MT Auto Parts Blog | Expert Tips for BMW enthusiasts on BMW Parts, Accessories, Engines and More

  Image: BMW 5 Series (F10) Complete Sunroof SERIES COMPLETE SUNROOF for £141.85 at MT Auto Parts     Water inside the cabin of a BMW is one of those problems that gets worse the longer you ignore it. A damp patch on the headliner becomes a wet footwell. A wet footwell becomes a corroded module. A corroded module becomes an expensive repair that traces back to a blocked drainage tube that could have been cleared for almost nothing. BMW panoramic sunroofs are one of the more common sources of water ingress on UK cars. Not because they are badly made, but because they rely on a drainage system that most owners do not know exists, and therefore never maintain. How the Drainage System Works — and Why It Matters The BMW panoramic sunroof is not a sealed unit. It is designed to let a small amount of water past the glass seals during heavy rain, then channel that water away through four drain tubes, one at each corner of the sunroof frame, that run down through the A and C...

Image: BMW 3 Series Front Bumper Lower Grill Centre for £28.48 at MT Auto Parts   The BMW kidney grille is the most visually distinctive part of the front end: those two joined rectangular frames that have defined how BMWs look for decades. A stone chip, a minor shunt, or a car park knock can crack or scuff the grille, and because it sits right at the centre of the front of the car, it is immediately noticeable. The good news is that the grille is one of the more approachable repair jobs on a BMW. It is not structural, does not need painting to match the body in most cases, and on many models can be replaced with basic tools in under an hour. Here is what is involved. What You Are Actually Replacing Before buying anything, confirm exactly which part is damaged. The grille surround. The frame around the kidney grilles — gloss black, chrome, or body colour depending on specification. On many F-generation BMWs this is integrated into the front bumper. On G-generation models, the gr...

  Image: BMW M5 Series Complete Seats and Door Cards Set Merino Black for £664.99 Whether the seats in your BMW are worn, ripped, faded, or you simply want an upgrade. For example, leather instead of cloth, sport seats instead of standard, heated instead of not, the used BMW seats market is one of the most value-efficient ways to transform a car's interior. A complete set of M Sport seats from a low-mileage donor car costs a fraction of what BMW charges to retrofit them as a factory option. But there are a few things worth understanding before you buy. Seats on modern BMWs are not simple bolt-on items. Some contain airbags. Some contain seat occupancy sensors. Some are wired into heating, cooling, and memory systems. Get this right, and the swap is satisfying and affordable. Get it wrong, and you have an airbag warning light and a seat that does not fold correctly. The Most Important Thing — Side Airbags This is the single most important point in the entire article, so it comes fi...