by Rand Stuck
For many people, once they purchase a car, that is only the start of a long and sometimes costly process of tuning to result in improved BMW performance. There are many thousands of various decisions on how you accomplish this. Where does one begin, what can be done by the average backyard mechanic and what requires professional help? And, where can you locate the best parts at the best price? Buying parts is the area of modding that you have the most control over and where you can save the most time and money, if done correctly.
Now, there is more than one opinion on this subject. For BMWs, a lot of design and engineering was done by the manufacturer to achieve a world class car that is arguably a better performer than many of its peers. It's far too easy to wind up going backwards in your objective for performance by choosing flawed parts, installing them incorrectly or not matching up the performance levels of various systems on your car. Also, BMW is making a line of its own aftermarket parts so you can be assured of the quality and engineering in these parts just like the rest of your car. The downside is that these parts are frequently more costly than their competition.
So, how should you source premium parts for your vehicle? I am a huge fan of doing research online. There are some great user groups made up of thousands of BMW owners. With a little work you can frequently find a member with your exact vehicle who has already made the same modifications to their vehicle and can frequently give valuable information on what works, which retailer has the lowest price, install tips and more. A few of of my favorites include Bimmerforums.com, e46fanatics and roadfly.org. Time spent here can save you a lot of cost and frustration so you don't have to repeat the mistakes of others.
Another excellent resource that is frequently overlooked is eBay. The choices can be overwhelming and there are a lot of cheaply made, knock-off parts that you should try to stay away from. However, if you purchase from a quality retailer with great feedback and do your homework on exactly the part you need and at what price, you can significantly maximize your modding budget. You can locate new parts, OEM BMW parts and used BMW parts quickly and easily to make your performance project a the car you have dreamed of.
For many people, once they purchase a car, that is only the start of a long and sometimes costly process of tuning to result in improved BMW performance. There are many thousands of various decisions on how you accomplish this. Where does one begin, what can be done by the average backyard mechanic and what requires professional help? And, where can you locate the best parts at the best price? Buying parts is the area of modding that you have the most control over and where you can save the most time and money, if done correctly.
Now, there is more than one opinion on this subject. For BMWs, a lot of design and engineering was done by the manufacturer to achieve a world class car that is arguably a better performer than many of its peers. It's far too easy to wind up going backwards in your objective for performance by choosing flawed parts, installing them incorrectly or not matching up the performance levels of various systems on your car. Also, BMW is making a line of its own aftermarket parts so you can be assured of the quality and engineering in these parts just like the rest of your car. The downside is that these parts are frequently more costly than their competition.
So, how should you source premium parts for your vehicle? I am a huge fan of doing research online. There are some great user groups made up of thousands of BMW owners. With a little work you can frequently find a member with your exact vehicle who has already made the same modifications to their vehicle and can frequently give valuable information on what works, which retailer has the lowest price, install tips and more. A few of of my favorites include Bimmerforums.com, e46fanatics and roadfly.org. Time spent here can save you a lot of cost and frustration so you don't have to repeat the mistakes of others.
Another excellent resource that is frequently overlooked is eBay. The choices can be overwhelming and there are a lot of cheaply made, knock-off parts that you should try to stay away from. However, if you purchase from a quality retailer with great feedback and do your homework on exactly the part you need and at what price, you can significantly maximize your modding budget. You can locate new parts, OEM BMW parts and used BMW parts quickly and easily to make your performance project a the car you have dreamed of.
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