Grille trim question.

[levrik]

Same situation here, but 100% know it was initially damaged by a car wash (cloth spinner that actuates along the top contour of vehicle as its moving thru, the spinner hung up on the grill and snapped that top piece, assuming the spinner couldn't handle such a large vertical front grill , lifted 6" probably didn't help either). Had it taped on for a couple weeks that held fine but once we got out on the interstate, it flew off. Grace of God it didn't hit anything/anyone! This part is completely disparate from the grill so hopefully there is a way to get it separately, starting our search this week, will share any news of value.

 

AT4 Forum Fav 👍

ES ENGINEERED BY SCHILDMEIER Stake Pocket Cover Set - Grab a set through Amazon!

[Doodah]

My son’s 22 AT4 has a piece above the grille come off or someone ripped it off. Does anyone know what it’s called or have a part number?
Thanks.

Same problem on my 22 AT4. And yes, the dealer parts department told me I'd have to by the entire Grille which comes with camera et al. I'm pretty sure it happened at the car wash. My truck is stock, no lift kit.
GM needs to admit they have a flaw in the design of this portion (Bezel) of the truck grille. We can't expect this to happen to so many vehicles without it being a design flow. The clips holding this on are very thin and there is no support/clips on the upper side other than the weather stripping it rests against. Really disapointed for $70k.

 

[boombastic72]

Had the same thing happen on my 22. Driving down the freeway and I just flew off. I figured it must have got damaged somehow but looking on here I'd say it's a manufacturer issue. They will probably ignore this as a non issue until this happens to someone with a motorcycle right behind them and they get seriously injured or killed.

Crazy you say that...mine flew off on the way home from the Sturgis motorcycle rally and I said the same thing. It would not have been a good deal. I reported it on nhtsa.gov for recall. Anyone else should do the same and attach pictures.

 

[Snowstormer]

I have an AT4x

and had the same thing happen to me last week. The thing flew off and smacked my windshield and bounced off the roof, going about 50 mph; thankfully, no one was right behind me. The damage to the truck was minimized because I previously had the piece wrapped, as I didn't care much for the bronzy look next to the tan paint color, so it didn't scratch the truck. Once I got home and realized what happened, I went back and retrieved it from the side of the road. As mentioned above, all the clips were sheared off completely (see first photo) almost uniformly. I went to the dealer and was told they have to order the entire grille, which can take up to 1-2 months as they are on backorder. This didn't make sense to me, so I asked my service advisor (a really nice guy) to let me go into the shop to talk to the tech to ask him some questions. The tech told me that it is possible to put the new upper cover on without removing the lower grille but that GM doesn't just sell the top piece by itself (which is stupid!), as others on this tread had mentioned. He showed me how to get the remains of the clips out of the slots with a screwdriver; the end tabs are simply screwed on. So I ordered a replacement piece (from ebay for about $80, but I purposely ordered a colored one this time as I think the plastic might be a little stronger.

Here is my theory of what is happening to our trucks: First off, as mentioned, this is absolutely a factory defect that GM is ignoring; as the tech mentioned, he has seen several trucks come in with the same issue. I think that this is happening on all the trucks but more often with the AT4, AT4x, and the Denali, basically any of the units with the Chrome, Black Chrome, or bronze trim. These versions appear to be made with a thinner and, unfortunately for us, weaker material than the ones that are simply painted. I think what is happening is multiple things: any debris hits it (mine got struck by a rock), you frequent a car wash (I probably go once a week as I have a membership), or you or either your tech/mechanic leans on it while working in the engine bay, the tabs are being weakened and broken one or two at a time. Once enough of the tabs are broken, and you get enough wind lift, the rest of them snap, and the thing goes flying off!
My suggestion: is to only purchase the painted ones if you want to do a temporary fix while your new grille comes in. You can have it wrapped in gloss black or any other color or texture at any good tint shop, and it may even look better. When my new grille comes in, I plan to very carefully add wire reinforcements with a plastic welding gun on each of the tabs (which, by the way, is what GM should be doing!) I really like my AT4x overall, but come on, GM, the build quality on these overpriced trucks is unacceptable! The list of issues keeps growing! I recently discovered an annoying increasing creaking noise coming from my driver's seat (details on that will be on another thread!)

BTW: the tech also gave me a nugget regarding our engines (both the 5.3 & 6.2): He warned that we should not follow the engine life indicator in the dash (I had brought mine in early because of the grille issue); instead, get the oil changed at 40% or 50% life left mark or every 3500-4000 miles. Also, check your oil level between oil changes, as both engines are notorious for burning oil. He said that over half of the engine replacements he has done could have been avoided if the owners had done this. I asked him why GM doesn't simply change or update the oil indicator software in our trucks (and the new ones they are selling) and simply give everyone several free oil changes to compensate, as that would be cheaper than replacing all these engines (which is why my dealer didn't have any loaner vehicles when I came in), and he said they don't want to raise the cost of ownership compared to their competitors! I'm thinking that this is my first and last GM product! (SMH)

Update:
The temporary upper grille (eBay) is installed and was rewrapped. My guy felt bad for me and rewrapped it for free. (Shout out to Amr in Chantilly, VA!) I'm still waiting for the full grille replacement from the dealer, but at least my "nose" is fixed in the meantime!

 

[Johnv76]

I have an AT4x View attachment 9884and had the same thing happen to me last week. The thing flew off and smacked my windshield and bounced off the roof, going about 50 mph; thankfully, no one was right behind me. The damage to the truck was minimized because I previously had the piece wrapped, as I didn't care much for the bronzy look next to the tan paint color, so it didn't scratch the truck. Once I got home and realized what happened, I went back and retrieved it from the side of the road. As mentioned above, all the clips were sheared off completely (see first photo) almost uniformly. I went to the dealer and was told they have to order the entire grille, which can take up to 1-2 months as they are on backorder. This didn't make sense to me, so I asked my service advisor (a really nice guy) to let me go into the shop to talk to the tech to ask him some questions. The tech told me that it is possible to put the new upper cover on without removing the lower grille but that GM doesn't just sell the top piece by itself (which is stupid!), as others on this tread had mentioned. He showed me how to get the remains of the clips out of the slots with a screwdriver; the end tabs are simply screwed on. So I ordered a replacement piece (from ebay for about $80, but I purposely ordered a colored one this time as I think the plastic might be a little stronger.
View attachment 9885View attachment 9886
Here is my theory of what is happening to our trucks: First off, as mentioned, this is absolutely a factory defect that GM is ignoring; as the tech mentioned, he has seen several trucks come in with the same issue. I think that this is happening on all the trucks but more often with the AT4, AT4x, and the Denali, basically any of the units with the Chrome, Black Chrome, or bronze trim. These versions appear to be made with a thinner and, unfortunately for us, weaker material than the ones that are simply painted. I think what is happening is multiple things: any debris hits it (mine got struck by a rock), you frequent a car wash (I probably go once a week as I have a membership), or you or either your tech/mechanic leans on it while working in the engine bay, the tabs are being weakened and broken one or two at a time. Once enough of the tabs are broken, and you get enough wind lift, the rest of them snap, and the thing goes flying off!
My suggestion: is to only purchase the painted ones if you want to do a temporary fix while your new grille comes in. You can have it wrapped in gloss black or any other color or texture at any good tint shop, and it may even look better. When my new grille comes in, I plan to very carefully add wire reinforcements with a plastic welding gun on each of the tabs (which, by the way, is what GM should be doing!) I really like my AT4x overall, but come on, GM, the build quality on these overpriced trucks is unacceptable! The list of issues keeps growing! I recently discovered an annoying increasing creaking noise coming from my driver's seat (details on that will be on another thread!)

BTW: the tech also gave me a nugget regarding our engines (both the 5.3 & 6.2): He warned that we should not follow the engine life indicator in the dash (I had brought mine in early because of the grille issue); instead, get the oil changed at 40% or 50% life left mark or every 3500-4000 miles. Also, check your oil level between oil changes, as both engines are notorious for burning oil. He said that over half of the engine replacements he has done could have been avoided if the owners had done this. I asked him why GM doesn't simply change or update the oil indicator software in our trucks (and the new ones they are selling) and simply give everyone several free oil changes to compensate, as that would be cheaper than replacing all these engines (which is why my dealer didn't have any loaner vehicles when I came in), and he said they don't want to raise the cost of ownership compared to their competitors! I'm thinking that this is my first and last GM product! (SMH)

I like the carbon fiber wrap, looks good. Mine came with the same color as my truck.

 

[boombastic72]

I have an AT4x View attachment 9884and had the same thing happen to me last week. The thing flew off and smacked my windshield and bounced off the roof, going about 50 mph; thankfully, no one was right behind me. The damage to the truck was minimized because I previously had the piece wrapped, as I didn't care much for the bronzy look next to the tan paint color, so it didn't scratch the truck. Once I got home and realized what happened, I went back and retrieved it from the side of the road. As mentioned above, all the clips were sheared off completely (see first photo) almost uniformly. I went to the dealer and was told they have to order the entire grille, which can take up to 1-2 months as they are on backorder. This didn't make sense to me, so I asked my service advisor (a really nice guy) to let me go into the shop to talk to the tech to ask him some questions. The tech told me that it is possible to put the new upper cover on without removing the lower grille but that GM doesn't just sell the top piece by itself (which is stupid!), as others on this tread had mentioned. He showed me how to get the remains of the clips out of the slots with a screwdriver; the end tabs are simply screwed on. So I ordered a replacement piece (from ebay for about $80, but I purposely ordered a colored one this time as I think the plastic might be a little stronger.
View attachment 9885View attachment 9886
Here is my theory of what is happening to our trucks: First off, as mentioned, this is absolutely a factory defect that GM is ignoring; as the tech mentioned, he has seen several trucks come in with the same issue. I think that this is happening on all the trucks but more often with the AT4, AT4x, and the Denali, basically any of the units with the Chrome, Black Chrome, or bronze trim. These versions appear to be made with a thinner and, unfortunately for us, weaker material than the ones that are simply painted. I think what is happening is multiple things: any debris hits it (mine got struck by a rock), you frequent a car wash (I probably go once a week as I have a membership), or you or either your tech/mechanic leans on it while working in the engine bay, the tabs are being weakened and broken one or two at a time. Once enough of the tabs are broken, and you get enough wind lift, the rest of them snap, and the thing goes flying off!
My suggestion: is to only purchase the painted ones if you want to do a temporary fix while your new grille comes in. You can have it wrapped in gloss black or any other color or texture at any good tint shop, and it may even look better. When my new grille comes in, I plan to very carefully add wire reinforcements with a plastic welding gun on each of the tabs (which, by the way, is what GM should be doing!) I really like my AT4x overall, but come on, GM, the build quality on these overpriced trucks is unacceptable! The list of issues keeps growing! I recently discovered an annoying increasing creaking noise coming from my driver's seat (details on that will be on another thread!)

BTW: the tech also gave me a nugget regarding our engines (both the 5.3 & 6.2): He warned that we should not follow the engine life indicator in the dash (I had brought mine in early because of the grille issue); instead, get the oil changed at 40% or 50% life left mark or every 3500-4000 miles. Also, check your oil level between oil changes, as both engines are notorious for burning oil. He said that over half of the engine replacements he has done could have been avoided if the owners had done this. I asked him why GM doesn't simply change or update the oil indicator software in our trucks (and the new ones they are selling) and simply give everyone several free oil changes to compensate, as that would be cheaper than replacing all these engines (which is why my dealer didn't have any loaner vehicles when I came in), and he said they don't want to raise the cost of ownership compared to their competitors! I'm thinking that this is my first and last GM product! (SMH)

I ordered mine from milehimania on Ebay for $150. It says their C grade but it was in better shape than the one I lost. Luckily, he lives 30 minutes away and I picked up the part. He said it's happening to a lot of AT4s and Xs and recommended using JB Weld in the joints of the clips before installing which is the first thing I did. There are 10 total clips and the joints where they break are literally paper thin. As I recommended above, report it on nhtsa.gov for a recall and include pics. I was driving amongst thousands of motorcycles hours before it flew off.

 

[Shep]

I ordered mine from milehimania on Ebay for $150. It says their C grade but it was in better shape than the one I lost. Luckily, he lives 30 minutes away and I picked up the part. He said it's happening to a lot of AT4s and Xs and recommended using JB Weld in the joints of the clips before installing which is the first thing I did. There are 10 total clips and the joints where they break are literally paper thin. As I recommended above, report it on nhtsa.gov for a recall and include pics. I was driving amongst thousands of motorcycles hours before it flew off.

Great Info. Do you happen to know how to safely remove that piece? I want to JB weld the joints. Thanks!

 

[boombastic72]

Great Info. Do you happen to know how to safely remove that piece? I want to JB weld the joints. Thanks!

Hey there. No, I don't know how to remove it. I put JB on the replacement joints before installing it. It's only held on by 2 screws - one on each end - and the 10 thin clips. I ended up trading mine in after too many problems. The Grille piece flew off, faulty onstar module, side detection problems, dead battery after a year, etc. My AT4 was a '22 which I heard have more problems than the newer models.

 

[Snowstormer]

The front grille has a total of 12 connection points, 2 screws (one on each end), and 10 slot clips. First, you need to open the hood and then remove the plastic trim piece located directly behind the upper grille to gain access to the clip holes. Next, gently use a screwdriver or a butter knife to pry the clip free from the slot. Note some of the clips are up and some are down so it helps if you can try to look into the slot to determine that first (which is easier said then done). It's a bit tricky because the clips are thinly attached, so I recommend starting on one side and working to the other, taking your time and not applying too much pressure. It's much easier to reattach the clips.

 

[Tchebe]

Same thing happened to me today. 60mph on the highway- it flew off and hit my windshield, scratching my hood and the passenger side of the truck in multiple places. Hope the dealer will cover the buff out of the scratches too. Not a car wash issue, I’ve always used touch-less, the grille is faulty. Only 18,000 mi on the truck.

 

[TXAT4X]

Happened to me on Friday while driving down the highway. No scratches on my truck that I can see so far. It was immediately decimated by the truck following me.

 

[Tchebe]

Same thing happened to me today. 60mph on the highway- it flew off and hit my windshield, scratching my hood and the passenger side of the truck in multiple places. Hope the dealer will cover the buff out of the scratches too. Not a car wash issue, I’ve always used touch-less, the grille is faulty. Only 18,000 mi on the truck.

 

[Tchebe]

Talked to my dealership today, they thought repairing the scratches would be covered by the bumper to bumper warranty too.

 

[Jerry Schmitt]

My son’s 22 AT4 has a piece above the grille come off or someone ripped it off. Does anyone know what it’s called or have a part number?
Thanks.

Same issue w my 2022 AT4X w 44k miles. Hit my windshield when flew off. It’s obviously a GMC problem that they are now making my problem. This should be a safety recall

 

[Jerry Schmitt]

Same situation here, but 100% know it was initially damaged by a car wash (cloth spinner that actuates along the top contour of vehicle as its moving thru, the spinner hung up on the grill and snapped that top piece, assuming the spinner couldn't handle such a large vertical front grill , lifted 6" probably didn't help either). Had it taped on for a couple weeks that held fine but once we got out on the interstate, it flew off. Grace of God it didn't hit anything/anyone! This part is completely disparate from the grill so hopefully there is a way to get it separately, starting our search this week, will share any news of value.

Same happen to my 2022 AT4X and I’ve only used a car wash once since I’ve had the truck. It’s a GMC problem and should be a safety recall