kurtb23

I've had a hell of a time with my car ever since I contacted Umnitza for a set of MTech Bumpers and I just wanted to share my experience to warn others. I'll start from the beginning.

I called Umnitza to place an order for a set of PDC bumpers after doing some research on here and finding out most people were happy with their products. Initially I decided to not have them paint the bumpers but after speaking with them over the phone and being reassured that the work was quality and it was a new paint contact who had been doing good work.

So, I get the bumpers and the front doesn't have PDC holes drilled into it. I find this odd because why would you ship me a rear bumper with PDC and not the front? I have only seen 1 end having PDC on a 3 series, never on a 5. So after calling and explaining what happened the main guy who I had ordered from replied with "Oh well it's super easy to drill the holes in, just have your shop do it, shouldn't take more than 15 minutes." I went and talked to my shop and their first reaction was, well this won't be easy and it definitely won't take "only" 15 minutes, to which Umnitza replied "I don't know what to tell you, its very easy and shouldn't take long." It's not "easy" to drill 4 correctly sized holes in the exact spot without screwing up the ALREADY painted bumper, and unless I want another half ass job it's still going to be a good amount of work at the body shop = $$$. I've never heard of a reputable company messing up someones order and then just saying "oh it's no big deal and an easy fix, you should be able to handle it, go pound sand."

Oh, did I mention it didn't have the PDC mounts so those would have to be bought (more $$) and installed as well. Oh, did I mention that the rear PDC mounts were installed upside down as well, not causing issues, but I just wanted to note the disgraceful attention to detail they exhibited.

So after figuring out the PDC issues and hundreds of $$ later the bumpers are on, finally done, right? Wrong. After about 1 week the M5 Lip Spoiler starts peeling up badly on both sides despite using the adhesive tape along with other adhesion to get it to stick to the trunk lid as it didn't fit at all (i've heard of issues with M5 Lip Spoilers so I wasn't expecting it to be perfect). So to fix that, more $$$$...

Ok, everything is fixed, it's time to get the car detailed and looking great, there can't be more issues, can there?

I get a call from my detail shop (the authorized detail shop for Ferrari of Seattle) asking me about the bumpers. "So we started to do our basic pre-clean and the paint is just flaking off of the front/rear bumpers, who did you have paint this?" He then told me that while the paint was just flaking off on the edges, it was bubbling up all over. Needless to say I was shocked, I had been convinced and assured after initial skepticism that the paint job I was getting would be good. I wasn't expecting perfect, but I sure as hell wasn't expecting my paint to just flake off.

The shop proceeded to tell me bumpers weren't scuffed / sanded / prepped WHATSOEVER, the part where the paint was chipping was completely smooth. There was also no primer before the coat of paint was applied.You don't have to be a mechanic, technician, car expert, WHATEVER to know that if you don't prep and prime a material before painting it that paint will not stay.

Suffice it to say, i'm quite fucked in this situation. The options are pay to get all their "top quality" paint job removed and have it sanded, prepped, and painted, or buy new parts and have them painted. I don't need to tell any of you that both of those are costly ventures. In closing, Umnitza is quite possibly the worst company I have ever dealt with. Their products are bad, their service is worse, and they are extremely shady.

Blackwolffm

This post isn't looking too good for a person who just bought a m5 rear/skirts painted by Umnitza yesterday...When did you place your order, and when did you get your bumper?

tonyb635

Kurt, actually primer us not needed on these bumpers, and smooth is exactly what you would see if you were able to peal back the paint and look. Painting polypropylene has to be done in a certain way or the paint will not stick. Factory uses a flaming process for paint adhesion and no primer. If you order a oem bumper from dealer it will flamed and prime for service part use then painter only has to scuff and spray. Outside of this there are several things on the market to allow for paint adhesion on PP. This is an adhesion promoter, one brand is Bulldog. All that needs to be done to the bumper is to scuff well with a scotchbrite pad then clean and spray two coats of adhesion promoter which is clear in color, after dried, spray base and clear. My guess is who ever they used to paint your bumper was not even a rookie and did not use the correct materials. Second guess is that it was done intentionally to cut down on cost. When I received my kit from them they had sprayed the front bumper with gray primer which was flaking off and the rear bumper with a flat black primer. Someone was obviously trying to hide something because doing this cost money and was not needed. Both bumpers had to be totally stripped before painting. Since I did it correctly over two years ago I've had no issues at all with adhesion. A friend of mine in charleston paid for the paint option from them and I had to laugh. The paint actually felt like 40 grit sand paper and looked horrible. He complained and they told him to wet sand and buff it. After that time they did have a new painting source that was doing a pretty good job. Sounds to me they found another source, probably much cheaper...

rkhettry23

I had a hell of a time with them too a few years back. They got my order messed up with another customer who had tried to get it to fit on his car (which was pre-lci) and then they tried to get them to ship me that bumper. I refused and said I wanted a brand new one and it took me weeks to get it settled. It's amazing how many products they ship with such horrid CS. The actual product though is great even years later. GL

Lambda28

That's a shame they still haven't fixed their CS. I had a problem with their bumpers not being shipped to me when I ordered years back. Even posted in their vendors section since they were ignoring my phone calls. I'd suggest going there. Good luck! Only talk to Matt, he's the guy that should get the ball rolling.

Margal

That's horrible. I was actually going to order pre pained rear bumper from umnitza but after reading your problem I rather pay more and paint it properly. Thanks for letting us know.

C's Bimmer

These guys are still giving customers problems years later. Some thing never change. New members should always check old posts on this forum before buying from certain vendors -- you can learn a lot on here.

kurtb23

Blackwolf I can't speak for customers getting their products now, I received my bumpers last summer so i'm not sure. If you paid with a credit card I would dispute it as soon as you can if you get your bumpers and the paint is poor.

Tony, I see I wasn't aware of that, all I know is that they weren't prepared correctly... I remember speaking with you about this before it happened and you had told me that story. I also remember saying the guy was boasting about how great their new paint guy was....

Margal, YES save yourself the headache and get them painted locally, the extra cost will be worth it in the long run ALWAYS.

C's, I did quite a bit of research through the forums but apparently I shouldn't have trusted that the work would be better after time or have listened to the guys BS about the paint job...

tonyb635

I was reading a post last week and the guy who received his bumper took it to the shop for paint and install. Then got a call from shop to come have a look. Umnitza had sold him a bumper that once had pdc holes. Looks like they had them repaired but according to his post it was 1/4 ass...

image969

I have to say. this is the second post I've seen this week about how bad Umnitza is. I just ordered mtech bumper lip and skirts last week from them.. theyre supposedly painted and on their way right now.. I am quite nervous now living 3000 miles away from their shop. I could have sworn I read good things about them on this forum qhich lead to me choosing them.. I shall def add to the complaints here if my bumper ssuck as well. Guy seemed super nice on phone.. Def had me fooled if hes shady or clueless.