Toronto, Ontario – In a recent bulletin made by the OEM last Thursday, BMW said that it has expanded its structural parts restrictions and will only sell certain aluminum parts to authorized repairers or facilities that have undergone special training and acquired the right tools.
In the bulletin, BMW highlighted the news additions to its restricted parts list and these include: X5/X5M (GO5/F95) structural aluminum; 5’/%1 (G60) structural aluminum; iX (I20) structural carbon fibre; and XM (G09) structural aluminum.
“Due to complexity of repair and the requirement of highly specialized tools, training, & repair procedures, BMW of North America restricts the provision of [these parts],” the automaker said in its bulletin. “Only collision centers that successfully complete specific training requirements and who possess the required tooling will be approved [for] the provision of restricted structural parts.”
For businesses that aren’t already certified, BMW requires them to complete a carbon fibre structural repair course, or BMWi body repair levels two and three. For structural aluminum parts, businesses must take either bonding and riveting techniques and aluminum structural repair courses, or BMWi body repair levels two and three.
In both instances, businesses are also required to have access to the proper tools and these include items such as an approved frame bench, electric belt sander and cartridge gun for K1 adhesive (among others) for structural aluminum repairs, and an approved frame bench, electric belt sanders and cartridge gun for K2 adhesives (among others) for structural carbon fibre repairs.
Andrew Batenhurst, repair centre manager at Pacific BMW Collision Center, said the recent announcement is positive news for the automotive industry because it will help ensure that vehicles are safely returned to their original state following a crash.
“It gives the customer peace of mind that the car is at the right facility being repaired with the properly trained technicians with the correct tools,” said Batenhorst. “Something that BMW has stressed to us is that you don’t have to be certified to gain access to these parts. If you have BMW training and buy the tooling yourself, you can be certified to gain access to those parts.”
“Yes, these parts are restricted, but you don’t have to go through the whole certification process of being a full CCRC like some of us are. There’s still an avenue for you to go down to work on these cars safely and do what you need to do.”
This update comes after one made by the OEM in July, 2021, stating that it was enacting a new ordering and approval process for certain carbon fibre parts, “to ensure the repair facility purchasing the restricted part is properly equipped and trained to perform the repair.”
In that bulletin, BMW said that in order to obtain one of the nearly 75 parts now on the restricted list, the repair facility must supply the parts dealer with photos of the VIN sticker, photos of the damaged parts being replaced, and a copy of the repair estimate along with the repair facility name, address, phone, and email address.
The parts dealer would then submit all of the information to BMW, who will confirm whether or not the repair facility has the proper tooling and training, and either approve or reject the parts order.
In this latest bulletin, BMW said that this ordering process has not changed from previous installations and that facilities seeking the parts should reach out to BMW parts restrictions for more information.
