John516

I had an accident a last week. The front bumper of my 06 530i has to be replaced due to the damage. The majority of the damage was on the driver side. I took it to the body shop, thinking although I may have gotten into an accident it all isn't bad because it gives me a chance to upgrade my front to give it the M5 style look. Now I know that OEM parts are always better than aftermarket, and after reading some threads and talking to a few members on the forum, I was under the impression that I could use the AERO package front from the 08 550 and it would pretty much give it the look I wanted. The body shop guy tells me that he spoke to a BMW dealership and they told him that in order to install that type of kit, they would need to change all the pieces that are currently on the stock bumper, to place the pieces that are used for the 550 front. They said that everything from fog lights to the mesh grill underneath, even the actual grills up top would require different mounting pieces. Is this true? It was my understanding that only the actual M5 front was different and required more modification. I am not too happy with this news and would like to hear from some of our experts to get an understanding on this problem I am having.

Any help would be appreciated this is disappointing

jasperxli

yes they are correct. you need to replace alot of parts before actually replacing the bumper cover. search for a DIY its about an 8 hr job

umichchris

this is simply not true.


if you buy an entire bumper cover....like the ones that Umnitza or Trinity sells....all these parts are complete and come with the bumper. i have now installed a total of 4 bumpers within the past year....all of them directly bolted on without modification. so i repeat, if you buy the Mtech bumper, it will replace your regular stock bumper. if you buy an OEM M5 front bumper you may need some slight modification to get everything to line up properly with your non-M fenders. the brake air ducts are a bit different too but should align properly with some elbow grease.

respect to @jasperxli but i am not familiar as to what he is referring to with the estimation of 8 hours of work. now that ive done it before, i could swap out a front bumper in 30 minutes or less...

JayArras

John, I believe the issue is that your car is an '06 (pre-LCI) and you want to install an '08 (post-LCI) part. That's why the fitment (and fogs) is different.

pukka

I purchased and installed the M Aero Kit last year so here is my advice:

The kit is essentially a Pre-LCI retrofit. Since you already have a pre-LCI car, some things like foglamps, and PDC sensors will cross over. Other things like brake and air ducts will not. Still other items (bumper frame and cushions) are SUPPOSED to be replaced but do not have to be. BMW lists different p/n's for items that have barely noticeable differences yet some are required on M Aero Kit equipped cars and others are for Non-M cars. This is why people who have used aftermarket parts can get everything to fit in most cases.If you buy the OEM kit then it will include EVERYTHING you need and then some for the install. If you are sourcing a used 550i for pulled parts then you will need to at least take everything that isn't already on your car.

Most people here just replace the front bumper and don't know/care about what else is supposed to be changed. Again, OEM is more in-depth - ESPECIALLY if your car has bumper mounted electronics like ACC and NV. And yes, you CAN see a difference between an OEM and aftermarket front bumper if you know what to look for.

umnitza

This is completely untrue.

In every cloud there is a silver lining. You can upgrade your front/sides/rear for $850 for the M5tech front, Mtech sides, Mtech rear and since they are already painting the parts for you, you'll be able to do the whole kit for a lot less than what the cost of "OE" body parts will cost you.

In reality, you'll be able to upgrade your car's appearance for the whole kit for what insurance and the body shop quotes you for just 1 front OE bumper.

No, you don't have to change the fogs, underpanels, foam inserts, or any of the fender lining. It's straight in.

syrousd

If your car is Pre LCI and does not have the MTECH bumper already you do need many parts and brackets......and the dealer is correct, the good news is if you buy the bumper from Umnitza you get everything you need regardless of your cars prior set up. If you buy OEM from the dealer then you would need all the brackets and tie downs and so on.

D33ZNUT5

I went through the same thing and there are parts you need to buy including the brake ducts. Old fogs can be installed, part numbers are different. Worth every penny IMO, car looks great now

jasperxli

Its true that Trinity/Umnitza's M5-Tech/M-Tech come with all the parts and most of them are a simple and direct swap. From OEM stock bumper covers to an OEM M-Tech is a little more complicated than a simple swap. I had a DIY but i deleted it after I installed my M-Tech on my car. I can't seem to find the PDF file i had but i found the installation guide that should have come with the M-Tech. There are parts that need to be change and parts that should be changed. as for the 8 hours, I was way off LOL its more like 4-5 hours according to the manual (I just remembered that it was a ridiculous amount of time to install according to the manual). I did it in just around 3 hours because I had a friend help me. I also agree that 30 mins is enough time to swap out a bumper. I could take off my front bumper and reinstall it in just under 30 mins as well but it will take longer the first time and also for someone not very mechanically inclined.