[jkmin96]

Hi,

Is this normal? Both front sides show the same.

Right after delivery of my 2024 X7 40i, there was a problem on a lower grille shutter and dealer replaced it.

I think that they assembled the fender flares incorrectly at that time.

What would you think?

[sharp]

No, this is not normal. I recently had the same problem after an aftermarket tow hitch had been installed. I took the car back to the shop and they said that the fender flare in question is attached to another part using adhesive and it's not the strongest adhesive in the world. So they basically removed both parts, applied an aftermarket adhesive to them and put everything back.

With all that being said, BMW should definitely fix it under warranty. In the meantime you can put a piece of napkin (or something along those lines) between the fender and the flare to keep it in place and prevent any further damage.

[jkmin96]

Originally Posted by sharp

No, this is not normal. I recently had the same problem after an aftermarket tow hitch had been installed. I took the car back to the shop and they said that the fender flare in question is attached to another part using adhesive and it's not the strongest adhesive in the world. So they basically removed both parts, applied an aftermarket adhesive to them and put everything back.

With all that being said, BMW should definitely fix it under warranty. In the meantime you can put a piece of napkin (or something along those lines) between the fender and the flare to keep it in place and prevent any further damage.

Thanks.

I pulled the flare outside a bit. W/o pulling it, it just looks normal and hard to see the problem.

Today I felt a bit strange seeing it looked a bit loosen. So, I tried to pull a bit and saw the gap on both sides. Rear side fenders were attached firmly and didn't show any gap when I tried to pull outside same way.

When I checked youtube about X7 flares (blow image is from it), I saw some clips (it is not LCI but I guess it should be same?) but mine doesn't have those clips.

I left a message to the SA who helped me last time to fix the low grill shutter but I need to wait until the service department will open on Monday.

[sharp]

Your problem is a bit different than mine then. You have the whole piece disconnected form the body. I had the fender flare split so the piece with clips was attached to the body while the front facia was disconnected from it.

Take it to your dealership. They should fix it.

[sharp]

I took a closer look at the pictures. I can definitely see the failed adhesive at picture #1 (see below). If that is the case, then this is exactly the same issue I had.

The picture #2 shows a different problem though - I'm assuming the clips can't hold the fender flare in place securely. Can they?

[jkmin96]

The 2nd image is from youtube. I think it is pre-LCI X7.
Here is a different one which is also pre-LCI X7 (skip to 7:11).

From both, I see two clips to hold the top part of flare but I don't see them on mine.
I'm not sure if any adhesive is needed but I'm guessing that those two clips are missing on mine.

[sharp]

Originally Posted by jkmin96

From both, I see two clips to hold the top part of flare but I don't see them on mine.

The fender flare consists of 2 pieces:
- the internal one that clips to the car's body - your picture #2
- the external one - you hold it with your hand - your picture #1. It connects to the internal one using adhesives.

So basically when you pull your fender flare, you pull the external piece that is no longer attached to the internal one, but the internal one is still securely clipped to the vehicle's body.

See below.

[jkmin96]

Originally Posted by sharp

The fender flare consists of 2 pieces:
- the internal one that clips to the car's body - your picture #2
- the external one - you hold it with your hand - your picture #1. It connects to the internal one using adhesives.

So basically when you pull your fender flare, you pull the external piece that is no longer attached to the internal one, but the internal one is still securely clipped to the vehicle's body.

See below.

Ah... o.k. I see. I didn't know that there are 2 pieces.
I really appreciate the detail info.

[jkmin96]

Just in case that anyone has the same issue in the future,
Dealer fixed the fender flares today.
They admitted that they made the mistake.
I don't know the detail about what/how fixed it but the paper says "RESEATED CLIPS IN FENDER".