[carvolution]

Hi all,

Don't shoot me down straight away, I have had a search, but struggling.

I have recently brought a 2010 320D business edition ( UK ) and I would like to get the M SPORT bumpers and side skirts.

And I keep seeing people talking about LCI, and I would like to know ( being that I know nothing about BMW's yet ) if my car would fall into this or not?

Also whats the difference between the M SPORT kit and the Performance upgrade I have seen a few people talk about?

Sorry if the questions are stupid, Im just trying to learn!

Thanks in advance

[alexb]

Hi there,

LCI stands for "Life Cycle Impulse." This is BMW parlance for "facelift." This means that they updated the visual appearance of the car mid-way through it's duration at the current model, but without changing the underlying architecture. The E90 was introduced in the 2006 model year. For Sedans and Wagons, the "Life Cycle Impulse" was done in 2009. For Coupes/Convertables, it was 2010. Since you have a 2010 model, you have an LCI model.

The reason why the "Pre-LCI or Post-LCI" distinction is important for body kits has to do mainly with the kidney grilles on the front bumper. These are the two grilles between the headlights, directly forward of the BMW logo on your hood. Older E90 sedans have the "two piece" kidney grilles, while post-LCI sedans have one-piece grilles. In addition, LCI models are also distingished by revised headlights, which remained the same size, and LED tail-lights, which were made slightly smaller than the originals (on the trunk-lid). In general, it is more difficult to obtain OEM body kits (or Aero Kits) for Pre-LCI models, as they were less common in 2006 than they are now. So, you're in good shape.

I was not aware that "BMW Performance" made a body kit, but upon googling, they do. "BMW Performance" is a line of factory-made accessories for the E90/92 etc. You can browse the "BMW Performance' catalog at getbmwparts.com, the online parts department of Tischer BMW in Maryland.

If you're looking for new bumpers and side skirts, you should shop for OEM M-Sport parts, BMW Performance, or an aftermarket fitment for the E90. I suggest you use the Google image search to find photos of these respective configurations, then settle on the one you like the best. If you like them both equally, price them all out and buy the cheapest one. Don't forget that you'll need to have these first painted, and then installed. As far as I know, the parts are only sold unpainted. I'm not sure how it is in the UK, but it's been my experience that I have had to pay my body shop's material costs both for the Paint & Clearcoat, but also for the "plasticizer" necessary to paint plastic parts (such as bumpers).

Good luck! I was too cheap to make any body-kit upgrades to my car. If you're going to spring for such upgrades, I'd recommend sooner rather than later. If you wait until later, years later, the money you set aside for upgrades will be consumed by repairs, maintenance, new tyres, etc. Buy the upgrades you want, then save it back up for that random $1000 (613 GBP) repair you're not expecting.

[DuckySpud]

Well that there was just about as perfect an answer as you could ask for haha

[carvolution]

Alexb thank you so much for the full and detailed answer!

You have explained so much!!

Thank you