Sorry for the delay, I fitted this a few weeks ago but didn't get the chance to jump on here and talk about it. Fitment went well in the end, but it's not for the faint of heart. Main challenges:
- Getting the bumper off wasn't easy. I initially tried to do it without lifting the car at all, but there are 30+ fixings so you'll need to raise it off the ground to see where they are
- The grille doesn't come with any holes for parking sensors, so I had to drill those out
- The parking sensors have mounts glued to the original grille, which I had to scrape off and re-glue to the new one
- Wiring harnesses for the parking sensors are a bit of a faff to swap over
Positives are that I much prefer the look of the new grille, it looks less fussy than the pre-facelift version. I always disliked the big slab of shiny plastic over the grille, which curves upwards at each end and has big openings above it.
The new one is far cleaner in design - a single opening with straight edges at the top, with the radiator now much more visible where it wasn't before. I also got to remove the huge number plate plinth that's bolted on from behind the front bumper.
To drill out the parking sensor holes, I bought
one of these (click here). You'll need to drill a small pilot hole in the middle with a thin drill bit (there are factory markings on the back of the grille), then start with the stepped one. I managed it with some precision in the end, but it's pretty nerve wracking when you're doing it.
I haven't yet done another track day with it on, so I'm not sure of the cooling advantages. I did a recent track day at Donington before fitting it, where the coolant gauge was getting very close to max. despite it only being 18 degrees C and rainy. Hopefully the new grille will help things a little, especially with the number plate plinth removed which seemed to block some of the lower opening too.