keelaw

Hi all from the UK.

I'm about to take delivery of a 530i next weekend and I am already thinking about buying some accessories.

Top of list is a body kit as the car is a standard SE model. In particular I am interested in the M Sport body kit, but not really keen to pay BMW prices for it.

I notice on this forum that M Quad has many deals, but being in the UK not sure how prices would compare.

Also the key thing I want to change is the front bumper. If I get the M Sport front bumper, do I have to get the side skirts and rear bumper to match? Will the M Sport front bumper go ok with the standard SE items?

Where's a good place to buy body kits for the UK? Has anyone here fitted it themselves? Is is easy?

Any help much appreciated.

Rgds,

Kee

keelaw

Some more googling has unearthed the following:

http://www.m-99.co.uk/Car_Bodykits/BMW_E60/bmw_e60.html

looks like a copy of the M Sport kit.... priced at about half the cost though. anyone any experience?

ressla

http://www.bmwmstyle.co.uk/E60-Exterior.htm

Reputable company,supplying OEM stuff. ?1169 for the whole kit ,painted and fitted too,isn't bad.

ressla

That zero-g kit in the link looks cheap,though I'd imagine they don't come painted or fitted. Replicas are something I'd stay away from if possible as the fit is often poor. If you can afford it, it's always worth going for the genuine BMW parts.

ressla

You can separate the items of course ( a friend has the front and rear bumper but no side skirts) ,but if you have it all, it looks more uniform.

I personally would always have rear bumper/ diffuser aswell,as it looks so much better.

info@trinityautosport

welcome. agree with ressla. you are able to get parts separately. i know a couple of people with just the front bumper and side skirts. and i also remember one of quad_m's threads that was for a group buy for just the front bumper. quad_m also deals with rieger and alpina parts as well. other options, even just for the front bumper, are hamann and ac schnitzer, even though ac schnitzer isnt a full front bumper. good luck with the mods. enjoy the forums.

xBMWx

First off, welcome on board Kee!

With regards to your question about a front bumper only, I personally would go for the Alpina front bumper. Its a little more unique and IMHO provides a more stylish and understated sporting look. Add a rear spoiler as well and you're ready to go. You can then add the 19" rims and sport suspension... sorry, getting carried away here, but you get the picture - they are individual mods which look great on their own and can easily be added to as time/budget permits.

Apparantly the Alpina front lip is a straight bolt on mod, which means it should also be easy enough to remove if you need to sell / return the car in its original format.
Check this link out: http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=31440
I asked Quad_M (Tony) for a quote and was pleasantly surprised with the all-in price to Europe.


Hope the delivery goes well next weekend and don't forget to post some pics...!!

Gudge

M-Sport bumpers are always going for a bargain on E-bay.
Side skirts are more difficult to come by.
Go for the shadowline conversion..........IMO, any E60 with the M-Sport kit but without the shadow line (window trim, silver as standard on SE model) looks naff.

keelaw

Firstly, thanks guys for the welcome.

Some useful advice here, thanks again. I agree particularly with not wanting the car to look naff. Beefing up a bit is good, but if there is a risk of it looking a bit "max power" (UK tuning mag for kids), then I'd rather stick with the standard looks.

Interesting comment re: the shadowline trim, hadn't thought of that, though my guess is that because my car is silver it will matter less than if it was a darker colour.

Ultimately, I'll prob go for the full M Style kit, but will to save up a bit first!!

Russ1974

Hi Keel, i'm in a very similar position to you. I have a silver 530d SE (I'm in Manchester, UK), that is 12 months old. I don't mind the looks of the SE model, but prefer the M-Sport bumpers and side skirts. Following a car-park incident, I am left with a rear bumper with a rather nasty split and dent which is not repairable, so have to get it completely replaced at my own expense (because the person that did the damage buggered off before I got back to the car). So, I'm really tempted to pay for the company in London (as per the 2nd message in this thread) to fit the full M kit for just over a grand... My car has silver trim round the windows, but being a silver car, it makes no difference. And to be honest, I think dechromed / shadow looks worse than the chrome (even on dark coloured cars), and the chrome looks more expensive. It is funny how BMW charges a few hundred quid to take the chrome away and put cheap black plastic on! Audi as an example comes as standard with cheap black plastic, and charges a few hundred quid for the chrome! I know that the black is meant to look more "sporty", but I think the chrome gives a nice contrast and adds a touch of class. Each to their own though.