[CitizenKane]

Hi,

Following on from my recent thread, I'm trying to sell my 2013 e92 320d. It has the following mods (all OEM):

Performance exhaust
Performance spoiler
Performance rear diffuser
Black kidney grills

Will these affect the resale value of the car (downwards or indeed upwards)?

My instinct is to remove everything and completely revert to stock, but then given it's all OEM stuff I'm not sure.

Thanks!

[Len_Beach]

Originally Posted by CitizenKane

Hi,

Following on from my recent thread, I'm trying to sell my 2013 e92 320d. It has the following mods (all OEM):

Performance exhaust
Performance spoiler
Performance rear diffuser
Black kidney grills

Will these affect the resale value of the car (downwards or indeed upwards)?

My instinct is to remove everything and completely revert to stock, but then given it's all OEM stuff I'm not sure.

Thanks!

I'd remove them. At best they will seal a deal but I sincerely doubt they will add value.

Sell stock and recoup some of the cost of the parts.

[CitizenKane]

Cheers.

TBH I'm not at all bothered about whether they add value, I'm only really concerned about whether they will reduce value or put people off buying it! In that context would you still remove them?

I'd be happy to remove them but the tricky ones are the exhaust (which I will need to get done professionally) and the spoiler (which was installed with betalink and so will probably require the boot to be repainted...)

[ShoCk_]

Don't know about any one else but I always look for cars that have cosmetic mods on them. Saves me from having to spend money doing it myself. Has to be sensible mods ufcourse ...

[wolly440]

If your trading it in, I'd remove and sell on. Dealers will only give you book price anyway

[angry_feet]

Like already said they will boost the selling factor over others rather than the price.

[CitizenKane]

Thanks all.

I spoke to my main dealer who told me that if the paint is damaged removing the spoiler then they would need to repaint the boot lid and "blend" both quarter panels. I've asked them to clarify, but why on earth would it be necessary to do anything to the quarter panels?

[angry_feet]

So the paint blends in.

[CitizenKane]

Originally Posted by angry_feet

So the paint blends in.

You're overestimating my knowledge of how cars are painted. So it's not as simple as just making sure the paint is the same colour and then painting the individual boot lid?

Last year I had to have my rear quarter panel repainted as part of a dent repair, and as far as I know they didn't do anything with the boot lid?

[Pixel8ed]

Originally Posted by CitizenKane

You're overestimating my knowledge of how cars are painted. So it's not as simple as just making sure the paint is the same colour and then painting the individual boot lid?

Last year I had to have my rear quarter panel repainted as part of a dent repair, and as far as I know they didn't do anything with the boot lid?

Not always that simple. A lot of colors fade over time. Some start to fade immediately. So painting only one panel makes it different than the rest and seriously reduces value. By blending the surrounding panels the cosor fades from one to the other softening the transition, and at times making it invisible. At times you can blend the paint in on the same panel if the spot is small enough or panel big enough.

I used to be an automotive painter, there were very few colors that you can actually get away with by not blending. Some people may not notice, but those with an eye for it can spot it in a heartbeat.

[CitizenKane]

I see, thanks for clarifying.

I got another quote from someone else (not a BMW dealer) which is lower but didn't mention anything about blending. Given the entire purpose of me doing this (removing the spoiler and potentially repainting the boot lid) is to maximise resale potential, I wonder should I bite the bullet and go for the main dealer's quote to make sure this doesn't get messed up?

One thing I've certainly learned from this experience: never use Betalink...

[Pixel8ed]

Dealers often hold a higher standard of work. They have to, to compete with lower prices of other shops. But that is not always true. The shop I was the painter for, we had the contract with the local Jaguar dealer as they had no bodywork at the dealership. They came to us because of the level of work we put out And the reputation we had. Which also got us the local Saturn dealer, and back up for the Mitsubishi dealer.

Point is, Dealer is a good bet. But check around as well. The work may not actually be done there, and is cheaper to go right to the source.

Just take some time and roll by some shops and take note of what kind of cars they have on the lot. They all will have basic cars, But take note to which one has 3 BMW and 4 mercedes in line. They most likely are the one you want.

[CitizenKane]

FYI I managed to get the spoiler off without damaging the paint, if anyone's interested - http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1417481