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Just a quick update to this thread. I wasn't happy with the look of the plastic vent that Suvneer sent me because it looked cheap and had a small issue at the top where it was removed from the mold "tree." After checking their inventory they told me that they were unfortunately all that way. They offered to send me a couple of different vents, one with carbon overlay around the edge, and one hydro-dipped in fake CF, but I wasn't happy with any of those options, so they gave me $50 towards an OEM vent. I was a bit miffed because the OEM vent was $76.11, but whatever.
In the mean time I had the original vent they sent me painted by a local shop, then waited for the OEM vent to show up so I could compare the two.
The differences between the Suvneer and OEM vents are minimal, but the OEM vent is superior for sure. It has more clips, sharper edges, and is just generally nicer, but has the same terrible junk-plastic finish. And true to Suvneer's word the OEM vent fits perfectly. However, after seeing the painted vent there was no question which one I was putting on my car. The gloss black looks so much nicer and matches the gloss black kidneys, side mirror bases and rear window trim perfectly.
The way to do this IMO is to buy an OEM vent and have it painted, then you have the best of both worlds.
My vent cost $0 to paint because I wanted it black, which is super common for a bodyshop to paint, so they said they'd just throw it in the booth with something else. They did say that since the plastic itself wasn't made to be painted (yes, there are apparently different kinds) that they couldn't warranty the paint if it started flaking in the future.
I got my OEM vent from getbmwparts:
Part Number
41-61-8-068-158 Hood Grate - GTS/CS $62.69
Subtotal: $62.69
Estimated Shipping to 63701 via Economy Shipping: $9.47
Handling: $3.95
Total: $76.11
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