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      07-03-2020, 10:05 PM   #1
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DIY: Shadow Line Exhaust Trim Install

So I finally got my shadow line exhaust trim and installed them today. Took about 2.5 hrs or so, taking my time and stoping for breaks as it was a bit warm and humid outside. I did not need to remove the bumper. I figured I would do a quick DIY for those that might be interested.

Some owners on the G05 forum already posted their experience with this DIY and it was there that I got my start as the G05 and G07 are very similar and use the same exhaust tip parts with our respective M-sport bumpers. This DIY built upon what I found over in the G05 forum. The important posts with good info for the DIY on the G05 are below:

https://g05.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...05&postcount=1
https://g05.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...0&postcount=21

If you are a glutten for punishment, the factory procedure is below. It requires removing the entire bumper, then the exhaust tip trim from the carrier, which is also connected to the bumper:

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/g...per/1Vne4hNsoR

And finally, the part numbers for these shadow line exhaust trim pieces are as follows:

51-12-8-078-669 Left
51-12-8-078-670 Right

I purchased mine from Schmiedmann, an overseas vendor, for $168 each plus shipping as they had the best total shipped price (and fast shipping) at the time. There was a short backorder as the parts had to come from Germany, which would have also affected any US vendor. But once they got the parts, they were shipped fast to the US.

This job is not that difficult when using a few basic tools. But this DIY is a case where having the right tool for the job can make things a bit easier and more efficient. The bare minimum tools to do this job are below, and consists of a small 1/4" ratchet, one 1/4" 10mm socket, one 1/4" 8mm socket, one standard flat head screw driver (not pictured) and one long flat head screw driver (not pictured). I also used a "stubby" 8mm ratchet wrench, a 10mm offset wrench, and some Rhino ramps.




Pics of what is being installed. Note the arrow pointing to the tab in the last pic. It will be referenced later.








The first thing I did was back the X7 up on ramps. This is not necessary, but it does provide more working room, especially when working on your back. I started on the driver side. The passenger side is identical except for the exhaust flap harness that must be disconnected to make room to work (which is self explanatory when you see it). The first pic shows the black under panel piece that must be removed. The arrows point to the 8mm screws that hold it in place. The second pic is the heat shield that must be removed. There are two white plastic nuts that hold it in place. Once the white nuts are removed, you can slide out the heat shield towards the front of the X7. This piece can bend easily (it is designed to somewhat), so take care when removing it as to not get it too bent out of shape.




Note: for the second white 10mm nut you can't see in the pic above, I used the offset 10mm wrench to get it off. Not required, but the offset wrench made it a bit easier to access that one nut.


Once those pieces are removed, what you see is below (the heat shield is still in place in this pic however). The yellow arrows point to the general direction of where the 8mm screws are located that hold the exhaust trim piece to the bumper. Unfortunately, it is impossible to get a good pic of the screws as they are "blind" when removing them from this angle. There is one screw outboard and two inboard. The second pic, which is from the factory procedure, can provide a reference for where they are located.




Item #1 are the 3 8mm "blind" screws that need to be removed.


Tape all around the exhaust trim as seen below. There will be some contact between the bumper and the exhaust trim as you wiggle it out so this is a must. The tape will protect the bumper and I did not have any scratches when done.




Next, using the reference picture above, reach your hand up there to feel around for the heads of the 3 screws. It is tight, but not that bad, and my hands are by no means small. I used the ratchet with 8mm socket for the outboard screw - it was slow due to lack of space and being blind, but still was the best tool for this screw. I used the stubby ratchet wrench for the two inboard screws which made quick work for them. The ratchet/8mm socket should work there as well, but the tight space made use of the stubby much quicker and easier. The pics below, which show the exhaust trim piece already removed, shows you where the 3 screws go when looking from outside the bumper. With the exhaust trim installed, you will be able to see two of them. Note, I have the factory hitch option on my X7. Some on the G05 forum indicated that there may be more room to work due to the trailer hitch cutout. I could not confirm this on the X7, but I will speculate that it should not matter on the X7. In fact, unless there is some additional "stuff" installed in that location on X7's without the factory hitch option, there may even be more room to reach your hand in the area to do the work.






Once the screws are removed, there is a plastic tab that must be released using a screw driver. It looks harder than what it really is, but you stick the screw driver into the slot and press up and pull out at the same time. It should make more sense once you see it up close. While pulling the trim piece all the way out, you will have to wiggle one of the top tabs out (see the pic further up with the arrow pointing at the tab with the trim piece out of the X7). Note that I put some tape on the exhaust trim piece here as I did not want the screw driver to damage them (even though I don't plan to re-install them again).




The biggest challenge I had with this DIY was aligning the top tab of the exhaust trim piece back into the carrier. This is the tab with the arrow pointing at it. In order to get it back into place, I used a long screwdriver to press up on the tab while pushing the exhaust trim back into the carrier. It was hard to take a picture of this, but once you see it, the pic below with the screwdriver should help you see what you need to do.






After that, re-install the screws, put everything else back together, and remove the tape. First side done (and a look at my work space in my driveway)...



And then complete....




This was not a bad DIY. A few on the G05 forum could not get this done without removing the bumper due to lack of room. I thought the room to work was reasonable all things considered (but then the X7 is obviously larger than the X5) so I would definitely recommend not removing the bumper unless you really want to or just can't get your hands in there to do the work.

Thanks and enjoy!
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Last edited by jmciver; 07-04-2020 at 12:38 PM..
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      07-03-2020, 10:37 PM   #2
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Great work!
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      07-03-2020, 10:43 PM   #3
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Great and thorough DIY guide and photos! This would make a great sticky.
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      07-04-2020, 06:57 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fkim119 View Post
Great work!
Agreed 😃👍
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      07-04-2022, 12:49 PM   #5
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Great instructions, much appreciated. So, I gave this a try today and was unsuccessful.

I was able to get the three screws off, but could not get the tab/clip on the upper left to release. I wasn't sure if the screwdriver should go over the tab "neck" or over to the right, where there was a small slot (hard to see). I assumed that the screwdriver went into the slot, but then I wasn't sure what I was trying to move when "pulling up". Also, FWIW, the upper right portion seemed pretty secure, so I'm not sure what was happening in that area.

On the first steps, I have small hands and it was not easy to get the three screws out. In fact, I was nervous that I wouldn't be able to get them back on at all, but I was able to work them in place and secure them. I had all the recommended tools.

I have some photos and will post them later, if they are additive to the originals.

EDIT: So I'm not sure that I got the correct three screws. I definitely had two correct, but maybe not the third. I FINALLY understand that the drawing from the manual is the "frame" that holds the trim piece. I think I had the two screws marked in green, but my third screw was higher and slightly inboard from the inboard green screw. It's hard to tell, given the tight area, but I would say that my third screw was somewhere in the blue box area and I may have missed the screw circled in red. That might explain why the tab wouldn't release and definitely fits with that part of the trim still feeling secured.

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      07-05-2022, 08:36 AM   #6
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Amazing write up!! I ended up buying these on Amazon for $28 and they look good perfect fitment.
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      07-05-2022, 09:59 AM   #7
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Great work. I had the dealer do mine. Next project you need black badges (looks like you already have the gloss black rear strip)
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      07-27-2022, 08:21 PM   #8
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So happy to come across this DIY. I just bought an X7 2022 and ordered the black exhaust finishers and black grill. My husband and I are big DIYers and searched high and low for a video on how to install the exhaust finishers on our own with no success. Luckily I found this tutorial and it helped us complete the task! I will say that without my help, my husband would not have been able to remove all the blind screws on his own due to how small the space is. It is EXTREMELY tight, and honestly the most difficult part of the entire process.
This tutorial was right on!
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      08-05-2022, 08:43 AM   #9
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how to remove the invisible bolt?

How did you remove the invisible bolt?
Because the space is small, tools cannot be used, and hands cannot enter.
Plz tell me your know-how…..
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      02-27-2023, 01:24 PM   #10
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Just done this job today. Cu*t of a job. 6 hours it took, my hands and fingers are fu*ked. But a good job done nonetheless 👍🏼
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      08-26-2023, 10:52 AM   #11
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Dredging up an old thread. First and foremost, thank you to the OP for putting this together. No way I would have been able to figure this out on my own.

It took me about 3.5 hours for me to do this (2:45 for the first side and then about 45 minutes for the other side). I'm not helpless around a car but I'm not particularly handy either.

Went relatively smoothly, except that I was not able to put the top inboard screw back in. Just couldn't reach. I spent a lot of time taking them out. My hands and forearms may be bigger than most though and I just couldn't get my arm through some of the crevices. I was essentially tossing the screw up there and hoping it would land in the hole. I tried to enlist my 8 year old to help me but maybe she would have been more willing if I didn't ask her while she was in the middle of watching Salish videos.

Things seem tight enough with just two screws in though and no rattling or anything like that so hopefully all will be ok. For me, the outboard screws were the easiest to take off and put on.
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      03-16-2024, 01:20 PM   #12
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excellent write up
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