Alright, so we finally got the Baun Performance FMIC installed and along with it we did the Aerofabb V2 front splitter.
Removing the front bumper was exactly as described elsewhere for the MK7.5. The grille was very firmly in place but my brother had trim removal tools and that actually made it easier to wrap around the grille from the side by the headlight and get some grip pulling straight out and it did eventually pop. Then the bumper unclips on top and on the sides and away it goes.
Starting with the FMIC - no real problems once we ultimately decided the right way to measure it and marked some holes. Moved the horns, zip tied the air sensor off somewhere, cut the bracket off the air pump and used my new grinder to smooth out where the air temp sensor used to mount and we were on our way. I was very glad my neighbor has a drill press because I was having a whale of a time getting through the brackets Vibrant includes with the intercooler but his press made quick work of them. We must've dropped an 1/8" off somewhere because one hole was just barely off. We massaged the hole in the crash bar with a drill bit and got it to slip in. Piping fit as it should and the hoses and clamps are nice and tight. Started the car and gave it some revs, no air leaks, and I hooned it pretty good later and nothing popped so we should be all good here.
The Aerofabb splitter is a bit of a chore but it's very secure so in the end it's all worth it. Like Jake's IC kit the Aerofabb splitter is a very nice piece. We did have an issue with the locking nuts on two bolts, they would not tighten down all the way and when trying to back them off we ended up having to snap two bolts (probably didn't have to but that's what happened). We got some replacemnt hardware and it was on.
The problem arose when we went to re-install the bumper. The middle 3 rows of bolts on the splitter are too high to fit under the intercooloer. They do hit, and the 1/4" of extra thread would basically all have to come off to get it to fit. So we flipped the 6 bolts in the middle around so the locking nut and extra thread stick out the bottom of the splitter and the flat bolt head is inside and that resolved the clearance issue. My only concern is when I lower the car if I'm going to be scraping and catching these bolts on anything when I drive / park / what have you. But she's on. With the bumper on you can't see the bolts though, so that's a win. There is a picture of how much they stick out the bottom.
When we were tying up the last of the loose ends we realized the driver side of the belly pan, towards the front, hit's the hot side piping of the new intercooler. We get every T25 back in except for the most forward screw closest to the wheel and the belly pan is bent down a bit and resting on the pipe. Not sure if that was us not mounting the piping right or if I should cut a small square into the belly pan to allow the pipe to poke through it (I forgot to get a picture of this but could later). For now, it's staying. It doesn't rattle or bounce around, just not perfect.
So all in all, the splitter looks great, as does the intercooler. Really changes the look of the front end. I'm not tuned yet but I did some 3rd, 4th and 5th gear pulls once we were done and she rips. My AP is not married to the car yet so I can't monitor right this second but everything sounds good, the car feels strong, I don't hear or feel any leaks, none of the couplers blew, no CEL and no faults and have all my lights so I'm going to assume we nailed it. All in, with lunch and a trip to the hardware store in the middle it was about 5.5hrs from wheels up to wheels down. All in a days work.
Neighbor and brother pictured. They wanted to get dirty too.