Removing and installing air intake grille - vehicles from model year 2013 onwards — AUDI
Removing and installing air intake grille - vehicles from model year 2013 onwards on Audi: 8 steps. What to remove, in what order, and what to check after.
This one deals with the air intake grille set into the rear bumper cover on vehicles from model year 2013 onwards on platform code 42. Access means removing the centre section of the bumper cover and then the rear bumper cover itself. Two bolts are taken out, after which the retaining clips that hold the grille to guide lugs are pressed off carefully with a screwdriver. The grille is swivelled out on the inside and lifted from the bumper cover. The part that decides the result is the plastic: when the retaining clips go back on, they are slid onto the tabs as far as the stop, and those tabs break easily if forced or levered at an angle. Work slowly and support the bumper cover so nothing gets scratched.
🧭 Before you start
Remove the centre and rear sections of the bumper cover, take out the two bolts and release the grille clips from the guide lugs. Swivel the grille out, refit the clips to the stop and rebuild the bumper cover in reverse.
Fits: platform code 42
Don't miss
- Press clips off the guide lugs carefully; the grille plastic is easy to crack.
- Slide retaining clips fully to the stop without breaking the retaining tabs.
- Bumper cover centre section comes off before the rear section.
- As general practice, lay the removed bumper cover on a soft surface to protect the paint.
Written for this job from the workshop steps below · TorqFix editorial.
📋 Procedure
- Remove bumper cover (centre section) .
- Remove bumper cover (rear) .
- Remove bolts (1) and (3).
- Using a screwdriver, carefully press retaining clips (A) for air intake grille off guide lugs.
- Swivel out air intake grille (2) on the inside and take it out of bumper cover.
- Slide retaining clips onto retaining tabs as far as stop, taking care that retaining tabs do not break off.
- Install bumper cover (rear) .
- Install bumper cover (centre section) .
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- Removing and installing poly V-belt - vehicles with electromechanical power steering
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Who makes these pages, and how
TorqFix was built by a mechanic — after a 2,700 km drive with five roadside repairs that no diagnostic tool could explain.
The figures on this page come from manufacturer workshop documentation and are shown as they are. The page is assembled automatically from that data — it is not written by an AI. The AI works in the chat, where it answers for your specific car. It writes nothing here.
Variants of the same model differ. Cross-check torque against the factory manual for your engine before final tightening.
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The story behind TorqFix →Workshop data on this page last updated 20 Sep 2026.