Aftermarket body panels

B

ben g

Elite
 Essex
My passenger side front wing has taken a battering recently from a couple of idiots driving into it. I don't particularly want to make an insurance claim, as I imagine there's a good chance the cost of repair could write my Z4 off, so thought it would be worth replacing the panel myself and finding someone to spray it.

I have tried and tried for ages to find an unmarked original Sterling Grey n/s front wing, but haven't managed to source one, so I've been pondering whether the eurocarparts aftermarket ones would be any good?

I imagine they are pretty much the same in terms of fit? At some point genuine front wings will become obselete, so I guess these pattern parts will be the only alternatives anyway.

Anyone purchased these wings before?

For reference, the first idiot was a motorbike, who undertook me as I turned left onto a slip road and caught his bike fork down the passenger side of my car. Then sped off. No chance I was going to catch him :lol: front wing, door and sideskirt have marks/scuffs now.

The second was last week, when a woman in a 4x4 changed lanes without warning and sides wiped me where the headlight meets the front wing. I didn't actually realise she had hit me until I got to work and had a look at that area. Just my luck :headbang:
 
Good question, but an aftermarket one would need colour coding anyway, so why not buy a used part that you know will fit.
 
I don’t know how much ECP are asking for pattern parts, but you can get genuine ones for about £250 delivered from Germany.

https://www.leebmann24.de/seitenwand-vorn-rechts-z4-41357053328.html

Or ASM Auto Recycling have a low mileage Z4M that was bumped up the behind.
 
Interesting point you make about part becoming obsolete...

Aero skirts are at the point where they’re almost impossible to locate - there’s a long thread in another section of the forum about this

Point being, if a car has a part that is no longer available and it can’t be replaced after an accident, what happens?

Write-off?
 
You could try scrap yards / breakers. I woukd expect many Z4s have made it there with many panels in tact. If they are going on an older z4, I suspect many will be of a similar vintage! :)
 
The only slight issue to watch with a used panel is colour match, for example when I had a scratch done my smart repair guy had a swatch of 5 or 6 BMW sterling grey shades accounting for variations at the factory and colour fade. But you might be lucky. Also I'd honestly avoid aftermarket panels if possible, even genuine panels need jigging and gap fitting but aftermarket can be more trouble than it's worth.
 
warmasice said:
Good question, but an aftermarket one would need colour coding anyway, so why not buy a used part that you know will fit.
Click to expand...

I've been searching for about 2 years for a used sterling Grey wing without damage. No luck so far.

I did purchase a used genuine wing from a breakers on ebay, which ended up being damaged in transit, so I'm reluctant to go down that route again.
 
paulc_bkk said:
Interesting point you make about part becoming obsolete...

Aero skirts are at the point where they’re almost impossible to locate - there’s a long thread in another section of the forum about this

Point being, if a car has a part that is no longer available and it can’t be replaced after an accident, what happens?

Write-off?
Click to expand...

I would not be too concerned with BMW, they are better at parts for older cars than many manufacturers. You can still get body panels for many classic BMWs, it just tends to get a bit expensive and sometimes you have to wait for a batch to get made.
 
Ewazix said:
The only slight issue to watch with a used panel is colour match, for example when I had a scratch done my smart repair guy had a swatch of 5 or 6 BMW sterling grey shades accounting for variations at the factory and colour fade. But you might be lucky. Also I'd honestly avoid aftermarket panels if possible, even genuine panels need jigging and gap fitting but aftermarket can be more trouble than it's worth.
Click to expand...

I have heard about the different variations of Sterling Grey, which is also a factor.

I've seen many different Sterling Grey Z4's online, and some do look a different colour to mine. It's usually the lesser engined models, for some reason, that look different. Could just be a dodgy camera or sunlight etc, but it's worth thinking about, definitely :thumbsup:
 
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