2008 535i with 42,000 miles. As everyone else has experienced, my engine hood insulation (hood liner) has shrunk over time such that the fitment tabs no longer hold it in place. Apparently the entire liner has shrunk by at least 2" so the tabs don't make it to the slots in the hood. My question is: should I get a factory hood liner replacement at about $120 AND has it been improved so it won't shrink? Or has anybody done an aftermarket installation of something like a cut and fit adhesive style hood liner. I've seen this type with a foil outer layer that looks like it might be better than OEM if it doesn't present any other issues I'm not thinking of.
Amazon to the rescue? https://www.amazon.com/AUTOPA-51487033727-Engine-Hood-Insulation/dp/B074294YSH No reviews... I guess I'd say google the name and part number, possibly add review as a keyword, and see if anything comes up. Maybe somebody on other E60-specific forums has a comment - bimmerforums.com, bimmerfest.com, bimmerpost.com, etc. I'd be skeptical if BMW did anything to fix that issue with different material construction - however, you might find that BMW has a lifetime warranty on it, so that would be worth asking about - couple a 15% member parts discount from the dealer, that might be close-enough to the Autopa piece to justify it if it has a lifetime replacement warranty and you just have to swap an old for a new one. The next problem would be that if, in another decade, it's due for replacement again, but, by then, even though the replacement was warranted by BMW, the piece is NLA. I don't know what Germany's got going on with their plastics, but they sure seem to have issues with handling the kinda temps seen underhood over the long haul.
