[ViperJPB]

Ok I'm completely paranoid and OCD about my car, being my first BMW. I pulled out of a parking lot a little too fast, not thinking, and heard the lovely subtle scraping noise. I checked under the bumper with a flashlight and discovered a few scratches and tearing about half an inch in length over a 3-4 inch area just on the front edge underneath the lip of the bumper on the left side wear it scraped the pavement. There doesn't appear to be any other damage on the front side of the bumper, primarily the scratches right under the front lip and not visible unless you look under. Other than the sucky scrapes, is it possible that I damaged or mis-aligned anything (bumper alignment, headlight assembly, or xenon lamp, etc..) ? Plus any thoughts on how to take care of the torn plastic scrapes? I plan to eventually put some splitters on and that would hide it I suppose. Thanks

[McMuffin]

A "subtle scrape" isn't gonna mess up anything dude. If the scratches aren't visible, don't worry cuz more scratches are on their way. If your bumper is still aligned to your fenders and everything looks fine then don't worry.

As much as I try to avoid scratching my lip, it happens anyway. You can install splitters to hide the scratches, but in the end your splitters will get scratched too. Believe me, you'll get over it. I'll post a pic of the bottom of my lip if it'll make you feel better.

[Tee212]

Just a car, its goona get scratched up no matter..just buy another one. Life is too short to worry about it lol.

[ViperJPB]

Haha if you have a pic that might help. Yeah I'm super, super cautious and have had it almost 2 years now with no scraping. I was majorly distracted and really didn't notice the incline of the street as I pulled out. I suppose if the the scratches are mainly on the bottom there would be less chance of actual alignment damage. I should check the alignment again with the fenders.

[ViperJPB]

Originally Posted by Tee212

Just a car, its goona get scratched up no matter..just buy another one. Life is too short to worry about it lol.

Buy another...haha...nice...think I would buy a new bumper first. But yeah I hear ya.

[BimmerRob]

I bottomed out in the santa monica mall parking garage so hard that my tow-eye cap flew off and hit the car behind me. believe me, you're fine. scratches do suck, but you should try for a clear bra if you're that anal.

[McMuffin]

Originally Posted by e92hobear;884590[B

I bottomed out in the santa monica mall parking garage so hard that my tow-eye cap flew off and hit the car behind me. believe me, you're fine. scratches do suck, but you should try for a clear bra if you're that anal.

[ViperJPB]

Originally Posted by e92hobear

I bottomed out in the santa monica mall parking garage so hard that my tow-eye cap flew off and hit the car behind me. believe me, you're fine. scratches do suck, but you should try for a clear bra if you're that anal.

Awesome. Thanks for the peace of mind. Definitely didn't hit that hard. Just re-checked the bumper alignment to the fender and I don't think it's any different than before. Thanks again everyone for the placating, appreciate it. I'm good now, hopefully splitters are wide enough to cover the little bit I see that sneaks around the front of the lip. Thanks again.

[KLin]

I have a question that's kinda related. When I bought my car used, I noticed that the bottom half of the front bumper had been repainted. Now 5000 miles later, the clear is peeling by the vertical supports. Would it be ok to just cover it up with a lip or would I regret not getting it resprayed first?

[McMuffin]

Originally Posted by KLin

I have a question that's kinda related. When I bought my car used, I noticed that the bottom half of the front bumper had been repainted. Now 5000 miles later, the clear is peeling by the vertical supports. Would it be ok to just cover it up with a lip or would I regret not getting it resprayed first?

Just cover it up until the whole thing needs a spray.

[KLin]

Originally Posted by McMuffin

Just cover it up until the whole thing needs a spray.

Cool, exactly what I was wanting to hear.

[eisenb11]

This happens to everyone. No matter how hard you try, you're probably going to end up bottoming out on something! Just ignore it, it's no biggy. I covered mine up with some paint, but that doesn't really make it look much better. Fortunately, no one can see these things unless they get on all fours and look under the car. Everyone probably has them - consider it your entrance fee into the BMW drivers club! lol

[Houman21]

The bottom of my bumper is scraped. I don't think about it, nor can I see it.

Life is too short to think about it too much Also my first nice car.

[Gerald Fabricatore]

Originally Posted by ViperJPB

Ok I'm completely paranoid and OCD about my car, being my first BMW. I pulled out of a parking lot a little too fast, not thinking, and heard the lovely subtle scraping noise. I checked under the bumper with a flashlight and discovered a few scratches and tearing about half an inch in length over a 3-4 inch area just on the front edge underneath the lip of the bumper on the left side wear it scraped the pavement. There doesn't appear to be any other damage on the front side of the bumper, primarily the scratches right under the front lip and not visible unless you look under. Other than the sucky scrapes, is it possible that I damaged or mis-aligned anything (bumper alignment, headlight assembly, or xenon lamp, etc..) ? Plus any thoughts on how to take care of the torn plastic scrapes? I plan to eventually put some splitters on and that would hide it I suppose. Thanks

Don't worry about about it. Nobody but you will see the scraps. I pulled my new car from the dealership into my garage and scraped it on the front raised floor (my Accord would clear). Just a word of caution. Watch out for those stops in parking lots with the spikes sticking up.