Still Headlight problems

Update 25/07/17

I have everything i need to take car into bodyshop bar the passenger side adaptive headlight. This is important as the bodyshop need it to align the front properly (especially since that was the side that was hit)

I had already got the driver's side for the bargain price of £250 and recently found the passenger side for £400 (remember these are about £650 brand new). 

However when the passenger side arrived I tested it and it worked but there was gaps between the lens and body and excessive double sided tape, along with finger print inside the lens. Turns out the lens was replaced poorly and it was written in the listing, albeit very small. It was returned and i was fully refunded.

I found another at a breakers but they seem to think they could charge £600 for a used part, so told them where they could go with that.

So now I'm still on the hunt for a headlight. Or bite the bullet and buy it brand new.

In the meantime here's a video of these pesky lights in action (credit to IronEagle)


BMW F20 Adaptive Headlights (Xenon) from IronEagle on Vimeo.

 If you know where I can find one, get in touch. I would be very appreciate.

Catch you soon

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Buying used parts

Buying parts for this car has really been an exercise in patience. Mainly due to the M135i having an engine not shared with the the majority of F2X cars. Body parts are more common, it's just a case of getting them for the right price, colour, etc.

So far I have almost everything I need to take to body shop, except the left side adaptive headlight (I bought one the other day and paid a bit much for it, but it had had the lens replaced badly so it was returned).

Engine wise I still need a few pipes and hoses - along with the air con condenser and bracket. After that its just airbag kit and windscreen.

Where to buy?

There's only 3 places to get genuine parts:

eBay - The easiest place to search and buy parts (if you know what your looking for), from lots of different sources.

Pros:

Huge number of items to choose from.
Multiple ways to pay also including PayPal's new buy now pay later option.
Click and collect at Argos.

Cons: 

Not able to view prior to buying - Rely on accurate/truthful descriptions
Delivery charges can be costly on bulkier items
Return can be a pain.

Breakers - Specialist BMW breakers (like Quarry motors) are good places to look.

Pros:

Sites like PartsGateway can do all the leg work for you.
Specialists tend to have good knowledge of the cars.

Cons: 

Delivery costs
Unable to view parts if not local
Some breakers don't know much about the cars

BMW - Last resort, as you can imagine brand new parts can be expensive.

Pros:
Exactly the part you need

Cons:
Flipping expensive
No credit option

Other options

There are also some smaller breaker and random sellers. And whilst some of these are good, I have to say my experiences with others (sadly to say mainly from Birmingham area) hasn't been.

Rude, arrogant, unprofessional & dishonest are all words that spring to mind if asked to describe. Most of them come across as rude, arrogant and unprofessional. the genuinely lack any business experience and seem to think the world works according to them. Of the dozens I spoke to when you ask them certain questions about the vehicle they are breaking they get very cagey and all seem to be in a mad hurry to get rid.

One particular bell-end was advertising breaking M135i's and had parts available on eBay. Now unless you pay for a classified Ad your not supposed to add a contact number or email to a listing. this is eBay policy as they do not want to encourage selling outside of their bubble (buyer/seller protection and all that). 

To avoid classified listings fees, he'd list the car breaking against a wheel nut (common practice on eBay) and ask people to message him their number (which is another breach in eBay policy).

He'd then call at some random hour, basically say he has everything and get annoyed if you asked specific questions about parts. And if you didn't commit to driving several hours to Birmingham, he'd throw his toys out the cot and get all rude. This guy then decided he was going to message me insults for a week.

The flip side to this is that I didn't manage to get majority of the front end for the M135i from a similar person in Birmingham. And apart from not knowing the difference between adaptive headlights (See Headlight Fiasco post) and almost not doing a deal over £50 it turned out OK.

NB: Sorry for lack of updates, June was a very busy month with one of my madam's 1st birthday - which equated in a divert of time and funds 

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