Rear door sunshades retrofit

[Bdc101]

I've been looking into retrofitting my 03 with the factory rear door sunshades. There are a plethora of them available in junkyards, even with the entire door panels in my color. However, both eBay and local junkyards seem to want an arm and a leg. One junkyard that has at least six barely-damaged E53s in stock, including two with rear door cards and sunshades in my color, wanted $300 for the set and wouldn't budge. eBay I see them for crazy prices too, usually $50+ for just the shades without door panels. These cars get totaled for miniscule damage due to the high cost of repair, so shouldn't that drive down the price of used parts?

How is this possible? Do people actually pay these prices? I can understand when they were new, people would spend a mortgage on fixing them regularly, but I'm pretty sure most of the people interested in spending that kind of money have new BMWs. I spent $6,300 to buy my car and it's in pristine shape. People who buy $6k cars don't spend insane money maintaining them, generally speaking.

Anyone care to chime in? Should I do more junkyard hopping? Will prices ever go down? Should I go back to driving my Toyotas and Mazdas?

[StephenVA]

Welcome to BMW and other high end European car parts. The breakers want top $$ but shop around as their are lots of yards who just trash all the soft parts getting to the engines and body parts for the repair shops.

[williamx5]

Originally Posted by Bdc101

I've been looking into retrofitting my 03 with the factory rear door sunshades. There are a plethora of them available in junkyards, even with the entire door panels in my color. However, both eBay and local junkyards seem to want an arm and a leg. One junkyard that has at least six barely-damaged E53s in stock, including two with rear door cards and sunshades in my color, wanted $300 for the set and wouldn't budge. eBay I see them for crazy prices too, usually $50+ for just the shades without door panels. These cars get totaled for miniscule damage due to the high cost of repair, so shouldn't that drive down the price of used parts?

How is this possible? Do people actually pay these prices? I can understand when they were new, people would spend a mortgage on fixing them regularly, but I'm pretty sure most of the people interested in spending that kind of money have new BMWs. I spent $6,300 to buy my car and it's in pristine shape. People who buy $6k cars don't spend insane money maintaining them, generally speaking.

Anyone care to chime in? Should I do more junkyard hopping? Will prices ever go down? Should I go back to driving my Toyotas and Mazdas?

Good day!!

If you have a YPIY (You Pull It Yard), you should have a good supply of parts avail... The E53's are turning up more often in these yards... And, as such, I happen to have a set of rear sun shade panels waiting for someone to need them... What color are you looking for?! Yep, I may have what you need!! NO! It will not cost you $300 for them..... I think one has a broken interior handle light plastic thingy... I originally had gotten them for my sisters, but I confused hers with Manny... Hers had them already... Manny still doesn't...

I'd search the yards!!!

Good luck!!

Cheers!!

[Bdc101]

Yep, and I just don't have time anymore to browse junkyards. My interior is black with wood trip. The VIN report says

Upholstery LEDER DAKOTASCHWARZ (LCSW)