Need some panels and sourcing advice

[acaciolo]

The time has come for me to replace some of the cracked/aging panels on my otherwise amazing condition green Z1. While the car was sitting the garage, another panel split right down the middle, so I think it was a sign to get them fixed...

Figure I should do both sides, even though the 2 front wings are holding up ok. Most likely will be a full repaint, so thought I should do it all at once.

I need both front wings (quarter panels) both side skirts, both rear quarter panels, and a drivers side door skin (I already have a new passenger side , which i purchased 2 years ago when that cracked.)

Suggestions on suppliers that can ship to the US or a US supplier. I do know about the carbon fiber..just haven't decided if I need quite that amazing level.

thanks in advance
Tony C in Pennsylvania, USA

[felix]

I would guess that BMW panels will be the best fit - have you tried your local dealer or one of the online parts dealers like getbmwparts.com ?

[acaciolo]

checking with local guys now. in the past, they didn't want to be bothered.

[HankLloydRight]

Do some BMW dealers really have Z1 parts or panels?
I'd never expect them to have any left, especially since the Z1 was never sold here.

[acaciolo]

not in stock, but they order from germany.

[felix]

i can’t imagine many dealers, if any, carry Z1 specific parts but they should be able to order them. Some can perhaps not be bothered but that’s another matter.

[HankLloydRight]

not in stock, but they order from germany.

So in that case, I'd expect there to be, somewhere, an inventory of what parts are still available/orderable from Germany.

You and I both know the Delorean community is deep with part knowledge for parts that are NOS, OOS, or where people are making replicas. I'm surprised there's no analog for the Z1s (or at least that I'm aware of, since I'm a noob).

[acaciolo]

this parts manual is pretty good for showing what is discontinued:

http://bmwfans.info/parts-catalog/Z1/Eu ... 20/browse/

[felix]

from what I've seen the parts catalogue websites such as bmwfans.info and realoem.com will tell you when a part has gone obsolete at the time of the website extracting the data from the official BMW ETK system. There's little to no clarity as to how often they're updated. BMW may also "unobsolete" some parts if they perceive sufficient demand. Those websites also don't tell you if BMW has run out of a particular part which they may or may not get more of at some future point.

For what seems to be a fairly accurate indication of realtime parts availability in Germany have a look at leebmann24.de. Any BMW dealer should be able to order any BMW part (see caveat below) from Germany but some may be less than willing. Although the Z1 was never sold in the US BMW USA is well aware of a number of them having been imported and *should* be helpful when ordering parts.

the caveat - some 10 years ago I ordered some E61 M5 parts (specific to the E61 M5, never sold in the US) and had no problem doing so. A couple of years later I tried again on behalf of someone else and the part numbers were listed as invalid in the BMW US system. It seems they got wise to people trying to build E61 M5s in the US and shut the parts conduit down.

[F.Brossaud]

I guess the best is to find first a dealer with more awareness on BMW Classic cars and has willingess to investigate in its system to place order on those specific parts.

Dealers, (even the one in my big village) have real time access to BMW stock.
As far as I understood, for parts without stock but not officially discontinued, BMW will consolidate orders and then they will launch production run.

The main point here is that we can be trapped in a "chicken and egg story",
no stock => no customer order => no need at BMW central level => no supplier order => no stock

[TJS]

A local BMW dealer should have no problem obtaining available Z1 parts from BMW Germany. However, if my recent UK experience is anything to go by you will need to pay for the parts up front in full with the caveat that they are non returnable or refundable. Specialist European Z1 part suppliers may also be reluctant to supply UK customers following Brexit

As mentioned out of stock parts do occasionally make an appearance if and when there is sufficient demand. BMW will arrange a sub contractor make parts albeit the quality can be very poor. The recently produced rear wheel arch liners are terrible and will need to be trimmed to fit. The originals were precision injection moulded, the replacements appear to be made from a rubber solution poured into a mould by hand. New replacement front wings are made in Mexico and will so need to be trimmed to fit.

[dreamchaser]

Where did you get your door skin from, I need 2 but my local BMW dealer says that BM only have the whole door, do you know the part number for the skin please.
Thanks
Clive

[Stoertie]

this parts manual is pretty good for showing what is discontinued:

http://bmwfans.info/parts-catalog/Z1/Eu ... 20/browse/

But this source of information is not really accurate. If you want the latest information, you should check the online shop of an official BMW dealer. These shops are usually linked directly to the BMW parts warehouse and really show what parts are available and what they cost.
For example:
https://www.leebmann24.de/bmw-ersatztei ... ba91&og=99

Regards
Michael