One of the problems with BMW in the UK is their policy of not supplying particular spare parts unless you actually own a car with that particular trim.

My wife had the entire front bumper assembly stolen off her E46 M Sport Conv in December '08, and the general belief is that it was stolen to order. We never heard a thing, but the team that removed it knew exactly what they needed to undo and how. The repairer said there are issues where owners of a 'standard' or lower trim version of a BMW want to put a better/higher trim on it but cannot get OEM parts from BMW UK because their car was never made with those parts against that chassis number, so they steal them instead. Insurance costs are the other main reason - steal it, fix yours, and no excess or claim to worry about as the 'donor vehicle' owner gets the bill and insurance record.

Scumbags!!

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Me:
Current: 2011 E71 40D Vermilion Red/Beige Nappa

Wifey:
Current: 2012 R80 Countryman SDX Green/Cream