Front grill falling apart on anyone else (lower front bumper grill) on 2010 Golf TDI

So I know my car wasnt' like this when I bought it and I know I haven't hit anything BUT I noticed this the other day when hand-washing the car (I hadn't had a chance to wash it for a month)

I now have 26xx miles (not a whole lot)

..the front lower grill on the font bumper is cracked in literally about 13 places.

Touch that grill and it seems like it is made out of something very much like balsa wood... I get the feeling a leaf hitting it will crack it.

Anyone else with this problem?

I haven't called the VW dealer YET about it...

Mine does not seem fragile whatsoever. I'd be thinking someone else did something to it...if you know for certain that you didn't. Vandalism?

Maybe someone backed into you when parking, or perhaps you ran up on a curb then backed off of it without knowing it. Mine seems pretty sturdy, not likely to crack unless it gets hit with something.

There would be evidence proving someone backed into me when there isn't any. ..and there are ZERO scraps anywhere on the lower lip (no sign of any 'curbs' or anything of the sort). I'm what you would call over-anal when parking and tend to be a foot or more away from any curbs FWIW.

(hard to see here but this is in 3 completely different portions of the grill to give a clear indication that it is everywhere and not focused on one spot)

Here are some pics (grill is still a little wet from the drive home just now since it was raining earlier)

ibid said:

There would be evidence proving someone backed into me when there isn't any. ..

Click to expand...

so...those pictures speak a thousand words. I have been an accident investigator for 20 years; state trooper, insurance investigator and now private business. The cracks show that the force was from the front. If I were to go out on a limb I'd say something hit it like an animal, a football or something on the lines of those. You did mention that you have not washed your car for a month so any "evidence" would likely be long gone. I think that you just contact someone like "Bud, the official Parts guy" on VWVortex and buy a new one and don't try and over analyze this, that would be best.

There was one time that a bunch of ice formed on the grill.. I'm wondering if the weight of it (the ice) combined with the way water expands when it freezes had anything to do with this cracking now that I think about it.

BTW: If someone hit me, why aren't there any scrape or scratch marks like I have had in the past from people bumping into me in parking lots? (...as I have had that happen in the past with other cars and it is very clear.)

I guess it could have been worse..

I found out a replacement OEM grill will cost me $79.50 from VW parts....

..I am not going to do an Insurance claim with less than $100 so hopefully this was a 'fluke' and won't happen again.