I am in the middle of an E28 restoration at the moment.

I am only using OE parts for the car as it is being restored to 100% factory original condition. I am trying to get as many OEM parts from the likes of ECP and C3 BMW to cut costs and avoid BMW main dealer margins.

Some parts are only available through BMW main dealers and cannot be got elsewhere.

I am working on mainland Europe at the moment so it suited me to order the parts for the car here. Today I ordered a full OE exhaust for the car including all brackets and hangers etc. from a BMW main dealer here in Europe. Last week Frank Keane BMW quoted me €1350 incl VAT and 10% discount for everything.

Today, I paid just shy of €1000 for the exact same parts with the same discount and a similar VAT rate from a BMW main dealer here. I ordered some trim and suspension parts also and the price difference was similar. I couldn't believe the difference in price.

I am done with BMW Ireland rip off pricing. The only way that I can reconcile that much of a price difference is if BMW Ireland are buying the parts off BMW GB and paying in sterling.

It seems rip off Ireland is alive and well.