dleb

After reading seemingly every thread on every BMW board on this topic, advice is appreciated. I have a 2008 535xi, platinum gray, purchased a couple of weeks ago. Bone stock but for black matte grills that I just added. Next will be 19" wheels and body mods.

My basic request is for comments about M-tech (m-tech=OEM?) vs M style and/or other reps. It seems like there was a ton of demand when the m style came out, wondering about current thoughts, fitment, etc. Are there any other brands I should consider?

A few other questions;

1. Should I be concerned that I have a 2008 and although the paint looks great, it will not match a newly painted body kit?
2. Can anyone recommend an installer in Massachusetts, Boston area or southern NH?
3. An sense of how much painting and installation adds to the total cost?

Thanks from a noob, this forum is great.

corey

Excellent questions and hoping for some great input. I too am planning on the M kit in the near future.

skeeter

When I had my Oem mtech kit installed and painted everything cost me $2200 with the kit...

Sparks

I just went through this process a few months ago. I decided to go with M-tech only because I prefered the look of the M-tech front bumper over the M-Style. I purchased the kit online from Tischer for $1500 and had it installed at a body shop that does 90% of the work for the local BMW dealer. They charged me $1,000 and everything came out great. They matched the paint perfectly and the fit and finish is perfect. Good luck!

Gene

his is an LCI, so his kit will cost a bit more...


OP:
you can check getbmwparts.com (tischer bmw) as they have the most aggressive pricing for OEM parts...

obviously no fittement issues when installed correctly.


for the rep kits: the sides have been reported to bit a tad short sometimes but a good body shop can still install the rep sides without issue

with the rep M5 front and rear bumper there is a bit of a sag in the middle of the bumper that again can be remedied with some slight tweeking by a skilled body shop. Umnitza was going to possibly post a DIY for this but has not as of yet. I believe they say the fix is as easy as a brick left on the sag over night will fix it as the material used has memory....

rep kits are sold by Trinity Autosport and Umnitza


regarding the paint match, again a skilled shop should be able to match your paint just fine as long as the correct color code is used (can be obtained from the engine bay, I believe it's on the front passenger shock/spring, should be a small plate with your VIN and color code on it)

info@trinityautosport

we have our M style parts in stock currently. +1 as for paint, your local body shop should be able to match it well. they can even keep your car on site if needed.

user 4639202

I purchased the ///M Style Front Bumper, Side Skirts and Black Matte Grills from Trinity Autosport for $1157.54 and that price included painting and installation and the fit and installation was perfect. I plan to purchase the Rear Bumper next and that should do it. Hope that helps.

umnitza

1) no concern for the 2008 fitment. But I cannot stress how hard it is for a pre-painted kit to perfectly match the paint or be shipped without issues. It's always better to do a local paint so they can better blend and color match the codes.

2) Any certified body shop should be able to do it, but call around and ask around, quotes will vary widely. For least price - call BMW's own body shop, many paint techs like to moonlight and you can get them to paint your parts for fractions off retail, the only downside is don't go back to them if they make a mistake (they rarely do).

3) Paint should be $250 (our local best shop and lowest price) to $800 (our local highest price) per part. Aim for $300-350 and you'll be all set. Total cost for all the parts should not exceed $500-600 for paint and you can easily self install.

We offer the complete MStyle kit for $800 shipped and Mstyle with Single output rear diffuser for $850 shipped.
We also offer the same kits shipped door to door for $50 more per kit.

If you need any help, please call Tim, he's more than happy to walk you through the whole kit and any questions:
877 4 Umnitza

dleb

Thanks all. It seems like most have had decent-good luck with the replicas. It also seems like it is safer to order unpainted and have the installer paint to match rather than ordering painted. Is this accurate?

Also, any recommendations for a Boston, MA, southern NH area installer?

dleb

I must have been posting at the same time of the last reply, thanks for the details on the painting.