[Andrewalker7]

First BMW for me- apologies for ignorance or incorrect verbiage in advance:

Ordered a 2024 X5 x40i w/ the shadowline packages among other things, and took delivery May of this year.
This is how the "exhaust finisher" showed up, and the dealer (of course) insists that it's normal, and all of them "end up like that". M Sport exhaust, if that matters.

I've seen resources online from previous MY G05 shadowline examples, and there wasn't a rather obnoxious stainless finisher inside the bumper cutout, and were 100% black inside. Am I missing something?

[Marty in NY]

Originally Posted by Andrewalker7

First BMW for me- apologies for ignorance or incorrect verbiage in advance:

Ordered a 2024 X5 x40i w/ the shadowline packages among other things, and took delivery May of this year.
This is how the "exhaust finisher" showed up, and the dealer (of course) insists that it's normal, and all of them "end up like that". M Sport exhaust, if that matters.

I've seen resources online from previous MY G05 shadowline examples, and there wasn't a rather obnoxious stainless finisher inside the bumper cutout, and were 100% black inside. Am I missing something?

That is relatively new and they changed from a shadowline finisher to the unpainted version because the shadowling version kept flaking off the paint. You can read posts on this forum of owners complaining about the flaking and when taking the car to the dealer, they replaced it with the unpainted stainless, or aluminum, I'm not sure which is it. All new cars from a certain point started getting the unpainted versions.

[Andrewalker7]

Great information- thank you!
Wasn't entirely sure what to search to dig for this info. Appreciate the help!

[Marty in NY]

Originally Posted by Andrewalker7

Great information- thank you!
Wasn't entirely sure what to search to dig for this info. Appreciate the help!

Right, so many posts start off with topic A only to morph into topic B. If you do search the forum, search the entire post, not just the title

[1Boxer]

I was wondering what was causing the peeling. I have the black exhaust trim on my 21 M50i and it shows absolutely no signs of peeling which makes me wonder if some were using chemicals to clean the exhaust and it turn, were damaging the coating applied to exhaust trim. I'm sure the coating was designed to withstand high temperatures but some of the exhaust cleaners out there are pretty powerful and will take paint right off.

[Bristle Hound]

Full shadow line pack on my Uk spec 2023 pre LCI X5
Same bare metal finishers on the exhaust trims here too

[rundeyvoo]

Originally Posted by Andrewalker7

First BMW for me- apologies for ignorance or incorrect verbiage in advance:

Ordered a 2024 X5 x40i w/ the shadowline packages among other things, and took delivery May of this year.
This is how the "exhaust finisher" showed up, and the dealer (of course) insists that it's normal, and all of them "end up like that". M Sport exhaust, if that matters.

I've seen resources online from previous MY G05 shadowline examples, and there wasn't a rather obnoxious stainless finisher inside the bumper cutout, and were 100% black inside. Am I missing something?

BMW changed them with the newer models as the black paint on the inner trim was flaking off, so they made it a silver finish inside while keeping the outer housing the black "shadow line trim". It just looks like an eyesore on darker vehicles (imo) and more so if your car is totally blacked out like mine is. You can paint it yourself if you'd like, just mask the area properly and use very high temp (VHT) paint. Have it dry properly and spray a few times to get the results you want. My buddy did it to his and I did the same with mine. Here are a few pics to show how it came out (pic 1 is mine, 2nd is his):

[mjr24]

Yeah this happened to our X7 twice. First time, they replaced it with another that had the black inside but that eventually started flaking too. The last time they replaced it with the ones that had the silver inside. Wonder if the road salt maybe contributed to this….we’ve only had the car for 2 years.

[BigEvan1923]

I painted mine in a semigloss black. The lazy silver finish ruined the look of the car imho

[malvern_man]

Originally Posted by mjr24

Yeah this happened to our X7 twice. First time, they replaced it with another that had the black inside but that eventually started flaking too. The last time they replaced it with the ones that had the silver inside. Wonder if the road salt maybe contributed to this….we’ve only had the car for 2 years.

My X5 was a year old when mine started flaking, they were replaced under warranty for the silver version. The service manager told me it's a known fault and all the ones that get changed have the silver ones fitted.

[LDT]

Originally Posted by BigEvan1923

I painted mine in a semigloss black. The lazy silver finish ruined the look of the car imho

Looks great. Please share the paint specs.

[couchgate]

Do the M Performance black tailpipe finisher parts solve this issue - ie painted black interior? https://www.shopbmwusa.com/product/1...PIPE-FINISHERS

[Andrewalker7]

Originally Posted by couchgate

Do the M Performance black tailpipe finisher parts solve this issue - ie painted black interior? https://www.shopbmwusa.com/product/1...PIPE-FINISHERS

This is kind of what I was expecting with my build, but oh well.

Was thinking of going the VHT route like the guy above ^^. Looks so much better.

[Andrewalker7]

Originally Posted by rundeyvoo

BMW changed them with the newer models as the black paint on the inner trim was flaking off, so they made it a silver finish inside while keeping the outer housing the black "shadow line trim". It just looks like an eyesore on darker vehicles (imo) and more so if your car is totally blacked out like mine is. You can paint it yourself if you'd like, just mask the area properly and use very high temp (VHT) paint. Have it dry properly and spray a few times to get the results you want. My buddy did it to his and I did the same with mine. Here are a few pics to show how it came out (pic 1 is mine, 2nd is his):

Was debating this- did you put a clear coat over yours? Looks great.

[Marty in NY]

For those of you who are thinking of painting the finisher, keep in mind that high temp paints are not high temp proof until they are baked at a high temp during their curing process. I doubt that piece gets very hot as the hot exhaust flows straight out the pipes and there is a lot of air space between it and the tailpipe so not baking the finisher may not pose an issue but just FYI that high temp paint doesn't come out of the can tolerant to high temps. Every high temp paint can I've seen has the instructions on the side of the can.

For example, here is a can of POR-15 high temp paint.. ..

.

[BigEvan1923]

Originally Posted by LDT

Looks great. Please share the paint specs.

I followed Keyser Soze lead and did the following


1. Mask off everything near it
2. Clean thoroughly with 90% alcohol
3. Self Etching Primer (2 coats)
4. Heat Gun
5. High Temp Low Gloss Engine Paint (2 coats)
6. More Heat Gun!

SEM self etching primer in black
Dupli-color engine enamel in semi-gloss black. (They make a matte, low gloss, semigloss and high gloss black - felt the semi gloss would compliment the finisher outside well…and it does!)

[gofast182]

Ha! "They all end up like that" because in earlier models the black paint on the inside of the exhaust finisher would flake off and trigger warranty replacements. On my second set the paint flaked off even sooner than the first. It'll be getting masked off and painted like the example above.

[couchgate]

Originally Posted by gofast182

Ha! "They all end up like that" because in earlier models the black paint on the inside of the exhaust finisher would flake off and trigger warranty replacements. On my second set the paint flaked off even sooner than the first. It'll be getting masked off and painted like the example above.

Same here on my 2019 X3 M40, the stock ones started flaking after about 3 years, and the replacement within a few months. And definitely not an easy fix - at least on the X3 they had to replace the whole back half of the exhaust system under warranty just for some flaky paint.

[rundeyvoo]

Originally Posted by Marty in NY

For those of you who are thinking of painting the finisher, keep in mind that high temp paints are not high temp proof until they are baked at a high temp during their curing process. I doubt that piece gets very hot as the hot exhaust flows straight out the pipes and there is a lot of air space between it and the tailpipe so not baking the finisher may not pose an issue but just FYI that high temp paint doesn't come out of the can tolerant to high temps. Every high temp paint can I've seen has the instructions on the side of the can.

For example, here is a can of POR-15 high temp paint.. ..

.

This is true, I forgot to mention that I did use a heat gun as part of the process inbetween passes and curing time. For now everything is still holding up. My friend did his over a year ago and still looks awesome.

[Marty in NY]

Originally Posted by rundeyvoo

This is true, I forgot to mention that I did use a heat gun as part of the process inbetween passes and curing time. For now everything is still holding up. My friend did his over a year ago and still looks awesome.

A hair dryer gets nowhere near the temp needed to cure high temp paint and make it high temp. I think a hair dryer on high gets up to around 130-140F if you are measuring it right at the barrel tip, you know, where hair starts to burn up However, I don't think the exhaust finisher really needs a true high temp cured paint for the reasons stated in my previous post.

BTW, I haven't looked but is there a way for us owners to remove the finisher like BMW does when they replace it? Is it held on my bolts or rivets or?

[rundeyvoo]

Originally Posted by Marty in NY

A hair dryer gets nowhere near the temp needed to cure high temp paint and make it high temp. I think a hair dryer on high gets up to around 130-140F if you are measuring it right at the barrel tip, you know, where hair starts to burn up However, I don't think the exhaust finisher really needs a true high temp cured paint for the reasons stated in my previous post.

BTW, I haven't looked but is there a way for us owners to remove the finisher like BMW does when they replace it? Is it held on my bolts or rivets or?

I absolutely agree, a hairdryer gets nowhere near "high temp" for a proper curing. Which is why I used an actual heat gun where there's a variable temperature setting and you could select your desired temperature.

Not sure what holds it in place, but from my research it looked like a combination of bolts and screws. I didn't end up taking the trim off as it looked like a pain to do, so I masked everything around the area (bumper, tailgate, lights, etc) and ran a few passes of VHT paint while curing it with the heat gun, then repeating the process two more times. This is the same process my buddy did on his exhaust trim and his motorcycle mufflers / pipes, and they've held up well so far. Only time will tell if I did a good enough job.

[couchgate]

Originally Posted by Andrewalker7

This is kind of what I was expecting with my build, but oh well.

Was thinking of going the VHT route like the guy above ^^. Looks so much better.

I purchased those exhaust tips (part 18-30-2-464-503) and unfortunately they do not have a black-coated interior. They must have in the past (e.g., https://www.bmwpartshub.com/oem-part...503?origin=pla). The external part however is more of a matte black compared to the gloss black that comes stock. Might try painting one of them now and I have them!