This is a REALLY cool mod submitted to me by a reader and all-around cool guy Richard Edwards (aka BigRich) and can be done on any B7 A4, S4, or RS4 including DTM bumpers and S-line & S4 bumpers. He did this on his car and was nice enough to write-up the process and share it with us. This should work on any B7 including the non-s-line version, but is pictured above in the S-line/S4 bumper. This DIY is moderately difficult and requires some patience, but the end result is worth it. If cutting up a perfectly good grille is not something you wish to do, you can always buy a RS4 grille that simply bolts on and achieves a similar look.
First, you need to buy an RS6 Grille. They’re not cheap, especially here in the US, but not too much more than an RS4 grille either. The best prices for these seem to be eBay, and you can view the most recent listings below:
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Next you need to cut the RS6 grille away from the surround. I used a small hack saw blade and taped it up with some insulation/electricians tape so I didn’t go cutting myself! Alternatively, a Dremel would work nicely to cut the mesh out quickly & easily, just be sure to make clean, straight cuts.
Once complete, you should have a large sheet of mesh, as pictured above.
Once you’ve removed the grill from the surround, you need to do the exact same with your A4/S4 grill, its recommended you purchase a spare grill to do this to in case you mess up and need to refit you old one.
When you’ve got them seperated, start to marry them together. You might want to take the chrome surround piece out of the grille (but leave the rest of the backing in place) to make sure it doesn’t get scratched. You’ll need to trim the edges of the RS6 grille but this is trial and error so be careful. The RS6 grill is bigger but only by a bit around the edges, so you’ll have to trim quite a bit from the bottom as the RS6 grill as it has a deeper bottom to it than the A4/S4, but again its trial and error so still be careful.
Once you feel it looks good and fits tight………Glue it, yes that right glue it! I used super glue to get most of the edges started and then once it felt good, I went over it with Sikaflex, which is a black silacone-like substance. It takes a while to cure but once it does it sticks for a long time. Here is a close-up of the glued together areas as a reference:
You can use what ever you want to stick it together and I’m sure there are many easier and better substances that would do the job, but this worked for me and looks good.
Once the glue has fully dried, just refit the surround which while it’s off you could paint or you could wrap it like I did with mine in carbon. If the RS6 grill didnt come with the audi rings, your old ones from your A4/S4 should fit on (mine did).
Whilst you have the bumper off you may need to spray the bumper beam/crash bar going across behind the grille, otherwise it will stick out and not look as nice.
And there you have it! Thanks again to Richard for the write-up on this one.
UPDATE: Here are a few other readers that have done the mod and sent in pictures, leave a comment if you too would like to be added!
Nice one nick! I’m famous lol glad to see my work gone to some use, got the biggest smile on my face 😀
Thanks Richard!
Thanks Richard! For providing the awesome information.
Love the look of this and would love to do this mod to my a4 standard bumper….any purchasing options from you yourself?
Sorry man, I don’t sell anything, I just write about it. eBay is your best bet.
Have you heard anyone doing this on a B7 DTM?
Nope – you should do it and be the first then come back here and share pics!
RS6 grille on it’s way. I’ll send in pics once I get done. May take a bit as I’m pretty anal about things being close to perfect.
WIll this wok with an all mesh S6 grille also? or do i have to buy the RS6 grille?
Don’t see why not! All you need is the mesh part, the rest doesn’t matter much…
Hi Nick, I am 100% sure that your site has become my new favourite site… just a quick question if I may. The A4 and S-line Grilles, do they have the same physical size? I have just bought a bumper (the skin) and am planning to use my current grille (A4) as an interim measure until I can do the S6 mod
Thanks Ricardo! Unfortunately, the standard A4 grille (as well as DTM grille) are smaller sized than the S4/S-line grilles, so you can’t swap em. If you ever see them side by side the S4/S-line grille is actually quite a bit bigger.
What’s up Nick!!! Great site bro, especially for audi peeps like myself. I was wanting to know if you still are in contact with Richard. I want to see if he would make one for me and ship it over. I don’t mind paying at all. Thanks!!
I haven’t heard from him in a while. I’d suggest finding a local body shop that does custom work, this isn’t really that hard so I’m sure a local place could do this for you relatively affordably, and that way if there are any issues you can go back to them rather than deal with international shipping (it’s not fun!). Thanks for the kind words!
Cool. Keep up the good work!!!
What year RS6 grille do I need or will any work? I’m looking at a 2008-2010 A6 C6 Sport grille with an RS6 look for my B7 A4.
Yeah, the C6 body style is what you want. You should be good to go!
Hi Nick
Will this Mod work on a 2006 S4 Anniversary Edition? I believe it has the same bumper as the DTM. If so, what and where can you recommend purchase. Note: I want to hold on to my original grill in case I need to switch it back in the future.
Thanks!
It should work, but it’d be a custom job just like for a normal S4 grille. I’d pick up a cheap replica grille to hack up and keep your OEM one in tact.
I am getting ready to do this mod on my B7. I was looking at rs6 grills on ebay, all I can find is “rs6 style” grills for around 290. Are these just as good to do this mod with as the actual OEM grill?
Thanks
Hey can u do my i have and audi a4 2007 i lke the grill how much i need to paid you to doit for me ?
Sorry Ervin, I don’t have the time or energy to offer these. I’d look for a body shop near you and they can probably help…
Hi Nick,
Will the RS6 Grille work with a 2005 a6 also?
Thanks
Yes – if it’s not a direct fit (it might be) then you can certainly modify it using the steps here, so either way you should be fine.
Hey can you please email me if you would be interested in making one of these for me. We can discuss pricing and everything over email if you are interested.
Sorry, not interested in making one of these…don’t really have the time and haven’t even done one myself (this write-up was submitted by someone else).
Would this work on non- S-Line A4?
Yep, same process just a smaller grille!
Awesome, Thanks.
Hi, I’ve been looking for this exact grill for my s4 2006 b7 for ages!!!!!!!
It looks the nuts. Just so I’ve got it clear if I get an rs6 honey colm grill and go through your process it’ll work??!! TIA.
Another question which I suppose I should of asked earlier, where in the uk is the best place to buy a rs6 grill?? Also could I use a rs4 grill would it work the same.
Hi Ross – yes you’ll need a “donor” RS6 grille that you chop up. I’m not totally sure the best place to get it in the UK but I’d think eBay might be the best bet there too as you can find replica/knockoff grilles that are much cheaper, and since you’ve got to cut it up anyway not as important for it to be OEM…
Hi Nick,
Very nice info here 🙂
I want to do this mod to my RS4, however I have 2 parking sensors located in the numberplate panel which will need to be placed in the mesh of the grille somehow I guess. I’ve looked everywhere and can’t seem to find a place to buy the parking sensor mounts that fit into the grille mesh holes… Any ideas? Cheers Charlie
I’m guessing you’ll need something custom here, although you might be able to find it in the RS6 parts catalog.
Charlie D.
Did you find anything out about the parking sensor mounts on the rs4?
There are some new a6 grills that have park sensors mounts on them. Could you just cut down a newer grill as long as it was larger dimensions than the rs4?
I bought the grill and it came today. I have a 2006 S4 and i bought the 3rd listed RS6 grill. Going to do the mod this weekend.
Awesome, good luck Malcolm!
Will this fit on my B7 non Sline grill?
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/2008-2011-FACELIFT-AUDi-A6-C6-MESH-SPORT-Grill-Grille-RS6-Look-BLACK-BADGE-/201299743124?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2ede665194&vxp=mtr
Yes, as long as you follow the DIY above – you’re basically just going to cut out and reuse the mesh.
Willing to pay for someone to do this for me.
Got me an OEM S-line grille and RS6 grille, now I just need some courage! Managed to find a friend with a couple of spare in-mesh parking sensor mounts. They are made from rubber apparently but haven’t seen them in the flesh yet, nor do I know whether my parking sensors are compatible as my friend’s mesh came from a B8. Will find out soon hopefully!
Keep me posted how it goes, Charlie D!
I have a b6 with the b7 nose I’m about to do this to my thanks for your information I’m sure you are helping others too thanks
Is there a way to fit a b7/8 grille on the b6 frame?
No, but I believe someone already makes a B6 grille that has RS4 style mesh in it, so you might just want to go that route, such as this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Audi-A4-S4-B6-Euro-RS4-Front-Sport-Hood-Bumper-Mesh-Honeycomb-Grill-S-Line-02-05-/331370448301?hash=item4d2737c5ad&vxp=mtr
Hi guys, I just done this mod to my car the other day and I’m really pleased with the end product. Where can I upload some pics ?
Awesome! Throw ’em on my Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NicksCarBlog
Hi Nick,
I am from South Africa. I have a standard b7. Your blog is very helpful. Heres a picture of the grill i bought. I want to do the mod. Can you tell me what i do about the gap in the number plate section…. Will the surrounding part around my current plate fit?
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6GQaRI5Gar7WjlXWmJ6SjJpS0k/view?usp=docslist_api
I’m not sure Vaughn, I don’t think it will work to reuse the plate holder. You can either buy an RS6 grille with a plate holder already installed, or use a universal fit plate holder, but I think trying to reuse the plate holder from the RS4 grille would be tricky and not might line up with the RS6 mesh.
Hey Nick it looks like you’re amazing at replying to sooo many people on your blog ! its really awesome. I have bought all these parts for my 2007 b7 I am 90% on finishing the grill ( just need to glue it with the sikaflex)
I understand this hasn’t been done by you however I was wondering if you could help me
what do i do once i take the bumper off ? in the tutorial above Richard said ” you may need to spray the bumper beam/ Crash bar…..
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q116/jr001_2007/A4%20FRONT%20GRILLE/grille0001.jpg
In the picture above you can see the front bumper has the center plastic bar that runs infront of the silver metal bar………… should i cut the plastic part off the bumper ? or do i spray that and leave the silver metal crash bar hidden behind it…. sorry this message is so long its just really hard to describe what im talking about
HELPPPP ! if anyone else is reading this and can help i would be sooooo appreciative if you could give me some advice
You can do a quick mock-up to be sure, but I’m 99% certain the painted silver part of your bumper covers up the metal crash bar behind it, so you don’t need to paint both, just the middle cross bar of the bumper. Good luck James, let me know how it comes out!
I had a question. I plan on doing this method, but why did u put the older mesh behind the newer one. Couldn’t you have left it out, so that nothing is visble behind it
Hi Omar – you actually don’t re-use the old mesh, I think you are mis-reading the post. You will only use the new mesh from the RS6 grill.
Nick, I’ll like to do something similar to my B7 RS4. I like the existing grill–but I don’t like the license plate holder (I even have a panel that is without the license plate–but it is not mesh style). Will this work on the RS4?
Yes, this same mod works on the RS4. It’ll look great!
Would there be anybody here that has done this and had it turn out good be willing to do mine as I have tried an and has turned out a it wank ?
Hi,
I did this mod. Glued it with loctite and then sickaflex but now the grill is coming loose at the top 🙁 any tips?
you can buy the full grill from http://www.lltek.com/grills_A4.htm in America it will fit a4 b7 8e s-line with or without the audi badge $699.00
Woah – I haven’t seen that before! Not cheap, but not that bad compared to the OEM RS4 grill costing about $600 anyway. Have you installed one or seen one personally yet?
not yet I will post a pic when it is fitted to my s-line
is there any place you know of that I can get the s-line front fogs in mesh for the b7 8e so as to match up with the grill
Yeah, here is a post about that: https://www.nickscarblog.com/reviews/rs4-grille-lower-grilles-installed-plus-other-goodies
So I’m about to buy a used grill because mine got ruined by a tire on the road and wanted to get some advice on it. The grill I’m thinking of getting is busted around the top and what I mean is, it doesn’t have the plastic mount for the torx screw to the bumper and the part that comes up off the top is broken off. Would this cause any sort of problems when mounting or any other kind of problem?
Those top three bolts are important if you want to fit right. If it’s missing a screw in the middle it should be fine, but if it’s missing all three it will probably not fit very well.
Hey, Nick!
Fantastic blog. Stopping by to show the results of my mod! I will be making the chrome grill surround glossy black, eventually. I ended up using 5 minute epoxy on the back of the grill to mount it, and it seems to be quite strong. I could not find any black glues of the caliber I wanted at my local stores.
Overall, I am very pleased with it, and it adds a whole new look to the car. I did this on a 2006 A4.
http://imgur.com/a/FphVy
That came out great! Thanks for sharing your pics and feedback!
Hey Nick!
I’ve been trying to find some info online, but perhaps you could help me. I’m about to do this mod, but I was wondering if I can get grilles for the A6 C6 with the RS6 look? Or are the measurements different?
Regards,
/Björn
I believe they’re about the same size, but don’t know for sure.
You can buy the grill from iILTEK.COM
Sorry LLTEK.com
I have made this mod, however i sold my b7 so i could go travelling around europe and i never ended up putting it on my car and its literally sat at home doing nothing, i paid the ebay prices for both grilles, then i had an engineer who works for my company follow the tutorial uptop and fabricate it together
If anyone is looking to buy one done with absolute perfection, looks 100% the same as all the pictures above (maybe even better ) please email me jamesbell-langford@hotmail.com
James Bell I have emailed you regarding the Grille for sale !!!!!!!!
Hi nick,
Did your grill come with the black plastic European license plate “insert.” I had my grill professionally installed and I would like to remove the black insert but I can’t figure out if it is four clips or two clips and two screws without taking it all apart. I have pulled the bottom two clips off but the top is a little tougher so I’m worried it’s screwed in and don’t want to pull too hard. Any advice?
No it didn’t. The stock B7 one is three clips on the bottom.
Hi Nick thanks to you for this awesome site I have used the info here for many mods including clear corners,cupra r lip etc) and thanks to Richard for this write up!! 1 quick question, might sound stupid but how do you attach the number plate after doing this mod as there isn’t the filler plate any more?
You’ll need to buy a grille that has a number plate holder, or find a different place to mount it. Most people who do this go without a front plate, depending on where you’re located this may or may not be legal/enforced.
Thanks again Nick
Hi Nick,
I have found a honeycomb grill that fits a standard A4 non s-line. I have a S4 B7 and would like to do this conversion. Do you know the differences in measurements between the two? Thanks again
Adrian
It won’t work – the S4 grille is both taller and wider than the standard A4 grille, so it will be too small.
hi nick my car model a4 b7 s-line same can do diy grille ? is work ?
Yes, it will work on the S-line exactly the same!
Vaughn, I would go the tow hook port route for your license plate. You can purchase a reasonably priced kit that uses your front bumper covers tow hook port/hole to mount your plate there instead of dealing with the grille bar. https://www.ecstuning.com/News/Audi_B6_B7_A4_S4_RS4_Tow_Hook_License_Plate_Bracket_19242/
Hi I have just bought a audi a4 sline 07 it’s got standard sline grill but its broke I’m wanting to put a honeycomb grill on but dont wanna build my own as it cost to much I’d like to buy a honeycomb grill that will fit strait to my audi a4 s line what would I need to buy to make it fit strait to it please
You should pick up an OEM RS4 grille, read this post for more info: https://www.nickscarblog.com/reviews/audi-rs4-grille-installed-pics-info
You should look into an OEM RS4 grille, you can learn more about that here: https://www.nickscarblog.com/reviews/audi-rs4-grille-installed-pics-info
Nick – how did you attach the front parking sensors? I have a new RS6 style grill, but i am not sure how to attach them.
thanks
Matt
I don’t think B7s ever came with front parking sensors.
Is there a specific model RS6 grill you need ? Will a C7 grill work ?
Do u cut up ur original grill?? After the mesh is cut from the rs6 do u cut ur first grill out of the surround is does it come off without damaging
So is there any significant difference between the RS4 honeycomb mesh grille and the RS6 one? Why not use an RS4 mesh? They look the same.
You can’t use RS4 mesh since there won’t be enough of it to cover the whole area – they are largely the same though from what I can tell.
The B7 S4 has a grey grill. If I picture this correctly the black mesh will be glued to the grey surround of the S4 grill. Am I missing something? Will the grill need to be painted after it’s glued?
Yeah, you’ll probably want to paint things.
so i looked around for about a month and nothing for a s line grille on a 2008 A4, decided to take the plunge and try the swap and i couldnt be happier, but keep in mind it does take some time and dont get frustrated or in a rush
https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/702513286683557901/1045524017483894875/20221124_182437.jpg?width=840&height=630
Same thing happened with me. I wanted a honeycomb grille for my B7 A4 S-Line front bumper and couldn’t find one (because they don’t exist for less than $700). Ended up making my own and it looks fantastic. Check out the imgur link for a picture.
https://imgur.com/ScKl2PL