I cant seem to reach anyone at Mr. Grille. Are they still in business?
Does anyone know where I can get a black lower billet? I do not want chrome.
(Mr Grille)

Also, if you have experience and want to give me suggestions/pointers on installation/attachment types (particularly those that do not involve zip ties) it would be most appreciated.

Thanks

 

I just bought the used black anodized Mr. Grille that member bad self posted for sale. I installed the polished Mr. Grille on my '09 Fit within a week of driving it home, and although I never worried about rocks taking out my A/C condenser after installing the grille, I never really liked the shiny silver grille on my BBP Fit. I had originally intended to paint it black, but never did it. Over the last 2-1/2 years I tried several times to contact Mr. Grille- sent emails and left phone messages all with no reply. I tried that again with a phone message two days ago, with the same non-result. Mr. Grille does not advertise on eBaymotors any more either, so you can assume that he is either out of business, or has so much of it that he can't be bothered to make an effort to sell stuff. Too bad- he makes the best quality billet aluminum grilles.

If bad self and I had not negotiated his sale of the black grille, I was intending to take mine off the car and use Plasti-Dip rubber coating spray on it. The Plasti-Dip spray seems to be working really well on things like wheels, and it should hold up pretty well in resisting rock impacts on a grille.

I used black zip ties on my grille 2-1/2 years ago, and have not regretted it at all- absolutely zero problems. Keep in mind that 11" long zip ties have a breaking strength of 75 pounds each. I used six zip ties, and the grille weighs less than 2 pounds. No shifting, no rattling.

I could not find a single lower grille insert for sale on Ebay that was black in a search yesterday, and couldn't find anything at all from Mr. Grille as a vendor. So, if you do not have any grille cover at all, want the quality of the Mr. Grille product, and are willing to paint the aluminum grille with the rubber Plasti-Dip spray, maybe you and I can work out a deal for you to buy my original aluminum (they don't make chrome) one.

Another suggestion- There are a LOT of grilles for sale on Ebay. I warn you away from the "Grilles-4-You" brand. Very weak, very cheap quality. A lot of the other eBaymotors grilles are made of stainless steel. They would be rust-proof, and if you rough up the finish with sanding and then paint it black, the s.s. ones should hold up just fine. Zeta Products, a forums sponsor, sells stainless steel grilles of good quality.

I like zip ties and will continue to use them. But whatever new grille you buy will probably come with some kind of mounting brackets (some will come with zip ties). As an alternative to nut-and-bolt metal brackets or zip ties, you might consider using stainless steel wire (from hardware or hobby stores- also on Ebay).

Good luck. All Fits need protection from rocks coming through the non-existent stock "grille".

 

I use black gutter guard material. Low tech but it's not a visible part, when black. 6$ at HD.

 

Hi Triskelion. That sounds like a good solution to me. Can you PM me so we can get in touch? I'd be particularly interested if you could take a photo of it before you remove it (and perhaps a shot of the attachments when you remove it).

Everyone else: Still prefer a black (without painting). Any leads?

 

The OP PM'ed me and I replied. My offer was to sell him my own used polished aluminum Mr. Grille for the same price I just paid to bad self for his used black Mr. Grille.

Tinctorius wants photos of my grille in place and another photo once removed (which I will send). He is worried that the grilles that were made for 2009+ Fits might not fit a 2012, and I don't blame him for his worry. Does any other member have a grille insert that was made for a general fit on GE Fits on his/her 2012 Fit?

We know that the fog lights on the 2012's are a little different in size/shape than the other GE's, and that suggests that the grilles might be different too. The eBaymotors grille ads do not distinguish between any GE model year, but that's eBay. I don't want to waste this guy's money if there is a size/shape problem that we can find out about before he pays and I ship. Thanks in advance for any help.