[Tork]

Hi everyone,

I recently bought a CPO 08 335i coupe from a BMW dealership and so I decided to join this forum. I picked up the car about two weeks ago but didn't notice there was a gap between the hood and the front bumper until a few days ago. I didn't notice if the gap was there or not on the day I went to pick up my car although I'm pretty sure it was because I drive carefully and wouldnt have been able to do that myself in the past 2 weeks.

I have attached pictures. Does this gap indicate there's been some body work performed on the car? Could it possibly indicate a previous accident? I don't recall seeing any record of any accidents on the Carfax when I purchased the car. Did the dealer scam me? Do you think this gap indicates there could have been rework done to the front of the car and possibly the engine space?

What can I do about this? The gap is obvious to me and now I'm worried about its implications. I have looked at many other 335 coupes and the hood and bumper fit perfectly.

Advice guys?

[968tomr]

There are certain service situations that call for the removal of the front bumper. Also, the small plastic screws that hold the middle section of the bumper close to the hood can get loose.

Try pushing the bumper in and tightening those screws.

-Tom

[EngineCo52]

what kind of bumper is that?? looks like its been painted (not original) poss a front in collision in the past

[Tork]

Originally Posted by 968tomr

There are certain service situations that call for the removal of the front bumper. Also, the small plastic screws that hold the middle section of the bumper close to the hood can get loose.

Try pushing the bumper in and tightening those screws.

-Tom

Thanks for your reply Tom. I tried pushing the bumper in and it feels pretty sturdy, not loose at all.

If you see from the first picture, the gap between the hood and bumper is pretty big. In fact it almost looks like an overbite.

So you're saying that sometimes the bumper needs to be removed for certain services, but is it possible that after they put on the bumper such a wide gap can exist?

The gap bothers me a bit, but not as much as the idea that this car could have possibly been in an accident that required rework that I do not know about.

-Vince

[Tork]

Originally Posted by EngineCo52

what kind of bumper is that?? looks like its been painted (not original) poss a front in collision in the past

Really? It should be the stock 08 bumper.

Does it really look repainted? The color seems to match the rest of the car.

[3me]

I do know that paint on metal body panels looks just slightly different than paint on polyurethane body panels. That might be the difference engine Co52 is witnessing since there is a glare on both in this pic

[blacknbean]

did the dealer repaint the front bumper? the BMW dealer i bought my CPO from repaints most of thier cars during the CPO process. if they didnt align it properly it could be that.

[EngineCo52]

the car shoudnt have been CPO'd if it has history of a collision, but in pic #1 looks like there is hardly any clear coat on the front bumper, and doesnt look as smooth as the hood..in pic #2 the same thing it doesnt look as smooth as the hood, and looks like there is what they call some orange peel where it wasnt wet sanded and buffed properly

[Tork]

Originally Posted by blacknbean

did the dealer repaint the front bumper? the BMW dealer i bought my CPO from repaints most of thier cars during the CPO process. if they didnt align it properly it could be that.

No the dealer did not repaint the front bumper because there are minor hairlike scratches here and there on the bumper.

[Tork]

Originally Posted by EngineCo52

the car shoudnt have been CPO'd if it has history of a collision, but in pic #1 looks like there is hardly any clear coat on the front bumper, and doesnt look as smooth as the hood..in pic #2 the same thing it doesnt look as smooth as the hood, and looks like there is what they call some orange peel where it wasnt wet sanded and buffed properly

What's orange peel? This is scaring me because I always thought CPO has very strict requirements. Although I have heard of one story where a Honda dealer wasn't able to CPO one of their cars and somehow "pulled some strings" to CPO it, so that really worries me.

I'm not sure if theres been any body work on the bumper, but that gap should not exist...

[qba335i]

Go to a body shop/detailer and ask to measure the paint thickness.

Also a detailer or body shop employee should give you a definite answer if the car was repainted or not.

[RupertPupkin]

Not to be captain obvious but is the hood all the way shut? Latched all the way on both sides? Paint does look to be different.

[Hey Ant]

When I first bought my car, it had the same problem, until I removed the bumper and re-installed it correctly, it lined up perfectly.

previous owner must have hit something that could have shifted the bumper.

[Tork]

Originally Posted by qba335i

Go to a body shop/detailer and ask to measure the paint thickness.

Also a detailer or body shop employee should give you a definite answer if the car was repainted or not.

Would this measuring cost me money? And what if I do find out afterwards the car was repainted, what can I do about that with the dealership?

[Tork]

Originally Posted by jimmydever

Not to be captain obvious but is the hood all the way shut? Latched all the way on both sides? Paint does look to be different.

I'm pretty sure it's shut all the way, I tried pushing down on the hood and it doesn't budge...

[AndreyT]

Firstly, in your first picture the hood does not seem to be closed entirely. Hence the large gap. Is the hood aligned with the quarterpanels on the left and on the right? If it is not, then you will have to readjust your hood lower and thus reduce the gap.

Secondly, these cars (e9x) are known for having a prominent gap under the hood, right there where you see it. The Net is choke-full of the complaints about it (just search this forum, for example). It might wary from car to car, but it is normally there. Go to the nearest dealer and look at the new cars on the lot: most of them will have a prominent gap right there.

Thirdly, the top of the bumper cover is held down by four Torx screws. The cover is movable. It can be adjusted forward and backward. It is common mistake among newbies to push that cover as far back as possible. Somehow they expect it to improve the appearance of the gap. In reality it makes it al lot worse, since the shadow from the hood makes the gap look larger. This is what seems to be the case in your case as well (judging by the first picture). Untighten these screws and pull your bumper cover forward, so that the line of the cover continues the line of the hood. That will improve the looks considerably.

But in any case, the first step is to figure out the root of the problem: is it the hood or the bumper cover? Again, is your hood aligned with the quarterpanels on the left and on the right?

[Bcube]

I've removed my front bumper quite often over the years, and the last time I reattached it, I was in a bit of a hurry and didn't do the best job of aligning the panel gaps. There is quite a bit of slack and adjustment available. Since I don't think I have quite the "overbite" as you, it wouldn't hurt to spend a Saturday pulling the bumper to make sure there isn't hidden damage from an accident. I believe there is a DIY available.

Bonus: You'll be able to clean out all the road debris and crap that has gotten trapped between the bumper and intercooler.

[Hey Ant]

Originally Posted by AndreyT

Firstly, in your first picture the hood does not seem to be closed entirely. Hence the large gap. Is the hood aligned with the quarterpanels on the left and on the right? If it is not, then you will have to readjust your hood lower and thus reduce the gap.

He stated his hood is closed all the way. If this gap is notorious all over the net, then his hood wouldn't be a problem, it would only mean his bumper is sagging.

[AndreyT]

Originally Posted by Hey Ant

He stated his hood is closed all the way. If this gap is notorious all over the net, then his hood wouldn't be a problem, it would only mean his bumper is sagging.

Great. But again, the closed position of the hood is easily adjustable. If the hood is misadjusted (even if it is fully closed), then he'll have this gap.

The first thing to check is whether the hood edges are flush with the quarter panel edges on the sides.

Sagging is indeed a well-known issue (especially in pre-LCI models), but in this case the gap appears to be larger than usual.

[Tork]

Originally Posted by Hey Ant

When I first bought my car, it had the same problem, until I removed the bumper and re-installed it correctly, it lined up perfectly.

previous owner must have hit something that could have shifted the bumper.

Did you end up finding out what was the cause of it? Was it really previous owner who hit something that shifted it? My car is CPO and I don't think carfax showed any accident, unless it was a small one and didn't get reported.

So you simply re-installed the bumper yourself to realign it? Do you happen to have before and after pictures? Should I re-install it myself or have the dealership do it for me?

[KidSupreme]

Damn! i have the same issue.. some backed into my car and when i got it back i felt the gap was even worse =/

[Hey Ant]

Originally Posted by Tork

Did you end up finding out what was the cause of it? Was it really previous owner who hit something that shifted it? My car is CPO and I don't think carfax showed any accident, unless it was a small one and didn't get reported.

So you simply re-installed the bumper yourself to realign it? Do you happen to have before and after pictures? Should I re-install it myself or have the dealership do it for me?

Not an accident that would be reported, but I'm talking about hitting something something very minor like a speed bump or anything taller than the bottom of your bumper.

Yes I installed it myself, and it just turned out some of the screws were loose and not aligned properly. This is an easy project that can save you a lot of money in the end.

EDIT:

Do a test later when you have time. Pull the bumper upwards to see if you have some kind of play, and if you do, it should look like it's aligned when you pull it up all the way towards your hood.