Kia Carnival LX Grille to SX Prestige Grille Conversion

Kia Carnival LX Grille to SX Prestige Grille Conversion

I'm personally not a fan of the LX Grille, which peaked my interest in trying to see if the SX Prestige Grille could work on my vehicle. According to multiple Kia Parts websites, this conversion is not possible because when i plug in the VIN from my LX, it indicates that the part number for the SX Prestige Grille will not fit, but i decided to try it anyway.

I ordered the SX Prestige Grille and Mount Brackets from the Kia.Parts website. They asked for my VIN number to confirm the fitment of the part. In order to get around that, i went online to the CoPart Vehicle Auction website and found a SX Prestige listing and used their VIN to send to the company, which showed that the part would fit.

Please Note, the Mount Brackets for the LX Grille and SX Prestige Grilles are different and are noted with different part numbers in this post.

Once the grilled arrived, i began the process of removing my current LX Grille. I apologize as i did not take pictures of each step i took in order to remove the grille, but i will do my best to describe it.

1. Pop the hood

2. Remove the plastic Top Panel (Part # 86390-R0000) by removing approximately 10 plastic push clips. I used a small flat head screw driver.

3. Remove the plastic Upper Moldings, both Right (Part # 86378-R0020SCR) and Left (Part # 86379-R0020SCR) that sit above each headlight. Requires a little bit of force to remove.

4. Unscrew the Mount Brackets, both Right (Part # 86556-R0000) and Left (Part # 86555-R0000). 1 bolt and 2 screws for each bracket.

5. Remove the phillip screw and 4 plastic push clips holding the left and right edges of the front bumper & tire lining. Also remove 1 plastic push clip on the bottom side on each side.

6. Using a little bit of force, pull back the edges of the bumper and the grille to release the plastic clips. Be careful not to break the plastic clips.

7. Remove 12 black screws from behind the grille, which holds the grille to the bumper and 2 plastic support pieces. One on each side.

8. Using a little big of force, remove the grille from the bumper trying not to break the plastic clips.

9. Once the grille is removed, repeat the steps starting from Step 8 and go to Step 1 to install the SX Prestige grille.

Everything fit perfectly when the SX Prestige grille was installed and looks WAY better. The only thing you will notice is the small hole in the center of the grille that is for the front camera which is not setup on the LX.