Aftermarket front wings. Any good?

nkfb1 · Post by **nkfb1** » Thu 01 Oct, 2020 15:12

Going to replace my rotten front wing panels on my 1999 widebody z3 ... finally!

Some of the used ones for sale are not looking good so wondering if anyone has gone for the aftermarket ones and who from.
Especially as cannot find one in Boston Green metallic.

They all look the same but prices vary hugely. Best price pair I can find are from Poland.

Any thoughts guys and girls would be appreciated.

I am going for original sills but £257 for each genuine wing is far too steep.

Cheers.

Jonco · Post by **Jonco** » Thu 01 Oct, 2020 20:32

I have recently replaced one wing panel and both sills on a narrow body.

I paid £94 (with discount code)for the wing panel through ECP it was a Starline. Cheaper ones are out there. Quality was good and dimensionally it matched spot on. Had to elongate top mount drillings very slightly to get alignment right. Local body shop sprayed it for me for £140.Agree OEM price is ridiculous.
Sills were OEM through local dealer. I looked for aftermarket ones but quality looked iffy. l sprayed them myself using rattle cans.

nkfb1 · Post by **nkfb1** » Sat 03 Oct, 2020 09:42

Cheers Jonco.

Any other experiences would be welcome before I take the plunge..

Thank you

dazthephot · Post by **dazthephot** » Sat 03 Oct, 2020 21:42

It’s a job I have to do too. I’m going to try a repair first though.
I have been looking at this ad on eBay.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/113708890559

Supplied painted.

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Jonco · Post by **Jonco** » Sun 04 Oct, 2020 08:14

dazthephot wrote: ↑Sat 03 Oct, 2020 21:42
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/113708890559

Supplied painted.......

Looks interesting - the local body shop quotes I obtained for spraying were ~£140 off the car, colour match not guaranteed, or £300 on the car and a blended match.
I gave them the old panel and they matched that off the car.

EarlLeeBird · Post by **EarlLeeBird** » Sun 04 Oct, 2020 15:55

Just curious, there are plenty of Z3-s sold for parts in UK on ebay, isn't it cheaper to source a rust free-ish used OEM fender, treat it for rust protection and then paint it?

I managed to source right side one off a salvaged UK Z3 from Latvia for 50 EUR (45 GBP) but the left side was sadly damaged and I had to get a reproduction one by BLIC that was 73 EUR but is 52 EUR now. The reproduction one fits pretty well but there was one overhanging small edge at a bending in door well that I wasn't happy about - its not a visible flaw but just something that needs extra attention before painting.

If the UK scrappers would consider shipping parts to Estonia, I would have chosen a good condition OEM part any day.

Alternatively, does anyone have experience with glass fiber or carbon fiber replacement parts? This would resolve the rust issue completely

dazthephot · Post by **dazthephot** » Sun 04 Oct, 2020 18:48

Of course it is possible and there are plenty of offerings but quite a lot of rust damage on the ones I’ve seen even though I’ve been looking a colour specific ones.
Kind of depends on your skill level as well. I’m a decent hobby mechanic but I’m no painter which is a good skill to have if you’re going to diy it which is why I’d go for a pre- painted aftermarket panel.

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dazthephot · Post by **dazthephot** » Sun 04 Oct, 2020 18:51

Jonco wrote:
dazthephot wrote: ↑Sat 03 Oct, 2020 21:42
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/113708890559

Supplied painted.......
Looks interesting - the local body shop quotes I obtained for spraying were ~£140 off the car, colour match not guaranteed, or £300 on the car and a blended match.
I gave them the old panel and they matched that off the car.

It’s a bit of a risk I suppose given that it’s a copy part but if the paint job is good then how far out could it be? They also offer to colour match if you send them something - probably the old panel.

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EarlLeeBird · Post by **EarlLeeBird** » Mon 05 Oct, 2020 05:50

dazthephot wrote: ↑Sun 04 Oct, 2020 18:51
It’s a bit of a risk I suppose given that it’s a copy part but if the paint job is good then how far out could it be? They also offer to colour match if you send them something - probably the old panel.

If it is flat paint and something dark I guess it is not an issue but I can't remember seeing a Z with flat paint - I think there was a total of 5 tones available and most buyers opted for the metallic.
It is really depending on the color, some bright metallic colors have a lot of components in there and the paint codes have variations, some even up to 4, this means that without a sample panel the painter cant select the correct variation.

Another factor is sun aging - professional painters can alter the paint tone to match the old paint. And then there is air pressure and spray direction that also change how the metallic colors look under bright lights or sun - this is the main reason it is needed to paint the panel on the car and often blended to the next panel.

dazthephot · Post by **dazthephot** » Tue 06 Oct, 2020 18:44

I was more referring to the copy part panel not being too far off the original but Thank you for your explanation there’s obviously a lot more to it than I realise. Rather a dumb statement of mine anyway “how far off can it be”, obviously very far. Mines Blue Topaz and I’d hate to see a large panel that was a different shade.

I’ve just done my wing mirror bases using rattle cans with 364 code and it’s not a bad job but took a few attempts. It’s encouraged me to try and do the front wing repair (rust patch) knowing that if I mess it up I’ll be paying for a professional to do it.

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