window trim removal

[InfernoM3]

Ok I recently bought some OEM euro m5 shadowline black trim to replace my cheap shadowline tape job. how do I remove the chrome window trim and not break all the clips. I'm sure those of you who did the sanding and painting method to blackout can help me out. also my shadowline trim didn't have any clips so I'm hoping i can reuse them. any info would help I don' want to remove the trim and not be able to put the new ones or be stuck driving around w/ my car looking jacked up. thanks

[jjw]

You will break the clips. There is no way around it. Just buy some new one before you take the old one off.

[InfernoM3]

You will break the clips. There is no way around it. Just buy some new one before you take the old one off.
anyone got the part numbers and how many i need. thanks.

[Shaun]

anyone got the part numbers and how many i need. thanks.

PN: 51131924953

Yes, the clips WILL break. Especially if they're the originals.

If I remember properly (It's been a year...) You need 9 or more per side. They're only like 30 cents each, so just buy a handful. When you put the trim back on, make sure you get a nice audible *click* at each clip position to be sure it's locked into place.

[mike wong]

the clips are plastic and usually break when trim removed. no need to try to save a 30 cent clip, as the old clip is already bent from use and won't have the holding spring force of a new clip.

also the fat piece of trim at the rear window pulls straight out at you (perpendicular to the body). the two clips are different and probably can be reused. the rest of the other clips, you lift the bottom edge of the trim, then rotate/twist towards the sunroof. then listen for the snap of the clip breaking...

Buy the clips form BMA; as dealer will charge 3-5 times MORE.

[Shaun]

the clips are plastic and usually break when trim removed. no need to try to save a 30 cent clip, as the old clip is already bent from use and won't have the holding spring force of a new clip.

also the fat piece of trim at the rear window pulls straight out at you (perpendicular to the body). the two clips are different and probably can be reused. the rest of the other clips, you lift the bottom edge of the trim, then rotate/twist towards the sunroof. then listen for the snap of the clip breaking...

Buy the clips form BMA; as dealer will charge 3-5 times MORE.

I'm sure BMA is really great and all, but my dealer only charged me 32 cents each, and I got them immediately (I bought a whole bag of them.) For $6 in clips, it's hardly worth paying ANY shipping nor waiting for what might account to maybe 50 cents in savings, in my opinion.

And yes, the clips on the rearward part of the trim (the "fat" part) aren't the same; they won't break and you don't need to buy anything for them.

[kngpen]

Tell me how much the new window trim cost you please. I might buy some and have it professionally sanded and painted because I did not do to great of a job with the shadowline tape.

On a different note, I have the factory pinstripes on my 525i. If I get this removed will their still be lines left from the sun discolorment? Any ideas on what the best means would be to remove the pinstripes and to make it look like they were never there? Worst comes to worst I would just put a thick black pinstripe over the two smaller ones.

[Shaun]

Tell me how much the new window trim cost you please. I might buy some and have it professionally sanded and painted because I did not do to great of a job with the shadowline tape.

On a different note, I have the factory pinstripes on my 525i. If I get this removed will their still be lines left from the sun discolorment? Any ideas on what the best means would be to remove the pinstripes and to make it look like they were never there? Worst comes to worst I would just put a thick black pinstripe over the two smaller ones.

I didn't buy new trim, just the clips that hold it on. I removed my trim, prepped it, painted it, and reinstalled it. I believe you CAN get the Shadowline trim from BMA for around $400 though, which might be a better choice. The trim is pretty pliable, and will likely bend out of shape if you don't exercise caution in removing it.

[long post for shadowline follows]

10 Steps to Shadowline

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This has been covered (lots) before, but I'll repost what I did to paint my trim (window trim and headlight rings).

As always, your results may vary.

Here's what I did on my 1995 540i:

1) * Remove the trim pieces. ** For the windows, this can be rather difficult, but if you take your time and be careful, it's not a horridly painful process.

2) Sand/scuff them up with 400 or 600 grit.

3) Wash the parts with a water/mild detergent mix. Dawn or something similar. Clean them up real good.

4) Clean them up with a tack rag. Remove as much lint, hair or dust as possible.

5) *** Lay down a couple coats of self-etching primer. This step is pretty important. I found that without this, the paint will flake and chip off rather quickly.

6) Use 1000 or 1500 grit sand paper and smooth everything out. You might wetsand here.

7) Spray on trim paint. Use at least two coats, with a possible wetsanding inbetween the coats. This paint is available at most auto parts stores or possibly any place that carries spray paint. An alternative is a satin black or semi-gloss black paint.

8) Grab a beer and let everything dry. I waited 36 hours to re-install my trim. You might be good with 24 hours or less in better (warmer) weather.

9) Re-install the trim. Be good to yourself and place those black funky clips on the car before hand. Position them properly (on the pillar there are specific spots for them) and space them out nicely. I started at the front pillar and worked my way back, snapping the trim into place. Sometimes you'll have to give the trim a good hard push to get it to pop into place (and it *will* audibly click into place on those clips.)

10) Grab a chair and admire your fresh shadowline paint. If all is well, it should be virtually indistinguishable from the factory shadowline.

* If you don't want to remove the trim, you can mask it all off. If you mask, make sure you mask really well, and cover the entire car with cloth or masking paper. Spray paint carries a LONG ways.

** For the window trim, I started at the rear door, towards the bottom where the trim gets wider. This piece is just held in with some basic plastic tension snaps. Once you have this piece popped out, you get to the fun. The upper and front trim piece is held in place using some funky clips. These clips are almost all guaranteed to break, so make sure you buy some new ones from your dealer before hand (They were $0.32 each at my dealer; 10 per side.) Whatever you do, don't use a regular metal screwdriver to pry at the trim. You'll scratch and bend things. Get a nylon panel pry or just use your fingers to do this. For me, it helped to pull out gently and roll the trim up. That is, towards the inside of the car. This unlatches the clips (or breaks them mostly) and releases the trim. Don't roll/bend too far or too hard, you'll warp your trim.

*** The big key here is the self-etching primer. It really does a good job of adhering to the metal trim, and in turn providing a nice surface for the cool new trim paint.

+ As an aside, after I removed my trim, I noticed during prep that the very front and back had rubber seals on them. The seal on the front slid into a channel and was physically pinched into place, while the seals on the rear section were just glued on. I removed all of these seals prior to prepping, and found that re-gluing the rear seals worked fine, but there was no good way of reattaching the front seal. It might be wise to tape this off instead of removing it.

[InfernoM3]

Tell me how much the new window trim cost you please. I might buy some and have it professionally sanded and painted because I did not do to great of a job with the shadowline tape.

I got a good deal on a set of used OEM euro e34 m5 shadowline trim. I only got the upper portions and not the door sills for $100. can't beat that. They are in pretty good condition but one small scrape on one.

I'll go see how much my dealer charges for the clips otherwise i'll hitup BMA since I live in LA. no tax free pickup. :p