I have a 09' 550i and I'm looking to do the M5 front bumper conversion but I'm torn which route I should go.

Option 1: Ebay Front Bumper w/Ducts (PP same material as the trinity/umnitza bumpers)
Pros: It'll look cleaner because I won't have to hack up a trinity/umnitza bumper with foglights. It comes with the brake ducts which is a plus.
Cons: Slightly higher cost, not sure about fitment or quality.



Option 2: Trinity/Umnitza Bumper + DIY foglight removal + DIY brake ducts
Pros: Proven fitment (not the best but still proven), cheaper cost
Cons: Not sure how to make the brake ducts & might not look as clean after everything is said and done.

I've done a ton of searching and could not find an answer. I'd appreciate your advice as I'm looking to pull the trigger on one of the bumpers by this weekend. Thanks!

 

Umnitza looks pretty decent and as you said has known fitment. I would be a little cautious about this ebay purchase unless you can find someone who actually purchased it. I've bought several things in the past some good and some you just simply walk it to your trash can. The Umnitza bumper is not the same quality of OEM but it's not bad and for the cost I think its a pretty good deal. Not sure about the ducts. I have the fogs in mine. There are a couple of other vendors that advertise on this site, have you looked at them to see what they have?

 

I personally went with option 2. I did not purchase from either vendors, however it is the same bumper Umnitza has in stock. I purchased OEM brake ducts and had to make minor modifications for it to fit. It is definitely DIY and the fitment of the bumper itself is like you said proven so I feel option 2 is a good route.

 

Option 2 would be the safe route, however it may also be more expensive and require more work. Obviously, with opinion 2 you will have to modify the bumper to remove the fog light mounting but the other part of it is that you will have to figure out what to use for the ducting. You may be able to use OEM M5 brake ducts however get ready to spend $50-$70 each not to mention the need for any additional hardware or brackets to keep the ducts in place.

With option 1 both of these considerations wouldn't be an issue and the only thing that would be questionable is the fitment. Seeing as these bumpers have been out in the marketplace for some time now and some people may or may not want the fog lights, I would think this bumper is probably coming from the same overseas factory and they are just manufacturing another option in terms of the fog delete. With that speculation, I would go as far as to assume fitment will probably be very close if not the exact same.

So really, its a question of whether you want to spend more time and money or take the chance on fitment.

 

Option 2

 

UPDATE:

Umnitza sells the m5 front bumper without the fogs WITH the brake ducts included.

Just called and placed my order. Bumpers will be delivered tomorrow afternoon. I couldn't ask for more.

 

JS - let us know what you need to have done for the rear lip, we have to know where to ship it

 

That's good news. Please post some pictures before and after you install it with the brake ducts.