Wheel Arch / Fender Flare Question. Anyone try Sarona??

[asudevil]

I have an 09' 4.8 x5 non sport but I installed some staggered 20" M-series wheels from a newer X5 and would like to get some clean/sleek looking fender flares (like X5m fender flares) to install and color match to the body color of space grey. Does anyone know of any companies that sell the wheel arches/flares ready to paint with a smooth finish? Or is my only option to get the oem flares with the textured finish and have them sanded down and prepped before the paint can be applied? I've found these but do not know of anyone that has worked with this company: http://www.sarona.com/BMW/X5/all/Fender%20Flares/
Thanks for any advice!!

[P1]

Just purchase the fender flares that come with an M Sport and get those painted to match your car.

[asudevil]

Originally Posted by P1et

Just purchase the fender flares that come with an M Sport and get those painted to match your car.

Just any particular year? Or does that matter much? Thanks!

[P1]

Originally Posted by asudevil

Just any particular year? Or does that matter much? Thanks!

As long as it's an M Sport, you're fine. I do believe you're better off finding the part number of a non-LCI though, just in case. So anything 2010 or older.

[neliconcept]

M sport flares don't come in like regular flares do for the 20s. You'll need to get the front and rear bumper as well as the side skirts for it to fit right. Which from what I understand is about 6k in parts not painted..

[asudevil]

Originally Posted by neliconcept

M sport flares don't come in like regular flares do for the 20s. You'll need to get the front and rear bumper as well as the side skirts for it to fit right. Which from what I understand is about 6k in parts not painted..

Yeah, I've learned that I can't get the M style flares I'm wanting because I'm trying to keep my stock bumpers and just have everything not space grey painted to match the body (black plastic trim on both bumpers/the side steps/fender flares, and thinking about painting the chrome trim around the windows black like the M-Series). Just seems that every set of extended flares I can find online have the black textured plastic finish. I'd like to find a set that comes with a smooth finish so that it will cut down on the prep time to paint them, which will ultimately save me some money in the long run... hopefully!! This is all in an attempt to hook up my an 09' 4.8xDrive without breaking the bank since I already installed staggered 20" M-Series wheels and Lux LED lighting. I'd like to do the H & R 1.5" drop but there seems to be such mixed reviews about it and I do not want to give my 3 month old an incredibly harsh/bumpy ride (just yet). But... I do want the X to look cleaner and sportier if possible. I'll post a pic of my wife's X5 in it's current condition and will also include 3 pictures of the E70 I'm attempting to replicate (minus the side rails).

[asudevil]

Have any members seen or heard of anyone trying out these fender flares from Sarona? They claim to have X5M style flares that fit base model E70 bumpers...

http://www.sarona.com/BMW/X5/all/Fender%20Flares/

[-c-]

Anything aftermarket usually sucks for fitment. I've heard of a few people buying the aftermarket flairs and rockers and they didn't fit worth a hill of beans. Stay clear of the cheap Chinese stuff. Buy some used OEM flares if your gonna paint them anyway.

But trust me, I'm not gonna dictate how you personalize your ride but I'll give you my professional opinion, I design cars for a living, not and engineer I actually design the concepts you see at the auto shows and I can say that unless you paint everything just painting the arches is not going to look right, the cut lines are not in a place that will compliment the design your gonna have little upturned parts that may look off, I may be able to photoshop the image for you if you wish. It may be fine but for the money I think the black arches will still look great.

In the end it's your call but I think just putting on the black arches will look great regardless.

[socale39]

I have to agree with -C-

Just painting the arches will look off, I've seen it before. You really will need to paint the bumpers and side skirts for it to look right.

[asudevil]

Originally Posted by socale39

I have to agree with -C-

Just painting the arches will look off, I've seen it before. You really will need to paint the bumpers and side skirts for it to look right.

Yes, I'm planning on also painting the arches, bumpers, and side skirts all space grey to match the body. I also want the chrome trim around the windows painted black like in the pictures above. Thanks so much for everyone's input!

-C- you have a PM waiting for ya, just fyi.

[Cattivo]

Originally Posted by asudevil

Yes, I'm planning on also painting the arches, bumpers, and side skirts all space grey to match the body. I also want the chrome trim around the windows painted black like in the pictures above. Thanks so much for everyone's input!

-C- you have a PM waiting for ya, just fyi.

You can save yourself a ton of money by painting the parts yourself, scratch wizard sells OEM BMW paint for a reasonable price