Most F10 and F11 owners begin with the same handful of changes: gloss black kidney grilles, mirror caps and a boot lip spoiler outside, then the worn parts inside such as door pulls, climate buttons and the gear selector cover. Grilles start from around €28, mirror caps from around €56 and most interior fixes cost between €9 and €40 at the time of writing. The bigger spends are wireless CarPlay from around €240 and front lips, side skirts and diffusers at roughly €130 to €230 each.
Which 5 Series do you have?
This generation of 5 Series was sold from 2010 to 2017. F10 is the saloon and F11 is the Touring. F18 in a listing means the long wheelbase saloon. If unsure, see how to find your BMW chassis code. The 6 Series of the same era (F06, F12, F13) shares some parts with the F10, such as the mirror caps listed for both, and has its own F06, F12 and F13 buying guide.
Two more things decide what fits:
- Pre-LCI or LCI. The facelift (LCI) arrived in 2013. It matters most for mirror caps and for some headlight and bumper parts. For a 2013 car, check the build date. More detail is in LCI vs pre-LCI explained.
- M Sport or standard bumper. The M Sport front and rear bumpers have a different shape from the standard ones, so lips, splitters and diffusers are made for one or the other. Compare the listing photos with your own bumper before ordering.
Everything listed for this car is in the F10 and F11 parts collection.
Grilles, mirror caps and boot spoilers
These are the usual first step because they are cheap, quick and can be undone. Replacement kidney grilles swap the chrome surrounds and single slats for black double slats. The gloss black double-slat grilles are around €67 and ship from our EU warehouse, while the budget double-line grille pair is around €28. The grilles are held in by plastic tabs. Work round them slowly with a trim tool, then press the new ones in until every clip has seated.
Mirror caps are the one exterior part where the facelift split really matters. Order the M-look caps for LCI cars (around €56) or the gloss black caps for pre-LCI cars (around €65), not whichever looks nicer. They replace the painted cap on the mirror housing and clip into place.
Boot lid spoilers are for the F10 saloon only. The Touring has a tailgate, so they will not fit an F11. The M Performance style lip spoiler in gloss black is around €96 and fixes with adhesive tape. Degrease the boot lid, mark the position with masking tape and fit it on a warm, dry day. Some spoilers come in a carbon look finish. That is a printed pattern, not real carbon.
Front lips, side skirts and diffusers
A gloss black front lip spoiler (around €141) sits under the front bumper, side skirt extensions (around €132) run along the sills, and the M5-style rear diffuser (around €172) changes the lower section of the rear bumper. All three ship from the EU warehouse.
Before ordering, check three things: which bumper the part is made for, whether the diffuser's exhaust cut-outs match your tailpipe layout, and whether the listing covers the Touring as well as the saloon. Lips and skirts are normally fixed with screws into the underside of the bumper and sill, sometimes with tape as well so expect small holes hidden underneath, and a second pair of hands helps with alignment. If you are unsure about fit, our fit guarantee explains what happens if a part does not match your car.
Worn interior fixes
The F10 cabin lasts well, but the coating on a few high-contact parts does not. The usual three are:
- Door pulls. The coating goes sticky or peels where your hand grips. A door pull and armrest trim set is around €39. Choose the correct side for left or right hand drive and match your interior colour.
- Climate buttons. The symbols wear through to white plastic. The climate control button repair kit (around €29) replaces the caps, not the whole panel. Compare your button layout with the photos first.
- Gear selector. The side cover on the automatic selector scratches and cracks. A replacement gear selector cover is around €9.
None of these needs more than plastic trim tools. Our view: on a car of this age, €80 spent here does more for daily driving than any exterior part.
Lighting
The quickest lighting change is swapping the yellowish cabin bulbs for white LEDs. The LED interior bulb kit for the 5 Series is around €15, and LED number plate light units are around €14 a pair. Both are CANbus types, meant to work with the car's bulb monitoring. Lenses and lamp units prise out with a trim tool. For any exterior bulb change, check local rules.
CarPlay and small accessories
The factory iDrive in these cars does not offer wireless CarPlay or Android Auto. A wireless CarPlay and Android Auto module (around €243) adds both while keeping the original screen and controller. You must know whether your car has the CIC or NBT system and which screen size, so check the iDrive menus against the listing photos. Fitting means removing dash trim to reach the wiring behind the screen and head unit. Allow an afternoon.
Two small extras are popular. The start-stop memory plug (around €43) remembers your last auto start-stop setting. A silicone key fob cover (around €9) protects the key.
Cost and difficulty at a glance
| Part | Typical price | Fitting difficulty | Reversible |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kidney grilles | €28 to €83 | Easy | Yes, keep the originals |
| Mirror caps | €56 to €65 | Easy to moderate | Yes, keep the originals |
| Boot lid spoiler (saloon) | €96 to €135 | Easy | Yes, with care removing the tape |
| Front lip or side skirts | €55 to €172 | Moderate | Mostly, screw holes stay underneath |
| Rear diffuser | €141 to €230 | Moderate | Depends on the fixing method |
| Door pulls, buttons, selector cover | €9 to €42 | Easy to moderate | Yes |
| Wireless CarPlay module | €243 to €270 | Harder | Yes |
Prices are rounded, at the time of writing. Parts held in our EU warehouse usually reach EU addresses in about 4 to 8 working days. Other items ship from Asia and take longer.
Where to start
- Fix what you touch. Door pulls, climate buttons and gear selector cover, under €80 for all three.
- Sort the lighting. Interior LEDs and number plate lights, around €30 together.
- Grilles and mirror caps. The cheapest visible exterior change, from around €85 for both.
- Boot spoiler if you have the saloon.
- CarPlay once the basics are done.
- Lip, skirts and diffuser last, ideally as a set in one finish.
FAQ
Do F10 parts fit the F11 Touring?
Parts for the front of the car, such as grilles, mirror caps and front lips, and most interior parts are shared, and the listings say F10 / F11. Boot lid spoilers are saloon only, and rear diffusers should be checked against the listing before you order.
How do I know if my F10 is pre-LCI or LCI?
The facelift came in 2013, so cars from 2014 onwards are LCI and cars from 2010 to 2012 are pre-LCI. For a 2013 car, check the build date with a VIN decoder.
Will LED bulbs cause warning messages on the dashboard?
CANbus LED bulbs are made to work with the car's bulb monitoring, and that is the type we list for this car. If a warning appears, check the bulb is seated and is the correct size.
Does a CarPlay module replace the BMW iDrive system?
No. The module works alongside the factory system and uses the original screen and iDrive controller. Order the version that matches your CIC or NBT system.