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Thread: BMW really screwing up parts prices for old cars...

  1. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by BMW540san View Post
    It'd be nice if somebody with right tooling would make and sell V8 / I6 engine undertray in aluminum or maybe some other suitable metal / material. Enough buyers would probably be able to push the price bellow $200 which is less than current plastic piece.
    Someone in the e39 M5 FB group sells skidplates. They're decent and priced reasonably, at least way cheaper than the $500 belly pan.

  2. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by XAlt View Post
    Plastic belly pans are the work of the devil. Just run without one, like all the cars that came before ours.

    Seriously though, if I went any lower I'd want a nice aluminum skid plate.
    What I've noticed on my E39 M5T after installing a new CSR aluminum radiator the oil temp is a hair cooler, never above 210 and running without the belly pans. I put back all the belly pans and pork chops, and oil temp went over 210. The timeframe was within a week. All cooling parts and fluids are new. The belly pans trap heat very effectively.

    A skid plate would be a nice alternative especially if it has louvers to channel air into engine bay.

  3. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by geargrinder View Post
    Oh what many of those German cars are actually made in the US now!? Confusing fact. Too complicated. Reject.

    Uhoh. Better not continue this topic.

    - - - Updated - - -



    Yeah. I didn't go into the whole list of bumper parts but clearly it's be a $3000 project to do a full dealer M bumper project these days.
    The BMW plant here in SC pumps out a steady stream of cars for export. Course the plant is owned by the Germans. Still lots of US jobs.


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  4. #29
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    BMW has also revived the "value-line" parts kits for some consumable parts (like suspension bits)...if you look up the 11 digit part number for these items and/or check your local BMW dealership's parts dept...the pricing may be comparable with aftermarket pricing in that you may get some surrounding bits/parts included in the value line kit.
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  5. #30
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    You should see the dealer prices for the parts over this side of the pond.
    I can pay full retail in the USA PLUS shipping and still come out under half the local dealership price.

    Absinthe makes the tart grow fonder

  6. #31
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    Schmiedmann sells the belly splash guard for about $300.
    Last edited by gmak; 05-29-2017 at 07:40 AM.
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  7. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by StRaNgEdAyS View Post
    You should see the dealer prices for the parts over this side of the pond.
    I can pay full retail in the USA PLUS shipping and still come out under half the local dealership price.

    Absinthe makes the tart grow fonder
    Isn't everything in the southern hemisphere expensive? Kidding. Mostly
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  8. #33
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    GG, I understand the frustration. But like many have said, at least they're available. Plus they fit like they should the 1st time.
    I remember getting some caliper sliders from PepBoyz when I was in a hurry doin the ex 3er .... never again.

    Also lets keep in mind the issue of overall inflation. The effects of Moore's Law do not apply to car parts, it's a pretty mature market.
    There are exceptions. A bottle of Rosemount Shiraz has been $10 for almost 2 decades. *shrugs*
    Last edited by paul p; 05-29-2017 at 02:53 AM.
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  9. #34
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    It pretty much is.

    Absinthe makes the tart grow fonder

  10. #35
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    Quote Originally Posted by bostonaudi View Post
    The BMW plant here in SC pumps out a steady stream of cars for export. Course the plant is owned by the Germans. Still lots of US jobs.


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    70% of BMW vehicles made in the USA are exported. 50% of Mercedes, IIRC.
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  11. #36
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    Quote Originally Posted by gmak View Post
    70% of BMW vehicles made in the USA are exported. 50% of Mercedes, IIRC.
    The wonders of the SUV...

  12. #37
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    I find some of those prices listed incredulous. $400 for an under tray? really? Aftermarket is $50 all day, pretty tough part to F up too.
    If new parts runs are done BMW must have some expectation of selling them so need to be competitive, at least to a degree.
    Part of the issue is anything that can be construed as crash parts, those insurance companies are obliged to pay for. Another factor is lots of parts sit on the shelf for a long time before(if ever)being sold. Kind of like a trip to the hardware store for a single odd fastener that by all rights should cost pennies but is priced in dollars because it has sitting on the shelf waiting for a buyer. I hate paying for that stuff but am glad to have found it too.

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  13. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by ross1 View Post
    I find some of those prices listed incredulous. $400 for an under tray? really? Aftermarket is $50 all day, pretty tough part to F up too.
    If new parts runs are done BMW must have some expectation of selling them so need to be competitive, at least to a degree.
    Part of the issue is anything that can be construed as crash parts, those insurance companies are obliged to pay for. Another factor is lots of parts sit on the shelf for a long time before(if ever)being sold. Kind of like a trip to the hardware store for a single odd fastener that by all rights should cost pennies but is priced in dollars because it has sitting on the shelf waiting for a buyer. I hate paying for that stuff but am glad to have found it too.
    Very true. Many parts are made only during the production run and when they run out, become "no longer available" (NLA). I understand that parts prices go up if they are remaking them for a limited market...we sometimes have to be happy they are even available for a car that is 14 years old for the newest E39.
    Fortunately most of the big hits are on trim pieces...most of the "consumable" items are still available at reasonable prices...or the third party manufacturers (and remanufacturers) have developed options.
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  14. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by M5 Jed View Post
    What I've noticed on my E39 M5T after installing a new CSR aluminum radiator the oil temp is a hair cooler, never above 210 and running without the belly pans. I put back all the belly pans and pork chops, and oil temp went over 210. The timeframe was within a week. All cooling parts and fluids are new. The belly pans trap heat very effectively.

    A skid plate would be a nice alternative especially if it has louvers to channel air into engine bay.
    I'm curious about your temps. Brian with his M5T also has temps around 210 or slightly above, with all the M5 bumpers, belly pans, transmission pan, etc (M-Sport originally), but in his M5 sedan and my converted M5 sedan with 530i bumpers, I almost never even hit 210F, even on hot days. I wonder if it's a touring thing, but seems unusual since everything from the front of the car forward is the same.

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  15. #40
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    Quote Originally Posted by M5 Jed View Post
    What I've noticed on my E39 M5T after installing a new CSR aluminum radiator the oil temp is a hair cooler, never above 210 and running without the belly pans. I put back all the belly pans and pork chops, and oil temp went over 210. The timeframe was within a week. All cooling parts and fluids are new. The belly pans trap heat very effectively.
    Super interesting Jed. I know other cars where the opposite happens aka the belly pan serves a positive airflow / cooling function and without it the various radiators dont work properly - or at least optimally. For a host of reasons including that I think it's I'll advised to run without one but your findings are interesting and surprising.

    Quote Originally Posted by paul p View Post
    GG, I understand the frustration. But like many have said, at least they're available. Plus they fit like they should the 1st time.
    I remember getting some caliper sliders from PepBoyz when I was in a hurry doin the ex 3er .... never again.

    Also lets keep in mind the issue of overall inflation. The effects of Moore's Law do not apply to car parts, it's a pretty mature market.
    There are exceptions. A bottle of Rosemount Shiraz has been $10 for almost 2 decades. *shrugs*
    With due respect - Meh... Sorry Paul, not entirely.

    Neither small run economics, nor inflation account for some of these 600% gouges. Trust me I'm the last guy to bitch about a slightly higher price for the truly good proper part.. I am fine with a part going up in price for natural reasons, and within reason.
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