Quote:
Originally Posted by taillights
I just purchased a 2011 x6 35. Question - can I install the BMW mud flaps? How difficult? Thanks.
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I think the mud flaps look awesome. I have the 35i with the 20" wheels, and the flaps make the car look a lot tougher and "squared off" to the ground.
FUNCTION: And they work fairly well. The sides of the car (doors) stay clean, but the forward-facing surfaces of the fender bulges still catch dirty road spray.
INSTALL: I bought a set on ebay for a decent price, installed them myself in about 2 hours. I hate other people touching my car, I do all my own maintenance and mods that don't require welding or painting. I love working on my cars, and I feel that the headaches, frustration, and satisfaction are part of the game.
I think most people COULD install these mudflaps although most people who spent $70k on a car would rather spend a couple hundred bucks to save the effort.
No cutting or trimming of visible pieces.
You need to make several slices with a blade to place some metal clips, and you need to drill a couple of holes for the plastic rivets, but it's a pretty simple procedure. Just takes some patience, common sense, and some basic automotive hand tools.
** The HARDEST PART was getting the little metal clips onto the wheel-well liner. Widening the slit, then pre-stretching the slits with a flathead screw-driver made it a little easier.
** CAUTION: DON'T OVER-TIGHTEN the screws when you're installing the mud flaps. if you do, the head of the screw will start cutting into the soft mud flap plastic and will tear right through, then you'll need to find some way of reinforcing the hole. (i speak from experience).
STUFF YOU'LL NEED:
jack, jack-point platforms (OEM part, little plastic rectangles that snap into slots under the car's side rails), jack stands. Your car may not have the jack / platforms if you have runflats and didn't order the $150 temporary spare option.
socket / breaker bar to remove lugs / wheels
100lbf-ft torque wrench to tighten lugs
compact PLASTIC RIVET tool (see below for a link)
LONGER RIVETS (the ones that come with the set are barely long enough, and I needed to drill out a couple of "misses" that didn't anchor properly)
utility knife or x-acto to cut small slits in the wheel well liner for screw anchor clips
hand drill to drill holes in the plastic trim for the rivets.
drill bit to match the shaft diameter of the rivets (<.25", i forget exactly)
needle-nose pliers (to force the metal clips into place)
here's a link to a rivet-setter that's similar to the one i bought, you might find a better deal if you shop around. easy to use, worked well, and the EXTRA RIVETS ARE A MUST-HAVE for this project. The ones that came with the set were PERFECT, and are probably what BMW should have provided from the start.
http://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Rivet-...9234883&sr=8-1
if you're up for a small challenge, go for it!! at worst, you can always have the dealership take over if you run into problems.
if you need instructions (i have the service-manual PDF) or if you have any other questions, lemme know.
mud flaps or not, you're gonna LOVE your new car.
congrats!