oreo

Guess that we are all aware that the E60 does not have any protective guards on the doors or bumpers which makes it very sensitive to dents and scratches. I know that the car is not designed with these, but if possible I would like to find some good aftermarket protectors for my car. Does anyone know whether BMW has planned to start selling these or if there are any good aftermarket alternatives out there?

richard

my dealer installed color coded door strips one on each door; very thin, tasteful at the time of delivery; cost $450. 525 is jet black so the black strips "disappear"; rather than detract from its appearance they counterbalance the concave cut in the doors. Dealer: BMW of the Hamptons (631) 283-0888 ask for Susan

mrbelk

I have a 330i with the black door guards. I live in the USA, and over the 3 1/2 years I have owned it, I don't think they've helped me out at all. I live in an SUV-crazed city, and all of their doors swing much higher than my little strips were designed to protect.

Now, I've been fortunate to not get too many dings, but the ones I do have are up pretty high on the doors. Now, my 330 is significantly narrower than a 545, so I will probably have to practice more safe parking practices (like parking at the end of a lane, etc.), but I just don't think that the door guards will help out very much where I live.

FWIW, I haven't really noticed too many marks on my door guards at all, which would tell me that my car isn't really getting bumped too often at all.

-MrB

Richard: where are your aftermarket door strips actually located? Are they positioned in such a way as to actually prevent door-dings?

oreo

richard:

That is just what I was looking for. I do not live in the US, but do you know whether the strips are original BMW accessories (that I might be able to get here in Europe) or aftermarket ones?

richard

These are dealer installed after market door strips. BMW of the Hamptons is located in the town of Southampton, New York, USA. The door protectors were fabricated by a local supplier but they look factory installed. I don't think it makes $ sense to export them. Be patient and keep checking with different dealers (via email) or aftermarket suppliers online. The free market will provide them if enough people create a demand.

richard

Strips are located one on each door. They are positioned so that the edge of an opened adjacent car door will strike the stripe: about midway between the door handles and the bottom of the door; approximately 1.25-1.50 inches wide; gradual tapper to round at each end; no visible means of attachment.

555

Richard,

Can you please post a pic of yours on the car?

richard

while I have loads of analog photo equipment; do not have access to digital camera: I will try to scan analog picture but please don't count on it. Regarding placement: if you were to look down the side of the car, from front or back, and imagine a protector strip where the side profile extends out farthest (int he right light you will perceive a shadow line); that is where the guard is placed. Suggestion, check with BMW dealers in urban locale (London, Paris, etc); it is their customer who will protest the most and generate the most demand. Here in the States, side by side parking in a mall or municipal lot demand side door protection; not to mention the presence of large # SUVs.

oreo

richard:

Thanks for the info! I'd also like to see pictures if you are able to arrange it. Would be a great help when trying to arrange something similar for my own car!

richard

You could email BMW of the Hamptons and ask them about cost (uninstalled); it might be worth your while: I don't have the email address but they have a website. It is hard to image that none of the BMW dealers in GB have side strip moldings as the lack thereof is an obvious problem to all. My dealer didn't have the strips on a 530 demo 11/03 but they were on showroom cars when I took delivery 1/04. Salewoman, Susan, said "we wouldn't let any car leave the dealership without offering them to persepctive owners." My strips are jet black, smooth, glossy texture with no obvious mounting hardware visable; meaning that each end of the strip (4) is without a fitting or endcap; I believe there is an underlying mounting bracket with the molding snapped over it.