:iagree: But for states that require inspections, they might give you a hard time if the wheels/tires extended beyond the fenders. IMHO, $900 for a couple of arches, I would rather go without until I get a "fix-it" ticket that force me to do it.

dkl,
Just for another opinion, I called Nick at Morristown BMW and asked about wheel arches. He said that every customer that has bought wheel arches has done it for the look. He said that a state trooper or a state inspector would give you a hard time if you had a wrangler with really wide off roading tires. But an inspector looking at an X5 with upgraded OEM wheels would not blink twice.

He actually laughed when I suggested there was a legal reason for putting wheel arches.

:iagree:

The "legal ref" was a real reach and, maybe a good rationale
to get those arches. :rolleyes: :rofl:

$900 for a few plastic pieces definitely needs some serious justifications :rofl:

In MD the state boys say you only need mud flaps if the rear fender/bumper is above the center of the wheel. You are right that is a lot of money for the look. Also what would the dealer charge to install those flares.

Can someone who purchased these fender extenders provide the BMW part numbers or provide the location on this forum where they are provided?

Thanks for helping a newbie . . . .

Flares, rear left 51 71 7 051 035
Flares, rear right 51 71 7 051 036
Flares, front left 51 71 7 051 037
Flares, front right 51 71 7 051 038

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...52&hg=51&fg=95

Also check this thread for pics and more

Thanks for the P/N's and links LeMansX5.

After looking at OEM and reading the old thread, it looks like the flares only fit the 51 71 0 017 315 Aluminum running boards, or am I missing somthng here? I have put the 82 11 0 021 342 on my X5, which matched up to the original flares. I really don't want to replace my running boards to add these "cool" flares, so if your insight could be provided again, I'd be much appreciative.

Are you saying that you did not change wheel arches when you put running boards?

I did nott replace the wheel arches when I installed the "plastic" extended running boards. I will say that the match-up seam between the running boards and the current OEM fender flares do not match up that well. There is about a 1/4" gap in the seams, which exposes the inter-locking tongue between the transitions of the plastic parts (I'm sure your are completely confused - would a picture help?).

Will the 82 11 0 021 342 running boards work with the following flares?
Flares, rear left 51 71 7 051 035
Flares, rear right 51 71 7 051 036
Flares, front left 51 71 7 051 037
Flares, front right 51 71 7 051 038

TIA