OEM Mtech Conversion

vtsng · 07-19-2012, 03:46 AM

09/12/2012 Took a couple quick teaser pics for now. More to come...

Yes I know the plate frame is a little tacky :P *flamesuit on*

Before:

For the past month or so, I've been on what seemed like a hopeless hunt for a pre lci mtech front bumper. A few of you may have come across one or two of my WTB ads in the classifieds which is now archived somewhere in the hundreds of pages. Not to mention countless PMs of no end result....

I just could not justify buying a rep, especially when living in Canada factoring in all the shipping costs and taxes (Canadians feel my pain

). A rep would essentially be $100-$200 ($300 tops) short of OEM. For me personally, that difference was a dealbreaker.

To make the story short(er), I resorted to eBay in a different fashion. Instead of searching the exact keywords (such as, mtech bumper e90, msport etc) which rarely gave me the results I wanted or gave me a bunch of nasty duraflex reps, I simply typed in bmw bumper. From the 60+ pages of 200 results/ page that showed up, I opened every ad that had a picture that looked something like the part came from a salvaged vehicle (thus guaranteeing an OEM part 99% of the time). Within those ads I clicked to view the seller's other items for sale. (advice: I always clicked the first item on their page to make the hyperlink turn from blue to purple). That way if I ever revisited the seller I would know right away from their first item that I've looked at all their items already. Trust me, it helps after viewing 30+ sellers. After that, I'd re filter my search in the seller's page to "BMW bumper" again.

I ended up finding an OEM LCI mtech bumper in mint condition on something like the 50th page of search results with this title: 2009-2010-2011 BMW 335D 4DOOR SEDAN FRONT BUMPER COVER

$300 shipped

No indication of an MSPORT, MTECH, e90, or LCI bumper in the title at all whatsoever! These guys who run the yards have gems that they don't even realize themselves! Either that or they have no idea how to optimize their listings. USE THAT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE!

Unfortunately I wasn't able to find a PRE LCI msport bumper, so my hunt continued.

Then came ebay.de (or ebay germany)....

***This is when the google webpage translator comes in very handy.

I learned that in German the mtech/ msport bumpers were called M Paket. I couldn't believe what I saw under the search term M Paket. Pages and pages of OEM pre lci and lci mtech bumpers

. I ended up closing down on one listing which had a primed OEM pre lci mtech bumper in mint condition for 200 EUR. The listing said no international shipping. Don't stop there! Ask the seller anyways!!! The worst they will say is NO! In asking the questions, I typed one line of simple simple English, followed with one line of the German equivalent (translated with google, and cross translated with dictionary.com to make sure it makes SOME sense). Finally we agreed on 90 EUR to ship it to Canada, that's the equivalent of 370 CAD shipped compared to 1152 as quoted by BMW. I'll be buying the fogs and grills (I found e60 fogs for $50 for the set (fits all e90 msport/ mtech bumpers), OEM lower grills will run about $60 from ECS) bringing it to a grand total of $480! 12% tax plus duties from Canada post will not bring it anywhere over $600 (and I'm being really generous). Fender liners and under engine adapter of course for an additional $100 (found the parts already). $700 TOPS will be the final price. The cheapest rep I found with CLOSE TO OEM fitment was $670 shipped before duties and taxes!

So it's on its way now!

I also just paid my deposit for an OEM rear mtech bumper from a local member. $500 painted and installed (yes that's part, paint, and installation)! PM me for his details, he's a great guy to work with!

To be continued in approx 2 weeks (or less I hope)! I'll make sure to post plenty of pictures along the way!

Let's start with "before"

:

Lots more to come!

E90Mario · 07-19-2012, 04:09 AM

Nice write up, glad you took the time to find what you are looking for and didn't settle for anything less!

PlannBee · 07-19-2012, 04:31 AM

The life of a bargain shopper. I've done my share of searching for the cheapest item prices myself. Glad you took the time do so.

Johnny D · 07-20-2012, 11:21 PM

Nice write up! This can defiantly help out some folks. Look forward to see your further updates.

Game · 07-21-2012, 02:03 AM

Good idea going international OP.

I'll be trying to find an M-tech rear for my E92 the same way.

vtsng · 07-21-2012, 02:10 AM

Thanks for the comments, really glad I could (or might) help make some savings! Good luck and happy bidding

vtsng · 08-07-2012, 04:39 AM

After 2 weeks it looks like the bumper is still in Germany...

Shipped via Deutsche Post DHL Paket. Stuck at 60% of the shipment progress:

Fri, 20.07.12 14:07 h
Germany
The shipment has been posted by the sender at the retail outlet

Fri, 20.07.12 20:00 h
Speyer, Germany
The international shipment has been processed in the parcel center of origin

Mon, 23.07.12 23:22 h
Saulheim, Germany
The international shipment has been processed in the export parcel center

I've heard that this method of shipment has a tendency to take a while. Lets hope at the very least it arrives in one piece.

NavZ · 08-07-2012, 04:50 AM

The worst part is the wait, the worrying...

FI · 08-14-2012, 11:51 AM

Did everything work out?

vtsng · 08-15-2012, 04:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FI

Did everything work out?

Still no update since 3 weeks and 2 days ago. Apparently it still hasn't left Germany

This was the last I heard of it:

Mon, 23.07.12 23:22 h
Saulheim, Germany
The international shipment has been processed in the export parcel center

Really hoping the bumper wasn't lost in transit.

vtsng · 08-15-2012, 03:10 PM

2012/08/15 19:12
DEFRAA,Germany International item has left the origin country and is en route to Canada

DieselDiner · 08-15-2012, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vtsng

2012/08/15 19:12
DEFRAA,Germany International item has left the origin country and is en route to Canada

That's some encouraging news!

E90Adobo · 08-15-2012, 07:04 PM

Good choice goin on the Mtech route OP. We are on the same boat Mtech fronts and Sparkling Graphite. Post some pics on your project..

vtsng · 08-15-2012, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DieselDiner

That's some encouraging news!

Just 2-3 weeks to go

. This has got to be the longest wait I've had. Let's hope it's all worth it in the end!

Quote:

Originally Posted by E90Adobo

Good choice goin on the Mtech route OP. We are on the same boat Mtech fronts and Sparkling Graphite. Post some pics on your project..

Will do! Good luck on your conversion!

NiVeDh · 08-15-2012, 11:02 PM

Good stuff!

FI · 08-16-2012, 12:09 AM

Awesome!

vtsng · 08-20-2012, 03:02 AM

2012/08/19 20:25 MISSISSAUGA (officially one month since purchase date)

Item was released by Customs and is now with Canada Post for processing

Looks like I'll be making an update to the thread sooner than I expected

DieselDiner · 08-20-2012, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vtsng

2012/08/19 20:25 MISSISSAUGA (officially one month since purchase date)

Item was released by Customs and is now with Canada Post for processing

Looks like I'll be making an update to the thread sooner than I expected

Congrats! The plot thickens....

vtsng · 09-12-2012, 06:56 PM

Pics in thread below!

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...=744158&page=2

E90Adobo · 10-02-2012, 06:27 PM

Huge improvement bro..I see that you got the studie lip too..Where did you get it?

07-19-2012, 03:46 AM	#1
vtsng Second Lieutenant 38 Rep 262 Posts Drives: Pre LCI E90 325i SGM Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: GVA (BC) / Seattle (WA) iTrader: (4)	OEM Mtech Conversion - the junkie way (warning: long write up) 09/12/2012 Took a couple quick teaser pics for now. More to come... Yes I know the plate frame is a little tacky :P flamesuit on Before: For the past month or so, I've been on what seemed like a hopeless hunt for a pre lci mtech front bumper. A few of you may have come across one or two of my WTB ads in the classifieds which is now archived somewhere in the hundreds of pages. Not to mention countless PMs of no end result.... I just could not justify buying a rep, especially when living in Canada factoring in all the shipping costs and taxes (Canadians feel my pain ). A rep would essentially be $100-$200 ($300 tops) short of OEM. For me personally, that difference was a dealbreaker. To make the story short(er), I resorted to eBay in a different fashion. Instead of searching the exact keywords (such as, mtech bumper e90, msport etc) which rarely gave me the results I wanted or gave me a bunch of nasty duraflex reps, I simply typed in bmw bumper. From the 60+ pages of 200 results/ page that showed up, I opened every ad that had a picture that looked something like the part came from a salvaged vehicle (thus guaranteeing an OEM part 99% of the time). Within those ads I clicked to view the seller's other items for sale. (advice: I always clicked the first item on their page to make the hyperlink turn from blue to purple). That way if I ever revisited the seller I would know right away from their first item that I've looked at all their items already. Trust me, it helps after viewing 30+ sellers. After that, I'd re filter my search in the seller's page to "BMW bumper" again. I ended up finding an OEM LCI mtech bumper in mint condition on something like the 50th page of search results with this title: 2009-2010-2011 BMW 335D 4DOOR SEDAN FRONT BUMPER COVER $300 shipped No indication of an MSPORT, MTECH, e90, or LCI bumper in the title at all whatsoever! These guys who run the yards have gems that they don't even realize themselves! Either that or they have no idea how to optimize their listings. USE THAT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE! Unfortunately I wasn't able to find a PRE LCI msport bumper, so my hunt continued. Then came ebay.de (or ebay germany).... *This is when the google webpage translator comes in very handy. I learned that in German the mtech/ msport bumpers were called M Paket. I couldn't believe what I saw under the search term M Paket. Pages and pages of OEM pre lci and lci mtech bumpers . I ended up closing down on one listing which had a primed OEM pre lci mtech bumper in mint condition for 200 EUR. The listing said no international shipping. Don't stop there! Ask the seller anyways!!! The worst they will say is NO! In asking the questions, I typed one line of simple simple English, followed with one line of the German equivalent (translated with google, and cross translated with dictionary.com to make sure it makes SOME sense). Finally we agreed on 90 EUR to ship it to Canada, that's the equivalent of 370 CAD shipped compared to 1152** as quoted by BMW. I'll be buying the fogs and grills (I found e60 fogs for $50 for the set (fits all e90 msport/ mtech bumpers), OEM lower grills will run about $60 from ECS) bringing it to a grand total of $480! 12% tax plus duties from Canada post will not bring it anywhere over $600 (and I'm being really generous). Fender liners and under engine adapter of course for an additional $100 (found the parts already). $700 TOPS will be the final price. The cheapest rep I found with CLOSE TO OEM fitment was $670 shipped before duties and taxes! So it's on its way now! I also just paid my deposit for an OEM rear mtech bumper from a local member. $500 painted and installed (yes that's part, paint, and installation)! PM me for his details, he's a great guy to work with! To be continued in approx 2 weeks (or less I hope)! I'll make sure to post plenty of pictures along the way! Let's start with "before" : Lots more to come! Last edited by vtsng; 09-12-2012 at 07:03 PM..
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07-19-2012, 04:09 AM	#2
E90Mario Brigadier General 395 Rep 3,639 Posts Drives: ESS E90 M3 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Los Angeles, CA iTrader: (10)	Nice write up, glad you took the time to find what you are looking for and didn't settle for anything less! __________________
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07-19-2012, 04:31 AM	#3
PlannBee Major 49 Rep 1,341 Posts Drives: A Visible E36 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Fresno, CA iTrader: (0)	The life of a bargain shopper. I've done my share of searching for the cheapest item prices myself. Glad you took the time do so. __________________ -Brandon "I now have a Beautiful Mysterious Woman " *"My Real E36"* - '96 328is 5MT/Boston Green/Beige/Wood Grain/18" Style 189/BONE STOCK
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07-20-2012, 11:21 PM	#4
Johnny D Major 64 Rep 1,087 Posts Drives: 2006 BMW 325i Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Hot Springs, AR iTrader: (4) Garage List 2006 BMW 325i [9.16]	Nice write up! This can defiantly help out some folks. Look forward to see your further updates. __________________
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07-21-2012, 02:03 AM	#5
Game ------ 7376 Rep 10,196 Posts Drives: G87 M2 (sold) Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Chicago'ish iTrader: (25)	Good idea going international OP. I'll be trying to find an M-tech rear for my E92 the same way. __________________
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07-21-2012, 02:10 AM	#6
vtsng Second Lieutenant 38 Rep 262 Posts Drives: Pre LCI E90 325i SGM Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: GVA (BC) / Seattle (WA) iTrader: (4)	Thanks for the comments, really glad I could (or might) help make some savings! Good luck and happy bidding
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08-07-2012, 04:39 AM	#7
vtsng Second Lieutenant 38 Rep 262 Posts Drives: Pre LCI E90 325i SGM Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: GVA (BC) / Seattle (WA) iTrader: (4)	After 2 weeks it looks like the bumper is still in Germany... Shipped via Deutsche Post DHL Paket. Stuck at 60% of the shipment progress: Fri, 20.07.12 14:07 h Germany The shipment has been posted by the sender at the retail outlet Fri, 20.07.12 20:00 h Speyer, Germany The international shipment has been processed in the parcel center of origin Mon, 23.07.12 23:22 h Saulheim, Germany The international shipment has been processed in the export parcel center I've heard that this method of shipment has a tendency to take a while. Lets hope at the very least it arrives in one piece.
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08-07-2012, 04:50 AM	#8
NavZ Private First Class 4 Rep 186 Posts Drives: '09 E86 Z4M Coupe Join Date: May 2012 Location: Cape Town, South Africa iTrader: (1)	The worst part is the wait, the worrying...
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08-14-2012, 11:51 AM	#9
FI Private First Class 4 Rep 132 Posts Drives: e92 335i & e90 328i Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: SD iTrader: (0)	Did everything work out?
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08-15-2012, 03:10 PM	#11
vtsng Second Lieutenant 38 Rep 262 Posts Drives: Pre LCI E90 325i SGM Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: GVA (BC) / Seattle (WA) iTrader: (4)	2012/08/15 19:12 DEFRAA,Germany International item has left the origin country and is en route to Canada
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08-15-2012, 07:04 PM	#13
E90Adobo "Winners go home and f*ck the prom queen" 4 Rep 31 Posts Drives: E90 Sparkling Graphite Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: San Ramon iTrader: (0)	Good choice goin on the Mtech route OP. We are on the same boat Mtech fronts and Sparkling Graphite. Post some pics on your project..
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08-15-2012, 11:02 PM	#15
NiVeDh Major General 422 Rep 8,004 Posts Drives: '08 E90 335i, '99 E36 M3 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Houston, TX & Atlanta, GA iTrader: (132) Garage List 2008 BMW 335i Sedan [8.66]	Good stuff!
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08-16-2012, 12:09 AM	#16
FI Private First Class 4 Rep 132 Posts Drives: e92 335i & e90 328i Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: SD iTrader: (0)	Awesome!
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08-20-2012, 03:02 AM	#17
vtsng Second Lieutenant 38 Rep 262 Posts Drives: Pre LCI E90 325i SGM Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: GVA (BC) / Seattle (WA) iTrader: (4)	2012/08/19 20:25 MISSISSAUGA (officially one month since purchase date) Item was released by Customs and is now with Canada Post for processing Looks like I'll be making an update to the thread sooner than I expected
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09-12-2012, 06:56 PM	#19
vtsng Second Lieutenant 38 Rep 262 Posts Drives: Pre LCI E90 325i SGM Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: GVA (BC) / Seattle (WA) iTrader: (4)	Pics in thread below! http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...=744158&page=2 Last edited by vtsng; 09-15-2012 at 01:31 AM..
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10-02-2012, 06:27 PM	#20
E90Adobo "Winners go home and f*ck the prom queen" 4 Rep 31 Posts Drives: E90 Sparkling Graphite Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: San Ramon iTrader: (0)	Huge improvement bro..I see that you got the studie lip too..Where did you get it?
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