Today I pried the 12 year old cowl grille off my Mustang to replace the right windshield washer nozzle (it has been clogged for about 6 years). Although it has stayed shiny black and brand new looking for all these years (due to lots of Armor All protectant), it broke in several places when removed - I guess the thin plastic has deteriorated after all these years.

Anyways, the Ford replacement is $150 + shipping(http://www.teamfordparts.com/parts/2...=Cowl%20grille).

However, I've also noticed several vendors selling an aftermarket a two-piece replacement, such as on Amazon for $117: http://www.amazon.com/MUSTANG-Windsh.../dp/B004XNQ4FU

Has anybody tried this after-market replacement? Does it look ok? Obviously it won't be identical to the factory cowling, but I don't want to buy it if it'll look totally crappy.

Thanks!

 

i was looking at the 2 piece as well cause i broke mine that same way as you.. so whos gonna be the crash tester here, me or you? lol

 

Im in the same boat except the dude at the windshield place broke mine, and the it came down to me going off for them to just show me in the fine print that they are not liable for the damage.

 

Wow dude, that sucks - I'd be super pissed about that. Funny thing I was thinking "dang I wish they broke this when replacing my windshield so they'd replace it", but I guess that's not the case!

I tried gluing mine last night using epoxy and a brass bracket on the back. We'll see how it looks and holds out for a re-install tonight. I'm figuring chances are I'll have to buy the replacement.

 

The price isnt cheap enough for me to consider it.

 

Yeah the guy at the shop .. "Glassmasters" i beleive was the name of it. suggested to use some dark grey epoxy and just put the peices together and hold it there, put some weight on it over night and see how that plays out. I have yet to do it though, its cracked but it doesnt bother me. I mean its not like i go to shows or anything, just a DD

 

You could epoxy some plastic on the back to make it stronger too.

After that you can fill the crack with some filler if there is a crack left and then use Plasti-Dip black spray to coat the entire thing, then use the Clear spray and you would have a nice clean looking cowl again and it would be shiney which would look good.

the 91' 300ZX we bought a while back to part out had a glossed cowl that someone had done and it looked so much better than the flat black cowl on my wifes 93'.

 

I had mine break about 6yrs ago so I just made one out of CF.

 

I bought the eBay 2 piece and installed today. Fit is not as good as OEM but not bad. I can take pics later. I painted wiper blades while I was at it. The seal is good against windshield my only issue is a bit too much overlap in the center where the pieces meet. I used 3M double sided tape to make sure it is held down. I like how it looks and my mustang isn't my daily so it works.

 

I found a company that does them in c/f for cheaper then the stock replacement so that is why that is the only carbon fiber part on my car.