So we had some "warm" weather (45*) so I decided to toss on that $100 eBay air dam to close up the contour gaps between the bumper and splitter. Thought this would be 10 min max once I popped off the bumper cover.
3 hours later with a heat gun and a Dremel I finally got to a point where it almost fit flush. The fact that fitment is listed for e82 135i is a joke. The area where the air dam rises to fill the bumper contours are not in the correct location nor are they at the correct angles.
$100 eBay air dam key takeaways:
1) Do not buy if you think you'll get any aero advantage from this part alone. The air dam is completely hollow, not flat and smooth across the bottom.
2) Do not buy if you want plug and play using a couple existing factory screws. You need to remove the bumper cover and use at least 6 nuts and bolts to secure and get it to lay flush.
3) Do not buy if you want anything remotely close to factory fitment.
4) Consider buying if you are looking to cheaply achieve what I have with the air dam + splitter, but set aside some time to get it to "fit."
*NOTE* The closeup image where you can see gaps is the AFTER photo with material cut away. Before trimming there was a 3" gap between the middle third of the bumper air dam. The other closeup image I was able to disguise the gaps with the camera angle
