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I have the flaps on my 530iSE. Its not just diesels. All E60's should have them. I believe it helps in getting the engine to warm up quicker. It also makes the engine quieter on cold starts. I think it was designed for this purpose.

I noticed that earlier and asked BMW about it. I talked to one of the guys who worked in the invention team of the V8 what was actually designed earlier for the 7series.
Those flaps are directing the air flow more around the engine, to all parts under the hood, and espacially down to the oil sump and help cooling down the engine better.
I asked why they are not on US spec e60's, and his response was, that in the US the ppl are not driving as fast as in Germany... These flaps are only needed on real high speeds... So they save the weight and the money...
I really don't like this decision, cause maybe you want to drive your e60 545i on a race track someday, and then your engine IS getting really warm, so it could use this help. And it is covering the radiator, so the car looks better from the front.
However... they made this decision and we have to live with it :(

It'll only be a matter of time before someone posts the part numbers for the flaps so us Yankees can add them to our cars (hint, hint). ;)

Iceman:

Very interesting info. Thanks very much!

That is some interesting bit of info. Would be nice to have it on all e60. It does give the car a better look. See that it serves both functions ... quick heating & cooling ... so should be standard.

Sweden & Spain got it. So what is the bottom line for not making it standard??

I'm sure glad that I don't drive my US spec car on the German roads. ;)

I have got it here in Portugal.
The 730d has it too. The previous 525d had it too.