+1

The mtech skirts make a tremendous difference, but if the stock sides are fine by you then you're saving yourself a headache as they are often a very wanted item. OEM at least. A lot of the reps have crappy fitment I've heard.

 

I've been down this road. Just pony up and get the kit. You'll save on paint and installation costs, and trust me, you're going to want the whole kit.

 

who sells a better m-tech rep kit? trinity? umtiza? i notice some peoples m-tech kits look different from the front. I want to keep the fog lights i have right now unless i have to get another one to fit the kit.

 

how much is the prep & paint costing you?? Or to anyone else.... how much should it cost per item?

 

My shop charged me $350 paint and install for the front and rear bumper each. $200 for the side skirts. This is a reputable shop that uses DuPont paints and whose client's cars have been featured in magazines.

 

I am doing virtually the same thing you are debating. I have a 2006 530i Sport Pkg, Black Sapphire. I recently purchased the knock-off Front Bumper and Side Skirts from "Racing Guys" (same as Options Racing, I believe)on eBay. I'm keeping the stock rear, as I think it will flow well with the sides/front. HOWEVER, yes, if you are looking to save a little, I think the stock sides would be fine.

Front Bumper was $283 and Side Skirts were $260. Shipping was $125 for a total of $668. They told me that the front fits perfectly, but that they sometimes have issues with the side skirts.

My body shop quoted me $950 to paint/install both...he has done some Mercedes, etc but never this exact piece, and he says that these things "never" fit right, and that the body shop "always" has to do some fitting, trimming, etc....so perhaps he is building in a couple hours of labor to do this. He is a very good shop, I trust him, so we'll see if the part goes on easily or if they have to fight it. I'll be having it done next week, so I will report back with my experience.

I noticed that the OEM part has a solid piece of plastic surrounding the fog lights. My aftermarket looks virtually identical, but there is a "mesh" surrounding my fogs. The nice thing is that I get new fog lights (I can always swap the bulbs if I want). The point being that the glass (plastic) will be nice and crystal clear - ie no "road rash".

I also purchased a headlight refinishing kit from Bavarian Auto - $45. Basically you attach sand paper to a drill and buff your headlight lens, using a polishing compound and progressively finer sandpaper to bring back the crystal clear, smooth plastic of a new car. My car has 140,000 miles on it (running strong) so I have a lot of road rash on the headlights - hopefully with a little elbow grease I can get this looking brand new again. That combined with new fogs and a new front bumper....can't wait!

Again, I'll report back with photos and commentary on my experience in a week or two.

 

+1.

I bought my front bumper from Trinity and had it painted/installed by a local shop in the Bay Area. I thought I was done, but 7 months later, I pulled the trigger and bought side skirts/rear bumper/quads from Umnitza. I should have just bought the whole kit at once. If budget permits, go for the whole kit. Like PlanB mentioned, you're going to want the whole kit eventually.

Never had any problems with Trinity or Umnitza. Both great vendors in my book...

 

this actually looks good.

 

Hmmm, We sell the front and sides shipped for $550 and $625 door to door. Have you already purchased?

 

i haven't done nothing yet. still weighing out my options