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Recently I hit a bird while driving and it seems to have dislodged the grill, i.e. "Grille Front Bumper" Honda Part No.: 71102-S2A-010, or Part # 3 in this diagram: https://www.hondapartsnow.com/genuin...2-s2a-010.html
However, I'm looking at the grill versus front bumper and can't seem to understand what actually broke and where/how the front grill actually attaches to the front bumper. Here are some pictures of my set-up: Bottom part of grill appears to just sit behind the bumper. The grill appears to have a channel around the edge, and the bumper appears to slide into the channel, but there is nothing to actually attach it in place. There appear to be holes in the grill for attachment, but nothing to line them up with. More holes on grille with nothing to align them with.
The other issue I'm facing is that the bottom of the front passenger side bumper does not seem to align with the holes in the frame like it does on the other side of the car: Hole in bumper and hole in frame don't align at all - other side has some kind of bracket that attaches the two. Should the same be on this side? Hole in bumper is offset from hole in frame by about 3/4"
And finally the last issue, which is the most bizarre: There appear to be two screws glued in place on the top side of the bottom of the bumper. The heads of the screws are inaccessible and the screws don't go into any hole, so they push the bumper down. I cannot figure out what is going on here: two screws, in the bottom center of the front bumper, "glued" head down facing up. Cannot access head as it is on the top side and not the bottom of the lip. Profile shot of front bumper - can see two screws pushing down center of bottom front bumper.
The grille snaps into place, no hardware needed to hold it. I think you'll have to remove the bumper and adjust it from the inside. This video shows the replacement grille at 3:10.
The grill connection tabs might be broken, as an alternative to buying a new one, you could use some double sided tape up top and drill a couple of holes on the bottom and use some black plastic trim connectors to connect it back to the bumper.
Yes, those are the part I’m referring to. However, before you order them make sure that what the connect to are there on both sides. They are bolted into the plastic fender well. When I discovered one of mine was gone I had to replace the fender liner too because the connectors were gone. It looks like you may have them on one side based on the pictures but I wanted to make you aware you may need something else.
There's another fix. I've had that grill break a couple times from hitting something small on the highway to accidentally getting the bottom lip to touch concrete on a steep driveway which pushes the bumper up enough to break the very weak plastic nipples on the grill. It's a very poor design, the smallest pressure will break those plastic nipples, whereas the grill is suppose to protect the radiator from impacts, I've heard of S2ki owners having their radiators damaged from small animals to even a pair of jeans getting thrust into it on the highway. The design is more cosmetic then functional.
Using a dremel tool, drill out small holes where the nipples are, and also where they interlock on the bumper then use rigid plastic bumper clips to secure them in place. I highly recommend the Bross ones (BCF804) as the plastic quality is much stronger then that of Honda OEM. And for this application if the desired result is to have a grill that protects from impacts and will last a long time, then having a rigid solution is ideal. You do have to take the bumper off to do this, just like when replacing the grill, but will probably be the last time you ever do this.
The clips are pricey, but well worth the cost, and much cheaper then a new grill every couple of years.
But, wondering why the need to use a dremel, and not just a regular drill?
There are many different types of those plastic rivit clips. Some much less expensive than that. Some use a different means to release them for removal.
That Christmas Tree style has to be pryed out. I'd be worried about how much force that requires. Tool slips and wreaks havoc, or prying causes grill fracture or chipping, etc. Wondering if those push center pin to release type rivits, or perhaps the ones that can be released with unscrewing a center philips plastic screw might be more fragile surfaces friendly.
You're right, a drill will work just as fine as a dremel, it was the tool I had on hand. The plastic rivet clip I posted you need it to be more rigid then the soft Honda plastic clips. The entire purpose of the grill is to prevent something from destroying your radiator. The OP mentioned he hit a small bird and look what it did to his grill! I got this idea from others on S2KI, unable to find the threads to give props to.
These clips are solid. Why is there any need to 'pry out' the clips of the grill once installed? There is no reason to remove the grill ever, but with the tiny little plastic nipples that the OEM grill comes with, they will constantly break, this is a permanent solution to strengthen your grill and prevent damage to the radiator. Those super strong clips you are concerned about, will stop a small animal at highway speeds, which is the exact point of using them. When you drill/dremel the holes, they will not crack anything when installing, and once they are pushed in firmly, will not easily pull out like the OEM clips made of much softer plastic.
09-17-2019, 06:03 PM
Front bumper oddities at attachment points
