Accident, need input on 1M front end.

[c1pher]

I like the 1M front bumper too and think it will definitely modernize and make the front look a little more sporty.

[Matticus91]

Thanks guys. The path to healing (lol) has begun as of this morning. Picked up a complete and mint 1M rep front bumper, already painted carbon black. Again thanks to 1and1 for the classifieds tip! Hopefully this will save me some money on the repair and might even be enough to recover my deductible.

Tomorrow I'll talk to the shop about prices and recovering the broken parts that might be useful to people (looking at you jackp0t ).

For now, here's a shot of the new front end! It's a little dirty but the paint is perfect. Can't wait to see it on the car. The PO had the chrome grilles on it but since I don't have a sliver of chrome on my car I'll be replacing them with black ones. REALLY sucks that I put my nice piano black OEM's on the car a couple days before the crash!

It's also worth noting that this bumper is from **********s and came with the holes for the washers. Many do not have those holes and while I can't speak to the quality of the eBay 1M rep brands I can say that this one is very well made. The PO stated it fits extremely well too, guess we'll have to wait and see how it works on my car.

[zx10guy]

It's great you're not giving up on the car. I've had a similar circumstance with a previous motorcycle but with a slightly different outcome.

Had I seen that ad, I might have thought about buying it myself. My bumper is pretty rashed up from all the stupid debris that seems to be collecting on all the highways around here. Was following PA135's thread about whether to repaint his front end or not.

Are you going back to BMW of Rockville's body shop for the work?

[Yeineken]

Man that sucks. Very lucky to find that bumper in the area.

Good luck on the rebuild!

[Matticus91]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

It's great you're not giving up on the car. I've had a similar circumstance with a previous motorcycle but with a slightly different outcome.

Had I seen that ad, I might have thought about buying it myself. My bumper is pretty rashed up from all the stupid debris that seems to be collecting on all the highways around here. Was following PA135's thread about whether to repaint his front end or not.

Are you going back to BMW of Rockville's body shop for the work?

Yeah I definitely don't want to give up on the car, even though it's been a massive pain in the ass lately lol. But this was my own doing so I wouldn't hold it against anyone else. It's also telling that I should have replaced my front tires sooner, but I'll get into that once things are settled.

I'm happy about having a clean front end again, I'll likely wrap it in PPF to keep it that way. I've never purchased a car new so, funny enough, this will be the most pristine car I've ever owned now, paint-wise at least. I am indeed going to BMW of Rockville's Collision Center. They said they'd be willing to work with me on the 1M bumper and I'm sure they'll do a great job, and if not they're officially recognized by BMW NA so I'll have some backing on quality and fit/finish.

Originally Posted by Yeineken

Man that sucks. Very lucky to find that bumper in the area.

Good luck on the rebuild!

Thanks man, it was extremely lucky. And the guy had almost sold it at a lower price too so it was very good timing.

Now I'm oogling at all the 1M splitters and such lol. I think I'll be removing the fog lights though since there's no easy way to wire them from what I can tell. Might do an open duct to the brakes direct from the front.

[zx10guy]

I've been overall happy with the body work there too. I did have to go back one time because they didn't get the alignment on rear diffuser quite right. The body guy was able to get it snapped in properly while I stood there. That and I think they were the source of the water problems that shorted out the junction box in the trunk. Not sure if the repair shop went after the body shop for reimbursement or if they just submitted it as a warranty claim with the mother ship. The paint work done on the rear bumper cover still looks good 3+ years later.

I worked with Courtney there. Not sure who you've been talking to. I got him to drop his price on the paint work as I didn't feel like going through insurance for something this minor and being my fault. I got a price from Passport and he matched it.

[Matticus91]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

I've been overall happy with the body work there too. I did have to go back one time because they didn't get the alignment on rear diffuser quite right. The body guy was able to get it snapped in properly while I stood there. That and I think they were the source of the water problems that shorted out the junction box in the trunk. Not sure if the repair shop went after the body shop for reimbursement or if they just submitted it as a warranty claim with the mother ship. The paint work done on the rear bumper cover still looks good 3+ years later.

I worked with Courtney there. Not sure who you've been talking to. I got him to drop his price on the paint work as I didn't feel like going through insurance for something this minor and being my fault. I got a price from Passport and he matched it.

Glad to hear you've had some experience with them. Is Passport typically cheaper? Maybe I can get a line-by-line from them if I think their price is too high for any extra work.

[zx10guy]

I'm not sure how clear cut your situation will be in terms of easily getting an estimate from Annapolis. My paint work was pretty minor relative to yours...scratches on the rear bumper cover and diffuser. Annapolis only needed pictures of the damage for them to come up with an official quote/estimate.

Oh and I made a mistake about which the other dealer I the estimate from. It's actually BMW of Annapolis. They're one of the other dealerships with their own in house BMW certified body shops. I looked back at my old email and Annapolis was almost $100 cheaper which Courtney at Rockville matched at $845.

[1and1]

Just wondering about the various bits & pieces, curious what all you end up touching as you go through this process-

I came up with this list, but am probably missing a bunch of stuff, and totally overlooked a bunch of other things. Is it even remotely close?

hood (new OE plus paint)
front bumper
head lights (maybe not, but drivers side looks pretty rough...)
kidney grills

Judging by the bend in the hood
radiator
FMIC
AC Condensor
fans & mount
pulleys?
power steering pump (mentioned PS failure)
alternator (mentioned charging code)

so.....,
other pulleys & tensioners?
serp. belt?
front inlet? maybe both?
AutoTrans have a heat exchanger between rad & power steering pump, but I think the MT don't?
FMIC?
Various plastic bits- shroud around FMIC, brake ducting etc

[Matticus91]

Originally Posted by 1and1

Just wondering about the various bits & pieces, curious what all you end up touching as you go through this process-

I came up with this list, but am probably missing a bunch of stuff, and totally overlooked a bunch of other things. Is it even remotely close?

Yeah I think you got all the stuff you could tell from the pics for sure, and plenty of stuff I didn't mark down. I combined your list and mine from my first post:

To be replaced:

• Hood
• Driver side fender
• Driver side headlight (potentially pass side as well)
• Radiator
• Bumper & cover
• Kidney grilles

Non-exterior/mechanical:

• Serp belt
• Pulleys & tensioners
• FMIC is potential but it's quite low and damage is high so might be ok
• AC Condenser likely
• Fans and mount
• Air inlet(s)
• Power steering pump
• Various plastic bits- shroud around FMIC, brake ducting etc

Other stuff:

• Power steering was dead, slightly scary
• Coolant leaked all over
• Battery indicator came up, "Charging error" or something like that
• Engine sounded totally fine, car stayed on after crash
• No airbags (whew). Happened at less than 20mph

Thanks for the input man. Adjuster comes tomorrow so we'll see what they say officially, and then we'll see what the shop says they missed lol. Been down this road before, as long as everything gets buttoned up nicely and I'm back in the seat within the month I'll be happy!

[Matticus91]

Alright so the adjuster is coming today but in the meantime I've spoken with my shop about having some work done. Depending on the cost of repairs, I'll be buying some parts myself and recouping some of my deductible as a result by not using OEM.

So far I'll be replacing the stock 135i bumper with the 1M version for the 135 that bolts right up. I'm going to wait on the quote for the rest but my plans also include:

• Stock FMIC to be replaced with aftermarket (could use suggestions for 2013 n55 car).
• Stock hood to be replaced with Seibon Carbon Fiber M3 style, using AeroCatch latches for the pins (necessary on lightened hoods for these cars). I'll be having the shop paint the hood to match, except the vents, which will remain CF as an accent.
• If both headlights are destroyed (one definitely is) I'll replace them with Euro-style lights without the orange on the sides. Having a hard time finding these though!

It's just a few things but I think it could come out looking really good. Open to input and recommendations!

[Stewy_604]

Glad you're ok man, definitely could've been a lot worse. Good approach on making the best of a bad situation as well. Keep us posted on the outcome.

[Matticus91]

Originally Posted by Stewy_604

Glad you're ok man, definitely could've been a lot worse. Good approach on making the best of a bad situation as well. Keep us posted on the outcome.

Thanks man

Update: 1M bumper acquired and paint matched perfectly. I've also ordered a Seibon carbon fiber M3 style dome hood that will be painted to match except for the vents, which will be left as CF.

Car should be getting inspected either today or tomorrow, yesterday didn't happen which sucks but will give more time for the parts I've ordered to arrive.

My car with the new bumper waiting to go on! I'm holding on to it until the shop is ready for it.

[doublevanosrc]

Looking good man!! Just be patient it will be back soon.

On a side note those kidney grills with the chrome slates are OEM? I swear I have never seen them for sale.

[Cmoney135i]

Didn't you just get your car back? I'm gonna give the 1er some love when I get home.

[Matticus91]

Originally Posted by doublevanosrc

Looking good man!! Just be patient it will be back soon.

On a side note those kidney grills with the chrome slates are OEM? I swear I have never seen them for sale.

Thanks trying to be patient but izsoharddd.

The kidney grilles came with the bumper from what the PO said. I've also never seen this style. I'll likely be selling them since I like the full black look so if you want them let me know.

My car had the full chrome ones to start, i think the black with chrome looks much better.

135iv2-8 by Matt Steele, on Flickr

Originally Posted by Cmoney135i

Didn't you just get your car back? I'm gonna give the 1er some love when I get home.

Don't take her for granted

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by Matticus91

The kidney grilles came with the bumper from what the PO said. I've also never seen this style. I'll likely be selling them since I like the full black look so if you want them let me know.

My car had the full chrome ones to start, i think the black with chrome looks much better.

Just an FYI, the 128i, 135is, and the 1M all came with black and chrome grills. The 135i is the only one that came with all chrome grills. I think the 135i "Lifestyle Edition" came with white grills.

[Esteban]

Actually, according to some pics I was looking at, the grills on the "Lifestyle Edition" look chrome and white. Yes?

[swagon]

Originally Posted by Esteban

Actually, according to some pics I was looking at, the grills on the "Lifestyle Edition" look chrome and white. Yes?

Yes.

I really like them.

[Matticus91]

Originally Posted by Esteban

Just an FYI, the 128i, 135is, and the 1M all came with black and chrome grills. The 135i is the only one that came with all chrome grills. I think the 135i "Lifestyle Edition" came with white grills.

Good to know! I spent the afternoon today destroying the black/chrome grilles lol. I separated the internal section (just the grilles) from the outside housing part and sanded off the chrome bits. Then sprayed a few coats of semi-gloss base onto it. Next step is some more lighter sanding to make them perfectly smooth and then a light coat of semi-gloss black to fill in. After that will come a very subtle M color scheme on 3 slats on the drivers side grilles, and then gloss clear coat over everything for protection.

It'll look exactly the same as the pic below, just done with paint instead of stickers, and for the full length of the slats.

135lights-3 by Matt Steele, on Flickr

[champignon]

Or you could do something unique, like putting the blue and white from the rondel on a couple of slats on both sides of the grill.

[Matticus91]

Originally Posted by champignon

Or you could do something unique, like putting the blue and white from the rondel on a couple of slats on both sides of the grill.

Not quite following the vision here - do you mean just color 2 slats on each side the blue and white colors?