Facelift convertible body panels-all gone?

[Connieblau]

More a renovation than a restoration I have recently had some help from Jon Bishop (Cotswold BMW) finding OEM bits to speed things along - until now. Inside my right/rear wheelarch I have discovered four plastic (flanged) nuts threaded tightly to little mounds of flaked rust. The flaked rust mounds have spread themselves into and under the underseal and galvanising, through the inner wheel-house panel to the inside of the boot. I didn’t know I had had one, but the four nuts used to grip onto a cover which, in turn, protected three horizontal fuel expansion pipes. A new inner wheel-housing is not available from BMW at the moment, maybe never? The outer wheel housing is no longer made, nor is the one on the nearside. Days of internet OEM searching, even Schmiedmann, has drawn a blank. Breaker’s yards for donor parts - nothing. Magic wand anyone ?

[Scotty200]

There are 6 nuts which hold the cover on for the fuel expansion pipes still available from bmw I bought one not to long ago was about £60 if I remember, the inner wheel arch is available from bmw as I’ve ordered one was £175 if round the fuel filler is rotted out the replacement panel does not include this, you can buy a inner wheel arch strip of eBay for £35 but if your not handy with tools I would not advise this, your outer wheel arch try carz2 but I cannot say about quality and fit as I have never bought or fitted one
Hope this helps scott

[Connieblau]

Hi Scott, thanks for the input. This week price of the right side inner wheelhouse panel is £239.18, but no available stock and no date for making any more. The pipe ”˜cover’ is £78, and current UK demand is 1 a week. Some PRE-facelift panels seem to be available, but it’s difficult to establish whether they’re an exact match. The facelift convertible is the awkward one to restore. E-bay is filling up with same/same/same. Two or three 3rd world makers supplying 500 UK outlets. The OEM left/rear side panel is £260, the two small patch panels are £230 each! There is a note on the BMMINI web site they’ve been banned by BMW UK from selling genuine parts to third parties. Copyright issues?

[corkie]

im having the same trouble finding these panels so youre not alone!