Rock Strike Through Grill

[sonny200]

Was at a local cars & coffee this morning & was talking to a '26 5BW owner about how I didn't understand how no one has grill guards for our cars but we have them for the C8 Vettes. (I installed a set on my '23 Stingray & then on my '23 Z06). I was pointing out to him how large the openings are on our grills when I spotetd this massive hole in the center of the lower grill!

If you look closely, you can spot the rock sitting in the lower left hand corner just in front of the radiator. There's a small dent on the radiator behind where the rock came through but (thankfully) nothing worse than that.

Thinking back, I'm pretty sure when/how this happened. About a week ago, I was on a highway off ramp when a person in an SUV cut across 3 lanes of traffic to make the exit they were about to miss, cutting through the "triangle" of the off ramp & over some of the dirt there right in front of me. I got pelted with pebbles as they carried on. It was only this morning did I realize exactly how much damage that arse caused.

Guess I'm headed to the dealership Monday morning to see how much it will cost to have the grill replaced.

 

[ellteefour]

an SUV cut across 3 lanes of traffic to make the exit they were about to miss, cutting through the "triangle" of the off ramp & over some of the dirt there right in front of me. I got pelted with pebbles as they carried on.

Wow, that's messed up. Looks like quite a few fins have been bent besides where the rock hit. May want to take a fin comb to them while the grill is out.

 

[sonny200]

...Looks like quite a few fins have been bent besides where the rock hit.

That's from just over 60k miles of driving. Like I was saying, wish someone made grill guards for our cars. (The Radiator Grill Store makes guards for the side (smaller) grill but not for the 2 big center ones.)

 

[sonny200]

Went to the local Cadillac stealership this morning & they quoted me $1550 for the repair. It included "pre & post scan" ($210) to make sure everything works because the fix involves removal of the front bumper cover. Was quoted 6.6 hrs of labor time. The lower grill cost is $563 (before taxes). I showed the service rep that the part from GMPartsDirect cost $400 (including shipping & taxes). He said he could not match the price, "because that's what the computer gave me." Told me I could bring in the part & they'd install it but, "can't warranty it."

Looking at the diagram on GMPartsDirect, I'm thinking I might actually be able to do this myself. If not, I can always bring it to a local body shop & have them do it, instead.

I just ordered the part from GMPartsDirect & will post up how it goes once I get it.

 

[1Evil55]

Never done a bumper repair on any of my BW's but common sense tells me the biggest pain of this is removing the bumper. Plenty of direction on this site for that. Typical of a stealership earning their name.

 

[DCV]

Too bad the company called Zunsport does not make metal grills screens for the Cadillac like they do for the 911. I would think someone would make such a product for Cadillac

 

[ellteefour]

RaceMesh was a popular choice with V2 owners back in the day. I see they have a 5BW fitment also.

 

[KatyTxCT5V]

I’ve pulled my entire front and rear bumpers off my 22BW when I added the GM CF1 & CF2 carbon fiber pieces. The instructions are online from one of the GM tech sites suggested by others. It’s a pay site, but reasonable and 100% worth it.

Take your time and tape around the edges of the painted surfaces for protection in pry areas. You will get to a point where an extra set of hands are strongly recommended. The bumper tabs around the headlights are a PITA.
Also, there is a hidden bolt for each side behind the front fender wheel liners bolting the front fenders to the bumper cover.

There is a large “cam lock” style electrical connector on the right side under the intake air filter assembly. Small hands will have an easier time, pic attached. You will need to pull the front camera blue connector also shown in the pic.

I took my time to protect against scratching paint areas plus 1st time, but from memory it took me just over 8hrs to pull bumper cover, pull upper grill to add the new CF grill header, and bolt all back together. So, 6.6 hrs quoted is fair IMO.

Tip- if you have a lift, pull the front wheels to access some of the hardware makes it faster. I used my Race Ramps.

I may had a bourbon or two to keep me calm, and keep minors away during the cursing sessions.

 

[FLYARMY]

Take it to a body shop where their labor rate is one third the dealership rate. My local dealership charges about $250 per hour !! RIP OFF !