[Jthompson]

I've got a 2019 40i M-Sport in Carbon Black. I've been wanting to swap the chrome grill for gloss black and finally got around to ordering the part from IND. This couldn't have been an easier mod. It took 10 minutes and zero skill (I'm not a mechanic by any means). I thought I'd write a quick post in case anyone else is considering.

The process:
1. Open the hood.
2. Press down the 6 tabs along the top of the grill (see pic).
3. Pull up on the grill.
4. Remove the camera lens by spreading the three prongs holding the camera and pressing up on the camera lens (see pic).
5. install camera lens in new grill (wires will need to be going down).
6. Place bottom of new grill into the tabs.
7. Place top of the new grill into the tabs.
8. Press firmly along all sides to make sure all tabs on the top and bottom are secure.
9. Done.

Here are some pics

[LimaSierra]

Nice!



--Nate

[stockguru]

Thanks for posting. I was actually just about to research this as my next mod. Are the slits/vent separate? I know they open when needed for air but not sure what wires or connection it uses so I wasn't sure if this was a simple mod or not.

[Wanderer73]

Nice! I've got carbon black with SLT. I've never been a blacked-out car guy, but I love this look. Absolutely menacing

[Jthompson]

Originally Posted by stockguru

Thanks for posting. I was actually just about to research this as my next mod. Are the slits/vent separate? I know they open when needed for air but not sure what wires or connection it uses so I wasn't sure if this was a simple mod or not.

Yep - they are completely separate. The chrome grill is really just a facade. The only thing that has to be unplugged after it's popped off is the camera. There are three prongs holding it in. Pop the camera out and pop it in to the new grill. Very easy to do.

[MystroX5]

Great job. I did a tutorial on this as well on my G05 X5., it’s the same mod. I would add taping the bumper as a precaution when sliding the grill in and out over the bumper.

Link to tutorial and pics:
https://g05.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1614965

[M3CDan]

Nice look! I just did the grill swap on my M8 Competition Gran Coupe, I put a Carbon Fiber Grill on, and it was a lot more involved...we had to remove covers, rivets, and press tabs, and it was quite a tug to get it off. I ended up breaking one of the side tabs on the original grill, but the carbon fiber grill went back on just fine. The camera gave me fits for the first day after with a lot of spurious signal, but it has calmed down since. Our X7 came with the shadow line trim, and I definitely prefer that over the chrome.

[stockguru]

Is this

https://www.getbmwparts.com/oem-part...IFJlc3VsdHM%3D

Correct part?

[Jthompson]

Originally Posted by stockguru

Is this

https://www.getbmwparts.com/oem-part...IFJlc3VsdHM%3D

Correct part?

Here is a link to the one that I bought. The one that you linked says that it's for vehicles equipped with night vision so buy accordingly. Note that on the IND site you select either night vision or non-night vision.

https://ind-distribution.com/collect...k-front-grille

[x7bmw23]

YouTube video on this process.

[jdang307]

Originally Posted by stockguru

Is this

https://www.getbmwparts.com/oem-part...IFJlc3VsdHM%3D

Correct part?

Originally Posted by Jthompson

Here is a link to the one that I bought. The one that you linked says that it's for vehicles equipped with night vision so buy accordingly. Note that on the IND site you select either night vision or non-night vision.

https://ind-distribution.com/collect...k-front-grille

Maybe these ones (same part number, different pricing):

https://www.bmwdirectparts.com/oem-p...le-51138745730
https://www.bmwpartshub.com/oem-part...le-51138745730

"Without m type, with high-gloss shadow line, without night vision."

Wondering how/why m-type is different?

[jmciver]

Originally Posted by stockguru

Thanks for posting. I was actually just about to research this as my next mod. Are the slits/vent separate? I know they open when needed for air but not sure what wires or connection it uses so I wasn't sure if this was a simple mod or not.

Yes they are. And you can do what I did which is take the grills apart and combine the frame and slats for a different color combo look...

[jmciver]

Originally Posted by jdang307

Maybe these ones (same part number, different pricing):

https://www.bmwdirectparts.com/oem-p...le-51138745730
https://www.bmwpartshub.com/oem-part...le-51138745730

"Without m type, with high-gloss shadow line, without night vision."

Wondering how/why m-type is different?

The grill on the X7 is the same for all variants, Luxury or M-Sport. The only difference is the color (Chrome or Shadowline) or for X7’s with or without Night Vision. The different part numbers for the different grill configurations/colors can be found at the link below (item #1 on the diagram):

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=51_A423

Also, IND is typically not the best place to buy stock BMW parts at the best prices. You can just Google the part number to find prices from different online vendors with better pricing, such as ECS Tuning, FCP Euro or GetBMWParts.com to name a few.

[x7bmw23]

Originally Posted by jmciver

The grill on the X7 is the same for all variants, Luxury or M-Sport. The only difference is the color (Chrome or Shadowline) or for X7's with or without Night Vision. The different part numbers for the different grill configurations/colors can be found at the link below (item #1 on the diagram):

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=CW23-USA-12-2019-G07-BMW-X7_40iX&diagId=51_A423

Also, IND is typically not the best place to buy stock BMW parts at the best prices. You can just Google the part number to find prices from different online vendors with better pricing, such as ECS Tuning, FCP Euro or GetBMWParts.com to name a few.

Originally Posted by jmciver

The grill on the X7 is the same for all variants, Luxury or M-Sport. The only difference is the color (Chrome or Shadowline) or for X7's with or without Night Vision. The different part numbers for the different grill configurations/colors can be found at the link below (item #1 on the diagram):

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=51_A423

Also, IND is typically not the best place to buy stock BMW parts at the best prices. You can just Google the part number to find prices from different online vendors with better pricing, such as ECS Tuning, FCP Euro or GetBMWParts.com to name a few.

Yup....I bought mine with chrome grille and found a gloss black on eBay for $100.

[x7bmw23]

Originally Posted by jmciver

Yes they are. And you can do what I did which is take the grills apart and combine the frame and slats for a different color combo look...

Originally Posted by jmciver

The grill on the X7 is the same for all variants, Luxury or M-Sport. The only difference is the color (Chrome or Shadowline) or for X7's with or without Night Vision. The different part numbers for the different grill configurations/colors can be found at the link below (item #1 on the diagram):

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=51_A423

Also, IND is typically not the best place to buy stock BMW parts at the best prices. You can just Google the part number to find prices from different online vendors with better pricing, such as ECS Tuning, FCP Euro or GetBMWParts.com to name a few.

Originally Posted by jmciver

Yes they are. And you can do what I did which is take the grills apart and combine the frame and slats for a different color combo look...

[IMG]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/CN...-no?authuser=0[/IMG]

[IMG]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/cU...-no?authuser=0[/IMG]

Thx for sharing this mod with the slats interchange. Guess what I'm doing in the morning 😂

[IND-Distribution]

Great write up!

Also if anyone is unsure which grille they need to order then please contact us with your VIN and we can make sure you receive the correct one.

[jdang307]

Originally Posted by x7bmw23

Yup....I bought mine with chrome grille and found a gloss black on eBay for $100.

was it OEM? How as fit and finish? Seeing the frame separate I was thinking maybe just trying to wrap the frame for now, leaving the middle silver. Do you happen to have the vendor's name? Cheaper ones I'm seeing are all from Asia

[x7bmw23]

Originally Posted by jdang307

was it OEM? How as fit and finish? Seeing the frame separate I was thinking maybe just trying to wrap the frame for now, leaving the middle silver. Do you happen to have the vendor's name? Cheaper ones I'm seeing are all from Asia

Yes, oem However it was not a vendor but a private owner. Maybe someone bought it and didn't like the way it looked or just sold it because they fell in love with the black one. It was brand new and I just completed the swap of the slats and it looks great to me.

With eBay, sometimes you get lucky and other times it's mostly a 15-40% discount from buying something new depending on if it's used and it's condition. I buy several things off eBay. I actually bout my 22" OEM BMW wheels off eBay for $2999. They were used but professionally refurbished to new condition from a eBay store that has been in business for years and has outstanding reviews on restoring wheels and they give you a warranty. Saved me about $1500 + from buying from BMW. The wheels look brand new are are guaranteed to be straight with no structural repairs or welds, etc.

[x7bmw23]

Thanks jmciver for the tip on grille swap. I just swapped the slats and it looks great. I just went by the dealership for coffee and the sales guys were impressed and thought it looked dope. They didn't know that was possible either. I may leave this like this permanently but I love having the option to switch it up four different ways.

[jmciver]

x7bmw23 No problem! I like the additional contrast the aluminum slats add with the black grill frame and the fact it complements the OEM wheels and OEM side steps. Now, you need to get yourself a set of OEM X3M/X4M/X5M M-Sport mirror caps painted in body color to further enhance the look....

https://g07.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1737021

[jacky76]

Originally Posted by jmciver

The grill on the X7 is the same for all variants, Luxury or M-Sport. The only difference is the color (Chrome or Shadowline) or for X7’s with or without Night Vision. The different part numbers for the different grill configurations/colors can be found at the link below (item #1 on the diagram):

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=51_A423

Also, IND is typically not the best place to buy stock BMW parts at the best prices. You can just Google the part number to find prices from different online vendors with better pricing, such as ECS Tuning, FCP Euro or GetBMWParts.com to name a few.

How do I tell whether my X7 came with or without Night Vision?

[Auricom]

Originally Posted by jacky76

How do I tell whether my X7 came with or without Night Vision?

If it has one there's a night vision camera in the left grill. Night vision option was only available on MY19-20 USA model X7s and discontinued for MY21.

Example of X5 M with NV - you can see the circular night vision camera (6 - lens cover, 3 - night vision camera unit).