needle nose pliers (pliers will break screen if pulling too hard)
6. arrange screen behind grill and orientate for the best fit possible
7. bend the tip(s) of zip tie(s) and insert through the screen and pull back to hook the bent tip back through the screen. (hard to describe but I hope it makes sense)
8. grab the tip(s) of zip tie(s) that were bent and stuck through with a needle nose pliers and pull the tip toward you to wrap around grill and secure the tie
TIP 1: Don't fold the screen vertically to fit it through the grill. It will break. You CAN fold horizontally (the way it was rolled to ship)
TIP 2: DO fold screen vertically to cut it. It's cleaner and easier than using a tin snip (true for vertical cuts only).

 

[JstGo]

I followed the "noshortcuts" method, a little differently. I cut the mesh across the width of the roll, cutting a 5 5/8 inch wide piece. Four pieces is enough for the top and bottom grilles. The width of the roll provides about 90% coverage. Gaps are in the center, near the center post, camera, and Kia badge.

5 5/8 inch wide allows feeding it through with no folds or bends. A 90 degree pick tool is useful for positioning.

I used 6 inch, 40 lb. tie wraps. The 8 inch were too stiff, and 4 inch too wimpy. The noshortcuts method of bending the tie wrap ends worked great (see above).

Consider tying a string to the grille piece before feeding it through. It is valuable for retrieval when the piece is dropped behind the bumper ..
Photos of my top grille.

 

[Mr. Wigglesworth]

I followed the "noshortcuts" method, a little differently. I cut the mesh across the width of the roll, cutting a 5 5/8 inch wide piece. Four pieces is enough for the top and bottom grilles. The width of the roll provides about 90% coverage. Gaps are in the center, near the center post, camera, and Kia badge.

5 5/8 inch wide allows feeding it through with no folds or bends. A 90 degree pick tool is useful for positioning.

I used 6 inch, 40 lb. tie wraps. The 8 inch were too stiff, and 4 inch too wimpy. The noshortcuts method of bending the tie wrap ends worked great (see above).

Consider tying a string to the grille piece before feeding it through. It is valuable for retrieval when the piece is dropped behind the bumper ..
Photos of my top grille.

That radiator guard looks great!

 

[noshortcuts]

I followed the "noshortcuts" method, a little differently. I cut the mesh across the width of the roll, cutting a 5 5/8 inch wide piece. Four pieces is enough for the top and bottom grilles. The width of the roll provides about 90% coverage. Gaps are in the center, near the center post, camera, and Kia badge.

5 5/8 inch wide allows feeding it through with no folds or bends. A 90 degree pick tool is useful for positioning.

I used 6 inch, 40 lb. tie wraps. The 8 inch were too stiff, and 4 inch too wimpy. The noshortcuts method of bending the tie wrap ends worked great (see above).

Consider tying a string to the grille piece before feeding it through. It is valuable for retrieval when the piece is dropped behind the bumper ..
Photos of my top grille.

You've inspired me to buy another roll and do the upper grill. Thanks for the tips!

 

[TD Charlie]

@C-Trink @noshortcuts

is there an easy way to pop the cover under the bumper to get access behind the lower grille, or does that not get the job done?

edit: i ask because it’s time for me to stop waiting and do this. Just noticed a sizable ding on a bracket that the radiator sits behind. A half inch higher or lower and id be looking at a dry cooling system.

 

[C-Trink]

@C-Trink @noshortcuts

is there an easy way to pop the cover under the bumper to get access behind the lower grille, or does that not get the job done?

edit: i ask because it’s time for me to stop waiting and do this. Just noticed a sizable ding on a bracket that the radiator sits behind. A half inch higher or lower and id be looking at a dry cooling system.

There’s definitely an easy way to pop the cover under the bumper. However, that lands you behind the radiator/intercooler (Great for the BOV install).

I’d recommend the fold and slide through method. Try and read what those who have done it recommend. If I were to do it again I would get my pieces cut (like my diagram on post #54) then tie a string to each side for positioning and fold them to get it through the lower grille and work on zip tying them like @noshortcuts showed.

 

[C-Trink]

After I couldn’t get in there from the bottom, it kind of became an exploratory mission on how to get in from the top. Which led me to, while I’m in here I’m going to “properly” remove my front emblem. Like I said before, there are WAY too many screws in the upper grille assembly… I honestly haven’t put them all back yet since I want to do my mid and upper grilles with the small mesh. No rattles or any problems either. When I get those done I’ll get them all secured.

 

[TD Charlie]

After I couldn’t get I. There from the bottom, it kind of became an exploratory mission on how to get in from the top. Which led me to, while I’m in here I’m going to “properly” remove my front emblem. Like I said before, there are WAY too many screws in the upper grille assembly… I honestly haven’t put them all back yet since I want to do my mid and upper grilles with the small mesh. No rattles or any problems either. When I get those done I’ll get them all secured.

im a little more concerned with the lower section. If a rock hasn’t come up that high on me in the past 20 years then I’ll continue to roll with it. Not worth all the time to strip apart the entire front end for a $15 piece of thin mesh.

i have my mesh in order though. It arrives Monday. The plan is to tackle the hitch and the mesh next week. We shall see

 

[C-Trink]

im a little more concerned with the lower section. If a rock hasn’t come up that high on me in the past 20 years then I’ll continue to roll with it. Not worth all the time to strip apart the entire front end for a $15 piece of thin mesh.

i have my mesh in order though. It arrives Monday. The plan is to tackle the hitch and the mesh next week. We shall see

Yeah once I got it disassembled I figured I’ll do it now since it’s apart. Otherwise I wouldn’t want to do the upper grilles either.