My new S3 has Pheasant damage! Help with grille choice please....

RobeyOne

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I'm 2 weeks into S3 ownership after a long run of BMRs, and absolutely loving it!! It's currently a completely standard 2011 S-tronic facelift Black Edition - mods will come, but enjoying the standard power (for now!)

However I'm dismayed that a pheasant wrote off my grille yesterday morning. Wrote the pheasant off too, but that's not my point...

So, I have two questions which you learned Audi folk could help me with:

1) If I decide to upgrade to an RS3 grille (I like the honeycombe look), which brand is generally recommended? And, as I have no intention of over-stating the car's ability - is the mounting for the 'S' badge the same size so I could put an S3 badge on an RS3 grille?

2) The disintegrating grille has left some impressions in the air con condensor, nothing major but a few small dings about 1mm deep in the coolant channels. Having taken a bit of paint off it looks to be made of alloy - are these prone to rupture after a small impact, or are they pretty robust? I don't really want to make an insurance claim 2 weeks into the policy, but neither do I want my air con gas escaping!

Thanks in advance, and good work on such an active forum...I shall be here often!
 
Your a/c radiator should be fine. The actual "tubes" containing the coolant gas is further back inside the grill, youve just bent the fins, attached to improve the cooling efficiency.

Re grill choices. The Xenonz guys are pretty popular, and plug and play.

http://www.xenonz.co.uk/audi-a3-grill-2009.html
 
Thanks RAF-S7.
Whilst that car looks amazing, I'll be sticking with a number plate in the grille. It looks like some of these are sold like airfix kits, and you have to stick the badges and number plate fixing on - is that right?