hey there, i did this today and didn't have to break the plastic cover or cut the grill. there is a decent amount of slack on the cable that i was able to pull it to within an inch of the grill and hold in place with a small bent tool. once held i cut the plastic coating off. then i prying off just a tiny amount of the metal sheathing. once done a needle nose pliers to pull on the exposed cable. took about 5 mins.