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I mounted the Mina Gallery upper and lower black grill to my 2007 XK today. I hope this will help someone considering the swap.
The grill can be ordered in black even though it doesn't offer it on the website at no extra charge.
When ordering ask for instructions to be definately be sent. My set did not come with instructions, but Chris at Mina was very patient and helpful talking me through it. I did the bottom grill first.
1) Remove 4 torx type screws from the bottom of the four bars holding on the lower grill.
2) Grab the end of the grill with both hands and twist and yank very-very hard to pop it off the bars. Start from the far left or right end first, then work towards the middle.
3) Mount up the lower grill using the supplied self taping screws that were also black. Grill one screw into each horizontal bar then screw the ends down, trying to hit as much meat on the car as you can.
4) Replace the four torx screws from the bottom.
Upper Grill:
1) Take a pair of strong pliers or channel locks and grab and twist the Ford Taurus bar off the grill. Yes you will have to destroy it to get it off. Use gloves because the broken edges are very sharp and will cut you...ask me how I know. When you get to the mounting areas you will need a needle nose to rip it apart so it will be small enough to push through the grill and just let it fall behind the grill.
2) Center Growler emblem will need to be destroyed as well. Small blade screw driver will pop off the growler then grab it with the channel locks and twist it off with force.
3) The old grill is now a flat surface. Take the new Mina grill and put 4 screws around the growler badge then move to the ends and secure them in as much meat as you can find and you are done. Should take less than a half hour if you know what to expect. Use some black paint to touch up the black screws if they turned a bit silver during installation.
Yes the Mina grill fits perfectly on top of the stock grill. It has a pretty tight weave in the grill so you can't really see through it unless you are about a foot away and have just the right lighting.
The beauty if this grill is the easy install. Most other grills you have to take off the entire bumper to replace it. Very time consuming and could be expensive.
It came Nicely packed, wrapped and came with the screws and brackets to mount the bottom grill a different way.(chris said just mount it without the brackets ) lots easier.
They also, included a free Jaguar growler key chain!
Thanks for the old post Hawaii, you were spot on!! I did both my grilles yesterday, I didnt bother with the C brackets for the lower grille just the screwed them to the virtual posts.
Close up of them for anyone looking to do the same thing.
Just installed the Mina Gallery grille and was quite frustrated at the thought of destroying the emblem and just ripping it out. So what do you do?? Find yourself a nice girlfriend buy her chocolate ice cream and then ask her to delve her hands deep between the hood and nose of the Jag and unscrew the clips (not quite bolt as they just take a twist and they are off). Installation requires further persuasion to once again play around, this time we used transparent tie straps at each end and believe me it holds wonderfully and the best of all, the original can be retro fitted if so wished.
Originally Posted by hawaii
I mounted the Mina Gallery upper and lower black grill to my 2007 XK today. I hope this will help someone considering the swap.
The grill can be ordered in black even though it doesn't offer it on the website at no extra charge.
When ordering ask for instructions to be definately be sent. My set did not come with instructions, but Chris at Mina was very patient and helpful talking me through it. I did the bottom grill first.
1) Remove 4 torx type screws from the bottom of the four bars holding on the lower grill.
2) Grab the end of the grill with both hands and twist and yank very-very hard to pop it off the bars. Start from the far left or right end first, then work towards the middle.
3) Mount up the lower grill using the supplied self taping screws that were also black. Grill one screw into each horizontal bar then screw the ends down, trying to hit as much meat on the car as you can.
4) Replace the four torx screws from the bottom.
Upper Grill:
1) Take a pair of strong pliers or channel locks and grab and twist the Ford Taurus bar off the grill. Yes you will have to destroy it to get it off. Use gloves because the broken edges are very sharp and will cut you...ask me how I know. When you get to the mounting areas you will need a needle nose to rip it apart so it will be small enough to push through the grill and just let it fall behind the grill.
2) Center Growler emblem will need to be destroyed as well. Small blade screw driver will pop off the growler then grab it with the channel locks and twist it off with force.
3) The old grill is now a flat surface. Take the new Mina grill and put 4 screws around the growler badge then move to the ends and secure them in as much meat as you can find and you are done. Should take less than a half hour if you know what to expect. Use some black paint to touch up the black screws if they turned a bit silver during installation.
Gooday. I'm waiting for my black grills to turn up but for the complete replacement Mina say you dont have to pull the nose off. Did you do the replacement, or the one that sits on top of the original?
It sits on top of the original grille, but as explained at the top of this thread the emblem must be removed.
Originally Posted by BruceTheQuail
Gooday. I'm waiting for my black grills to turn up but for the complete replacement Mina say you dont have to pull the nose off. Did you do the replacement, or the one that sits on top of the original?
Hi guys I have two questions before I order these grills.
1. I have oem silver grills. If I get the black grills will the silver show through?
2. On the upper grill is it possible to leave off the emblem completely or does it have to mounted on?
thanks
Save your money. Your OEM 2008 XKR grill is silver painted plastic, and you can spray paint it black with Plastidip. Just mask everything and use balloons behind the grill. If you don't like the look, you can peel it off and restore the OEM finish. It's so easy that even a girl can do it!
I thought about it. I already have the emblem plasti dipped. The problem is the grill isnt flat mesh. Its a honeycomb so it has depth that would make it difficult to coat inside without too much overspray on the front dripping off. I wish we had more options. I just want a black grill like it should have came with in the first place.
Your car, your money, your choice. As for being able to see the silver OEM grill under the black Mina grill, I'll defer to other Forum members who have actually done it.
Nevertheless, because the Mina grill is an overlay that sits on top of the OEM silver grill, I suspect that you'll be able to see the silver if you're looking at an angle from the side. Most people won't notice, but you will because you know.
You shouldn't have any dripping Plastidip if you apply multiple light coats at different angles and let each coat dry before spraying the next coat.
If you want an OEM black grill, Jaguar used to offer them as a dealer-installed accessory. I don't know if they're still available, but you can check with your local Jaguar dealer's parts department or with Forum sponsors who sell parts.
I have the Jaguar OEM wire mesh (black) on my silver '07 XK, and it is hands down the only grill I would ever have.
When I bought my 2010 XKR, there was no OEM option, so I turned to Mina.
Theirs was a "Remove, and replace" (not overlay, although I suspect it could have been done) option, again in black wire mesh, that was far less user friendly than I had hoped. It included a new growler center piece.
Hind sight says I should have removed the front bumper, as many paint scratches ensued during the install process.
12-13-2012, 02:23 AM
Mounting Mina Grill
