allpick

So, I just bought a 2008 535xi Sport Wagon (black on black) but it does not have the cargo cover. Can anyone tell me where I might get a hold of one of these? Thanks!

gsodonis

I had the same issue when I bought my e61 wagon this past January.

My local BMW dealer wanted around $1200 - there were none in stock in the US and they came from Germany with a 8-10 week lead time. Calling BMW dealers that discount netted offers in the $700 - $900 range. I got on ebay and found numerous around $400 with $500 Buy-It-Now, but at the time they were all tan and I needed black.

Not giving up, I scanned craigslist ads across the US and found one in PA (I'm in TN) for sale for $150. With shipping, it came to my door at $165, but UPS dropped the cover on its end and one of the end caps cracked which made the cover not want to retract. The seller insured it for only the $100 minimum and in order to get that, I would have had to allow them to pick it up to confirm damage - they said I wouldn't get it back.

Having fought this long to get one at a discount, I decided to take a stab at fixing it first.I disassembled it (it's riveted together and not designed to be repairable), epoxied the broken cap and figured out a way to pre-load the tension spring to get it to work like new. I contacted a manager at UPS and told him my story and asked if they might kick me a $25 Starbucks card for my hassle and to my surprise, I ended up getting a check for $80.

So, for an out of pocket cost of $85, I got my wagon a black cover but had to fight for it. Scan craigslist ads, even if they're far away from your city as I'm sure lots of wagon owners that returned their leased wagons (or sold them) did so with their cargo cover stuck in their garage attic and then decided to get rid of it cheap after a few years when their wife gives them grief (like the guy who sold me mine).

If anyone finds a broken one, I'll walk you through the repair even fix it for you for fee.