E90Post
 


 
BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > BMW E90/E92/E93 3-series General Forums > General E90 Sedan / E91 Wagon / E92 Coupe / E93 Cabrio > Quality of Alibaba Body Kits?



Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      03-22-2024, 12:06 AM   #1
JimThot
Private First Class
JimThot's Avatar
Canada
40
Rep
134
Posts

Drives: 2009 E92 335i
Join Date: Jun 2020
Location: canada

iTrader: (0)

Quality of Alibaba Body Kits?

I’ve searched up this topic before but never had seen anyone actually buy them and see the quality. Also most of the posts are old and i’d assume the quality would’ve improved by now.

I’m wondering if anyone has gone through with any of the body kits or single bumpers as the ones listed below and are happy with the results.

https://www.alibaba.com/product-deta...514053333.html

https://www.alibaba.com/product-deta...627571165.html

https://www.alibaba.com/product-deta...992832323.html

https://www.alibaba.com/product-deta...510042921.html
Appreciate 0
      03-23-2024, 03:24 AM   #2
mictang
Enlisted Member
22
Rep
44
Posts

Drives: E90 325i
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Asia

iTrader: (0)

They are okay quality, the material is different from OE and thickness is thinner. They are plain plastic whereas OE seems to have fiber reinforcement.

I got a set of M-Tech replicas in 2017, the front bumper is still original, got scratched and repainted a few times. Side skirts are quite flimsy (the points where grommets hook onto are too soft), fitment looks okay from 1m away but there are gaps under the door jams.

Rear bumper got destroyed twice due to street low speed rear ends, OE bumper would have survived and can be repaired, but the replica shattered into pieces at the impact point.

Other guy's insurance paid for repairs both times, I bought another replica maybe 2 or 3 years ago and the quality was no different. And the more recent time I simply took it to a BMW dealer who installed an OE M-Tech rear for me. (The invoice was 1.4 times what I paid for the entire replica set)


If the price is significantly cheaper, I would buy the replicas again. But nowadays salvage OE bumpers are getting cheaper so I would go for them if they are about the same price or slightly more expensive than the replicas.
Appreciate 1
      03-23-2024, 11:58 AM   #3
Andrewah05
Captain
Andrewah05's Avatar
Canada
70
Rep
628
Posts

Drives: 335i TiAg
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Toronto, Canada

iTrader: (0)

Any reviews on their LCI tail light upgrades?
Appreciate 0
      03-23-2024, 12:41 PM   #4
Igor_M5
Igor_M5's Avatar
United_States
2143
Rep
1,835
Posts

Drives: Many, BMW.
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: New York City

iTrader: (10)

Garage List
1st, Shop on eBay, it’s a safer gamble, especially when quality is in question.

2nd, stick to OE or OEM cosmetic parts. There’s no cheap custom solutions such as that 1M bumper, u less you sit there and prep it yourself or pay a respectable price to have one painted and installed for you. OE will fit like OEM, but require a little bit of extra prep (edges can be hairy, surface could have small imperfections).

If you live in cold climate, stick to OEM, as mentioned above, OE can shatter in cold weather from light impacts.

Best way to find / buy OE for best price is searching up on RockAuto or sites like CarID for the aftermarket part numbers, they usually start with “BM” followed by a series of numbers.

Take that p/n and google it, if you change the last digit with one up or down, you’ll find the same product but in diff variants (with PDC, or without, or with headlight washers, etc). Search on eBay with that part number and make sure you check box “search in description”, then sort by price from highest to cheapest and go down the list, if you search from cheapest, eBay will usually hide the actual cheaper prices.

Oh and prices fluctuate nearly every week like the stock market based on inventory nationwide (sometimes a bumper w pdc could be $650, where as a bumper with pdc and hl washers can be $290), so keep that in mind.
Appreciate 0
      03-23-2024, 12:44 PM   #5
Igor_M5
Igor_M5's Avatar
United_States
2143
Rep
1,835
Posts

Drives: Many, BMW.
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: New York City

iTrader: (10)

Garage List
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrewah05 View Post
Any reviews on their LCI tail light upgrades?
Yeah.

Chinese automotive lighting isn’t an upgrade.
Appreciate 0
      03-24-2024, 10:02 AM   #6
Andrewah05
Captain
Andrewah05's Avatar
Canada
70
Rep
628
Posts

Drives: 335i TiAg
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Toronto, Canada

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Igor_M5 View Post
Yeah.

Chinese automotive lighting isn’t an upgrade.
Lol, I'll take your word for it and steer clear.
Appreciate 1
Igor_M52143.00
      03-26-2024, 04:32 PM   #7
Gemini562
Enlisted Member
58
Rep
49
Posts

Drives: E90
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Kansas

iTrader: (0)

Dude, just no... dont buy parts from there
Appreciate 0
Reply

Bookmarks


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:27 AM.




e90post
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST