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I like to chime in and thank the OP for this old thread as well. I too purchased the replica front splitter for my 2017 M Sport and fitment was on the order of 90 to 95%. I paid only $90 as I used eBay's 20% Father's Day code so I'm beyond thrilled at paying only 1/5 of the OEM one.
Like my replica rear diffuser, the Taiwanese made piece was well packed. Mine actually came pre-riveted with aluminum rivets saving me the trouble of having to do the work. I added extra 3M double sided tape at the top to secure it better but I know that I might have to redo it over time as it's in an area where it will come in contact with lots of dirt, rain, snow and road salt.
My guess on the fitment issue is that the OEM one from BMW is made to fit the bumper edge to edge as it is adhered with a glue vs double stick tape which actually "shims" the pieces slightly and contributes to the minor gaps at the sides and top. Also, the hard plastic it's made with seem to have contacted every so slightly making it fit to with in 95% edge to edge. I had the same issue with my rear diffuser. I installed on a cool day and it didn't fit. It was off by 2-3mm on each side. But when I heated it with a heat gun, it magically "expanded" just enough to fit! So you do get what you pay for but there's no way in heck I'm paying 3-5x more for the last few percents of perfect fitment.
Interestingly, my replica carbon fiber rear spoiler fit perfectly! Perhaps CF behaves quite differently vs the plastics the the splitter and diffusers are made of.
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