e89 35is - bumper wonk acceptable

[matsmith749]

BC16OCU Fr bumper.jpg (115.19 KiB) Viewed 448 times

Just picked up the 2016 35is, delighted with it - except for the front bumper fit.

I've had a chat with the BMW dealership (who were great BTW) & they will take a look - but they did mention that these had a 'wide tolerance' for what is considered acceptble.

As well as the uneven shut line, it sticks out from the bonnet panel by maybe 0.5 inch at both sides. You can actually see the insides of the bumper where it fits together.

What's the forum view - does this look ok to you? Is it normal / acceptable?

[clarker63]

Not acceptable. you can adjust it fairly easy, (the bonnet line looks a little high over the light too) but if its newly purchased they should sort it for you.

some advice here:
viewtopic.php?p=1976880

[Pondrew]

Are you sure the bonnet is shut properly on the nearside? Mine sometimes doesn't quite latch properly first time on the nearside and looks like that.
Quite a bit of condensation in that headlight too. Hopefully just because it's been sat around a while outside.

[B21]

Very odd..the pictures of the car in the showroom didn’t seem to show any significant distortion ….

As suggested is the bonnet properly closed?

Wonder if someone tapped it taking it out of the showroom?

[matsmith749]

That's what I thought - my inspection showed it lined up spot on (extra photos show that too).

Went to pick it up 10 days later, pouring with rain - didn't re-inspect. Suspect some minor bump in the car park, but no visible marks.

I'm expecting the dealer to sort it out, but just wanted to get you guys opinion on 'normal' or 'not' before I get the old 'they all look like that sir'

[jenniferlouise]

Mine has a bit of a gap that’s a bit more than you’d expect on a BMW, although I have checked it’s all correctly attached. On an earlier thread one forum member has considered slightly tweaking the bracket to pull the bumper up. I guess it’s an option… I’ll also have a look at the thread clarker63 has shared. I’m going to have another look myself when it’s a bit warmer in the garage, and I’ve an option to take to local body shop to see if they can find 2-3mm improvement for me. Size does matter. And yes, I’m fussy. No one else has noticed it. Good luck with BMW. Please share any learning.

[B21]

Due to the compound shape you need to squint at the shut line at the same level as the line at 90 degrees to it..that should show a uniform 5-10mm ish gap on both sides..the front bonnet to bumper line should be uniform along its line…

If the bumper is ‘bumped’ the clips holding it at the edges can spring out resulting in ‘wings’ sticking out beyond the body line..

Looks like a good bash ..maybe when someone was parking it..that bonnet is looonngggg..

[flybobbie]

These are a right pain to adjust.
I spent a hour or more trying to make both gaps the same.
Even resorted to bending the mounting bracket.
Still gave up after getting somewhere reasonable.

[N4LLY]

That deffo not right. Had to check mine........

20230129_131939.jpg (101.74 KiB) Viewed 281 times

[N4LLY]

Sorry for the filthy car

[tiglon]

I'd say 99% likelihood it was a low speed shunt, and possibly a broken clip - they are quite delicate. A bit fiddly to replace or adjust, but not too difficult. Sounds like dealer should fix it for you, will cost them £20 and half an hour work.

[Silverstar]

This isn’t normal, from your photo it looks like it’s had a minor shunt at some point (are those scratches / scrape marks on the bumper?). I am surprised BMW are letting the car go out in that condition, they really ought to fix it at their expense.

When I picked my car up it looked just like Jenniferlouise’s and it was evident that the previous owner had a minor shunt in it. My body shop were able to get the headlight and bonnet into alignment but the bumper was still like yours, misalign and sticking out. I think this is a weak point and the bumper bracket that fits behind gets knackered after a shunt hence not being able to get correct alignment afterwards.

Not wishing to spend more money than I needed to in replacing the brackets, I just glued the bumper into the bracket / mount using PU adhesive whilst holding the bumper in place using some clamps. It now looks 95% ok.