[vinlikesred]

the picture is the passenger-side rear bumper shot and i just noticed today that where the bumper meets the body, the bumper is slightly pushed in - about 1/8th of an inch.

i did the comparison with the driver's side - and it's perfectly aligned. it's just the passenger side that's a bit misaligned. (anyone having the same problem?)

it's hardly noticible and it's no big deal and it bothers me A LOT

the car is about a month old at 1700 miles and it's not the result of any accident - it just came from the factory that way...

i was gonna do my first oil change at 2k miles but i scheduled an apppt next week at my dealership - mainly because of this...

now i'm having a second thought. getting this fixed...is it a matter of loosening a few screws, align it correctly, and tighten it up? or would it require some major disassembly of rear bumer, fenders, etc...?

i'm afraid they would mess up something more serious in the process of fixing this minor error...

opinions, especially from those who actually work on these cars (any bmw mechanics out there?) appreciated.

thanks

-vin

[nyc3r]

i had bumper scratches fixed but then 2 weeks later it looks the same again.. now i just leave them...

[TurboFan]

Are we looking at the rear wheel in the first picture? I'm assuming that's what it is. The second picture is too dark for me to tell anything.

I worked as a welder building Hondas and Acuras at the factories in East Liberty and Marysville for a few years, if that counts for anything. I've seen a few hundred thousand cars roll off the line, and I'm rather familiar with mfg standards of what is and isn't acceptable.

I tell you all of that because I hate to break it to you, it's probably within spec from the mfg.

I can tell you that Honda, Acura and most other auto makers spec body panels to be +0/-1.5mm from flush as you move from the front of the car to each subsequent panel back. So, the rear bumper should be flush to just tucked from the quarter panel. It has to do with rock chips and the fact that paint is thinnest on the corners of a panel. Given this is your wheel well, I'd be happy that it's inset a bit, as opposed to the other way.

[vinlikesred]

Originally Posted by nyc3r

i had bumper scratches fixed but then 2 weeks later it looks the same again.. now i just leave them...

thanks for your comment but mine is a manufacturing defect though...

[noro]

I wouldn't even think about bothering with that. The sooner you get used to the fact that your daily driver will have dings the happier you will be.

[vinlikesred]

Originally Posted by TurboFan

Are we looking at the rear wheel in the first picture? I'm assuming that's what it is. The second picture is too dark for me to tell anything.

I worked as a welder building Hondas and Acuras at the factories in East Liberty and Marysville for a few years, if that counts for anything. I've seen a few hundred thousand cars roll off the line, and I'm rather familiar with mfg standards of what is and isn't acceptable.

I tell you all of that because I hate to break it to you, it's probably within spec from the mfg.

I can tell you that Honda, Acura and most other auto makers spec body panels to be +0/-1.5mm from flush as you move from the front of the car to each subsequent panel back. So, the rear bumper should be flush to just tucked from the quarter panel. It has to do with rock chips and the fact that paint is thinnest on the corners of a panel. Given this is your wheel well, I'd be happy that it's inset a bit, as opposed to the other way.

thanks for your comment. yup, it's the rear, passenger-side wheel in the first picture. i looked at it again and the gap - the distance the bumper is pushed in - is about 3mm, while driver's side is aligned perfect. so i think this qualifies as a manufacturing defect.

as i mentioned, i'm mostly worried about the process involved to fix this. is it a ten minute job that takes loosening few screws, align it properly, and tighten it up? or is it gonna be a major repair that involves removing the bumper and/or the whole rear body panel assembly? if it's the latter, i might not get it fixed at all...

again, more comment is appreciated thanks!

[vinlikesred]

Originally Posted by noro

I wouldn't even think about bothering with that. The sooner you get used to the fact that your daily driver will have dings the happier you will be.

dings, i can live with. rear bumper not properly assembled... that's a horse of a different color...

i can go see a psychiatrist and pay a lot of money... or i can hopefully get this fixed under warranty

[Tallest]

i wouldn't bother, the dealer will mark you down as an anal bastard who will keep bothering him every time his car makes a little creak. Seriously, this is so tiny, i think it's totally ok, i had to read your post to figure out what was actually wrong!

[BK]

Can you circle the defect in the photo? Seriously, I can't see anything wrong, much less 3mm of "wrong."

In any event, it doesn't hurt to ask the dealer. Especially if it puts your mind at ease.

[TurboFan]

Originally Posted by vinlikesred

thanks for your comment. yup, it's the rear, passenger-side wheel in the first picture. i looked at it again and the gap - the distance the bumper is pushed in - is about 3mm, while driver's side is aligned perfect. so i think this qualifies as a manufacturing defect.

as i mentioned, i'm mostly worried about the process involved to fix this. is it a ten minute job that takes loosening few screws, align it properly, and tighten it up? or is it gonna be a major repair that involves removing the bumper and/or the whole rear body panel assembly? if it's the latter, i might not get it fixed at all...

again, more comment is appreciated thanks!

I don't know how this bumper is precisely assembled, but there is usually some adjustment on all body panels. If it bothers you that much, casually mention that it seriously bugs you the next time you're at the dealer. You may or may not get anywhere.

[Haywire]

Originally Posted by noro

I wouldn't even think about bothering with that. The sooner you get used to the fact that your daily driver will have dings the happier you will be.

its tough, but he's right... it kills me with my new BMW, im seeing every scratch materialize right before my eyes, etc. But like i read in another thread a few weeks back, "unless youre going to keep you new car in a glass box, you wont be able to avoid scratches, chips and so forth"...

good point.

I try to focus on the fact that I have a wonderful car that a lot of people would die for, but dont have... truth is, the majority of the imperfections are things that only WE (the owner) would notice.