[Patton250]

Sooooo I was all excited to drive my M5 today and I noticed this crap. I have no idea who did it. This thing has been to so many shops in the last 1.5 months. It might’ve even came from the factory like this for all I know. What surprises me is how long it took me to see it. I know my detailing guy didn’t do it. He takes before and after pictures and he showed me his first set of before pictures when I hired them three weeks ago and it was there then. How difficult is it to fix this? The inside door panel from BMW is $3100 because you have to replace the whole thing. How freaking aggravating. Lol.

[AHall]

Originally Posted by Patton250

Sooooo I was all excited to drive my M5 today and I noticed this crap. I have no idea who did it. This thing has been to so many shops in the last 1.5 months. It might’ve even came from the factory like this for all I know. What surprises me is how long it took me to see it. I know my detailing guy didn’t do it. He takes before and after pictures and he showed me his first set of before pictures when I hired them three weeks ago and it was there then. How difficult is it to fix this? The inside door panel from BMW is $3100 because you have to replace the whole thing. How freaking aggravating. Lol.

Can you not massage it out or is the leather cut or punctured?

[Patton250]

Originally Posted by AHall

Can you not massage it out or is the leather cut or punctured?

Actually, those pictures you see are from me taking them from the drivers seat with both doors closed. Check out these pictures. I don’t think it’s as bad as I originally thought. Certainly someone can fix this quite easily right? The leather is not cut. What do you think? I really have no idea.

[AHall]

Originally Posted by Patton250

Actually, those pictures you see are from me taking them from the drivers seat with both doors closed. Check out these pictures. I don’t think it’s as bad as I originally thought. Certainly someone can fix this quite easily right? The leather is not cut. What do you think? I really have no idea.

I am not a leather expert, but an upholstery shop or someone specializing in leather repair may be able to repair the leather without replacement. I would definitely at least ask about this option before replacement.

[Patton250]

Originally Posted by AHall

I am not a leather expert, but an upholstery shop or someone specializing in leather repair may be able to repair the leather without replacement. I would definitely at least ask about this option before replacement.

I agree. The master technician at BMW laughed at me for being worried about it. He said it’s a very easy fix. I don’t know what that means but this guy doesn’t even use tools anymore he just stands next to a BMW and fixes it with his mind.

I pray he’s right.

[jivom5]

Originally Posted by Patton250

I agree. The master technician at BMW laughed at me for being worried about it. He said it’s a very easy fix. I don’t know what that means but this guy doesn’t even use tools anymore he just stands next to a BMW and fixes it with his mind.

I pray he’s right.

if im not wrong you could use a heatgun/hairdryer to slowly shape it back. Try a hairdryer first from around 4-5 inches away see if that makes any change. best of luck

[Patton250]

Originally Posted by jivom5

if im not wrong you could use a heatgun/hairdryer to slowly shape it back. Try a hairdryer first from around 4-5 inches away see if that makes any change. best of luck

I appreciate you. I really thought more people would chime in on this thread with their experience. The lead technician at BMW said it’s a very easy fix. He told me not to worry about it. I will bring it to them this weekend. I’ll keep you guys updated.

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

Originally Posted by Patton250

I appreciate you. I really thought more people would chime in on this thread with their experience. The lead technician at BMW said it’s a very easy fix. He told me not to worry about it. I will bring it to them this weekend. I’ll keep you guys updated.

I think you’re not the only one to be hesitant to have the dealership rip their brand new car apart, even if they claim it’s not a big deal. I haven’t been here near as long as the OGs, but I’ve been here long enough to tell you that I’ve seen several threads where owners have been hesitant to allow the dealership to “fix” things purely for cosmetic purposes. I can off the top of my head think about the owner who needed to have their center console disassembled to replace trim pieces (he declined to do so); the owner who needed to have something done behind the glove box that required the removal of the dashboard (he also declined); and the owner who needed to have the driver’s door card and all the middle pieces and their clips removed to fix a rattle and didn’t end up doing so.

If I recall correctly, micvite had something like this and he was hesitant to allow the dealership to do it, and I believe he ultimately declined to do so. (Please correct me if I am wrong!)

My point in telling you all this is that I think you’re not hearing about a lot of people’s experience merely because we don’t have any to give you lol.

I’d be hesitant to some extent as well; my previous M5’s dark carbon trim surround around the center console, the retractable cup holder cover, and the door inserts were very badly scratched and I was looking into having them replaced, but was a bit nervous to do so. I ended up trading the car for my new one before I got a chance to do it.

[micvite]

Originally Posted by ResIpsaLoquitur

I think you’re not the only one to be hesitant to have the dealership rip their brand new car apart, even if they claim it’s not a big deal. I haven’t been here near as long as the OGs, but I’ve been here long enough to tell you that I’ve seen several threads where owners have been hesitant to allow the dealership to “fix” things purely for cosmetic purposes. I can off the top of my head think about the owner who needed to have their center console disassembled to replace trim pieces (he declined to do so); the owner who needed to have something done behind the glove box that required the removal of the dashboard (he also declined); and the owner who needed to have the driver’s door card and all the middle pieces and their clips removed to fix a rattle and didn’t end up doing so.

If I recall correctly, micvite had something like this am he was hesitant to allo the dealership to do it, and I believe he ultimately declined to do so.

My point in telling you all this is that I think you’re not hearing about of a lot of people’s experience merely because we don’t have any to give you lol.

I’d be hesitant to some extent as well; my previous M5’s dark carbon trim surround around the center console, the retractable cup holder cover, and the door inserts were very badly scratched and I was looking into having them replaced, but was a bit nervous to do so. I ended up trading the car for my new one before I got a chance to do it.

Wasn't me lol. But I'd rather take my stuff to a body shop than the dealer for cosmetics including something like this, preferably a well know bmw factory certified one like the one I'm going to for my ppf (across the country from hwere I live) because I've had it with all these "awesome shops"

[Patton250]

Originally Posted by ResIpsaLoquitur

I think you’re not the only one to be hesitant to have the dealership rip their brand new car apart, even if they claim it’s not a big deal. I haven’t been here near as long as the OGs, but I’ve been here long enough to tell you that I’ve seen several threads where owners have been hesitant to allow the dealership to “fix” things purely for cosmetic purposes. I can off the top of my head think about the owner who needed to have their center console disassembled to replace trim pieces (he declined to do so); the owner who needed to have something done behind the glove box that required the removal of the dashboard (he also declined); and the owner who needed to have the driver’s door card and all the middle pieces and their clips removed to fix a rattle and didn’t end up doing so.

If I recall correctly, micvite had something like this and he was hesitant to allow the dealership to do it, and I believe he ultimately declined to do so. (Please correct me if I am wrong!)

My point in telling you all this is that I think you’re not hearing about a lot of people’s experience merely because we don’t have any to give you lol.

I’d be hesitant to some extent as well; my previous M5’s dark carbon trim surround around the center console, the retractable cup holder cover, and the door inserts were very badly scratched and I was looking into having them replaced, but was a bit nervous to do so. I ended up trading the car for my new one before I got a chance to do it.

Originally Posted by micvite

Wasn't me lol. But I'd rather take my stuff to a body shop than the dealer for cosmetics including something like this, preferably a well know bmw factory certified one like the one I'm going to for my ppf (across the country from hwere I live) because I've had it with all these "awesome shops"

It’s actually not the dealership doing it. They are facilitating it. It’s a professional mobile company that repairs interiors. Just like they have a dent guy. It’s not the actual dealership but vendors. I guess my biggest question on this thread was after you guys seeing the pictures is this a major deal or not? With my OCD I can’t handle it. I’ll just drop the coin and replace the whole inside door panel if I have to. However, like I was saying, the senior technician at my BMW dealership tells me he sees worse then this fixed all the time by this repair company. It’s not that I don’t trust the young mans word I would just love to hear from some of you that have possibly had similar experiences with similar repair companies.

[micvite]

Originally Posted by Patton250

It’s actually not the dealership doing it. They are facilitating it. It’s a professional mobile company that repairs interiors. Just like they have a dent guy. It’s not the actual dealership but vendors. I guess my biggest question on this thread was after you guys seeing the pictures is this a major deal or not? With my OCD I can’t handle it. I’ll just drop the coin and replace the whole inside door panel if I have to. However, like I was saying, the senior technician at my BMW dealership tells me he sees worse then this fixed all the time by this repair company. It’s not that I don’t trust the young mans word I would just love to hear from some of you that have possibly had similar experiences with similar repair companies.

The way I'm looking at it, from personal experience, not with leather or anything is that I simply don't trust a lot of these vendors and companies anymore. Unless you've seen it with your own eyes that they did a good job I refuse to take my car anywhere anymore after what happened with the ppf on my last car. That being said, it doesn't look terrible if it's not punctured, but like you said I'd rather just replace the panel. You can probably get a used one for decently cheap since it's the end of the production run if you really need to, but hey. Since you have that option might as well see if they can fix it properly first.

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

Originally Posted by micvite

Wasn't me lol. But I'd rather take my stuff to a body shop than the dealer for cosmetics including something like this, preferably a well know bmw factory certified one like the one I'm going to for my ppf (across the country from hwere I live) because I've had it with all these "awesome shops"

My bad bro. Totally mixed you up with someone else. I could’ve sworn it was on a frozen bluestone car; I know there aren’t too many of those, so I thought it was you!

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

Originally Posted by Patton250

It’s actually not the dealership doing it. They are facilitating it. It’s a professional mobile company that repairs interiors. Just like they have a dent guy. It’s not the actual dealership but vendors. I guess my biggest question on this thread was after you guys seeing the pictures is this a major deal or not? With my OCD I can’t handle it. I’ll just drop the coin and replace the whole inside door panel if I have to. However, like I was saying, the senior technician at my BMW dealership tells me he sees worse then this fixed all the time by this repair company. It’s not that I don’t trust the young mans word I would just love to hear from some of you that have possibly had similar experiences with similar repair companies.

This would personally drive me nuts, especially on a brand new car, so I get it. I think the best thing to do if you want to go the repair route is get on the books with the dealership/their subcontractorp and speak to the individual that comes out to do it. If it doesn’t feel right, just decline the service and go with replacement as suggested by micvite.

Obviously a totally different thing, and a totally different dealer, but my dealership uses a subcontractor like this for wheel repairs. They happen to be the best wheel repair service I’ve ever encountered. This doesn’t shed any light on your situation, but outside contractors at a reputable dealership will probably typically be fine.

On an unrelated note, I have a very expensive leather ottoman that got a puncture that I absolutely can not nail down how exactly it happened. It was custom made for my home and the manufacturer did not have access to the specialty hide it was constructed out of. It was essentially unreplaceable. Way worse damage than this. I contacted a reputable three generation family owned leather repair company that all the expensive furniture companies (think Restoration Hardware, Ligne Roset) in my area use. They repaired this thing so well you could never tell. Maybe it’s worth reaching out to a reputable leather repair company, rather than an automotive upholsterer (like what I think the subcontractor your dealer is using is). Unconventional approach for sure, but you may feel better in the hands of someone like that if you don’t want to go the replacement route.

EDIT — The second set of photos makes it look not as bad as I initially thought. I think a reputable place can repair this, whichever route you end up going.

[Patton250]

Originally Posted by ResIpsaLoquitur

This would personally drive me nuts, especially on a brand new car, so I get it. I think the best thing to do if you want to go the repair route is get on the books with the dealership/their subcontractorp and speak to the individual that comes out to do it. If it doesn’t feel right, just decline the service and go with replacement as suggested by micvite.

Obviously a totally different thing, and a totally different dealer, but my dealership uses a subcontractor like this for wheel repairs. They happen to be the best wheel repair service I’ve ever encountered. This doesn’t shed any light on your situation, but outside contractors at a reputable dealership will probably typically be fine.

On an unrelated note, I have a very expensive leather ottoman that got a puncture that I absolutely can not nail down how exactly it happened. It was custom made for my home and the manufacturer did not have access to the specialty hide it was constructed out of. It was essentially unreplaceable. Way worse damage than this. I contacted a reputable three generation family owned leather repair company that all the expensive furniture companies (think Restoration Hardware, Ligne Roset) in my area use. They repaired this thing so well you could never tell. Maybe it’s worth reaching out to a reputable leather repair company, rather than an automotive upholsterer (like what I think the subcontractor your dealer is using is). Unconventional approach for sure, but you may feel better in the hands of someone like that if you don’t want to go the replacement route.

EDIT — The second set of photos makes it look not as bad as I initially thought. I think a reputable place can repair this, whichever route you end up going.

You are always the most helpful person on this forum. I really appreciate you man. It’s people like you that make it worth coming here.

I think we have a good plan. I’ll give the professional repair guy a shot first. If he fails, I’ll just bite the bullet and order a new door panel. I’m sure they will do better than what the list price shows just because of how many cars have bought from them. However, this guy wouldn’t make a very good living if he wasn’t able to fix stuff like this all the time and the senior technician, I talked to absolutely was 100% confidence, I would never know it was there when he’s done. I’ll post after pictures.

This weekend I’m supposed to get that repaired, have my new HRE’s installed and also have the M performance lowering kit put on. I’m pretty stoked.

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

Originally Posted by Patton250

You are always the most helpful person on this forum. I really appreciate you man. It’s people like you that make it worth coming here.

I think we have a good plan. I’ll give the professional repair guy a shot first. If he fails, I’ll just bite the bullet and order a new door panel. I’m sure they will do better than what the list price shows just because of how many cars have bought from them. However, this guy wouldn’t make a very good living if he wasn’t able to fix stuff like this all the time and the senior technician, I talked to absolutely was 100% confidence, I would never know it was there when he’s done. I’ll post after pictures.

This weekend I’m supposed to get that repaired, have my new HRE’s installed and also have the M performance lowering kit put on. I’m pretty stoked.

Thank you for the kind words!

Glad you have a path for going forward. I agree with you regarding the repair. Please keep us updated.

Can’t wait to see the new setup wheel setup. Photos, please!

[Patton250]

So the dealership had it fixed today and here is the results. I haven’t seen it personally yet. They sent me these pictures. What are your thoughts? Looks 100% gone to me.

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

Originally Posted by Patton250

So the dealership had it fixed today and here is the results. I haven’t seen it personally yet. They sent me these pictures. What are your thoughts? Looks 100% gone to me.

That looks good if you ask me! I can’t tell the marred spots were there before. Glad you were able to get this resolved!

[josec70]

^^this^^ I can’t tell where the damaged area was.

[EM5C]

They did a great job!!!

[NoMods]

my dealer would've made it worse and covered it up with gorilla tape