om330 Posted July 24, 2012 Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 Hi, I've just bought a 2005 330CD SE. Loving my first BMW experience, just want to personalise it with some subtle mods for now. First up is the chrome trim round the windows. Don't think this looks right against the dark blue as I'm after a more stealthy look and so I want to either colour code them, paint them black or even vinyl wrap in some di-noc carbon. Any suggestions? How easy is it to remove the trim as I have done a fair bit of vinyl wrapping in the past so would be a cheaper alternative to painting. Kidney grills also need the same treatment. Thinking of painting them in black plasitcoat either that or try a replacement set off eBay. Again any suggestions or recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay. Posted July 24, 2012 Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 I painted a set on the car satin black , key the surface with scotch brite, mask up round windows & paintwork - jobs a goodun - make sure you give it 3 or 4 coats so it last longer. They are a PITA to remove hence not bothering, it was easy to do on the car & looked a propper job. Wrapping them in CF would look chavvy IMO. Plasicote on the grilles chips off easily, you'd be as well getting a set of black ones off ebay for £30 ish & they are easy to remove , just held in with a few clips HTH Jay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffThomson Posted July 24, 2012 Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 I've carbon wrapped my trims....It's subtle and not noticeable til you're right on top of the car. Easy to do too, just take your time removing the trims. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
om330 Posted July 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 Nice one!! I agree the CF wrap probably wouldn't look right. just not sure about painting them on the car though. I guess with proper masking it would be ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
om330 Posted July 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 I've carbon wrapped my trims....It's subtle and not noticeable til you're right on top of the car. Easy to do too, just take your time removing the trims. So how are the trims fitted? Are they bolted on or just clipped in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffThomson Posted July 24, 2012 Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 Clipped, need to be gentle taking them off too, possible to bend and tear the aluminium if you're not careful and have a steady hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Syxx Posted July 24, 2012 Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 (edited) Clipped, need to be gentle taking them off too, possible to bend and tear the aluminium if you're not careful and have a steady hand. There not clipped in, they are held on by screws. Have a look at my DIY its not difficult to remove the trims. Edited July 25, 2012 by DJ Syxx mit 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffThomson Posted July 24, 2012 Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 (edited) I'll clarify this, on my pre facelift 2000 touring, they are held in by clips. Number 3 in this diagram. the clips are screwed to the bodywork, but you still need to unclip the trims to remove. http://realoem.com/b...960&hg=51&fg=20 On your M3 i wouldn't be surprised if that was different. C. There not clipped in, they are held object by screws. Have a look at my DIY its not difficult to remove the trims. Edited July 24, 2012 by CliffThomson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Syxx Posted July 24, 2012 Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 I'll clarify this, on my pre facelift 2000 touring, they are held in by clips. Number 3 in this diagram. the clips are screwed to the bodywork, but you still need to unclip the trims to remove. http://realoem.com/b...960&hg=51&fg=20 On your M3 i wouldn't be surprised if that was different. C. Thats on a tourer, OP has a coupe and yes it is different. I know because I have taken it off before. The top frame is held on by "screws" not clips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
om330 Posted July 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 Thanks for all the info, I have read through DJ Syxx's very comprehensive DIY guide and although a bit fiddly doesn't look too tricky. Reckon I'll give it a go. Might try a carbon wrap first as I have some di-noc left over from a previous job. If not matt black will be the way forward. Thanks again, will let you know how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
das_flo Posted July 25, 2012 Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 If you're painting them, i'd go for gloss black like the sport has. Or look out for a set to replace yours with, I don't expect them to pop up for sale often though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mit Posted July 25, 2012 Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 (edited) Yep, high gloss shadowline and chromeline trim were optional extras I think (depending on Sport or SE). Regular shadow (matt black) was base model... I'd like to see someone colour code theirs... reckon it would look quite nice Edited July 25, 2012 by mit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
om330 Posted July 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 yep, gloss finish would look good as the car has a lovely finish after the 2 coats of DoDoJuice wax I did at the weekend Might try the colour coded approach but as the car is dark don't think it would make that much difference. Cheers again for all your input Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
om330 Posted July 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2012 Had a busy weekend as replaced my swirl flaps on Saturday with some lovely blanking plates from PMW (pitty you can't see them & there is no performance gain for the time spent but piece of mind) & painted my chrome window trims today. Stripped all the trims off the car using DJ Syxx's DIY guide. Then rubbed down with a scotch brite to give a key. Then followed 2 coats of primer and a rub down with 2500 wet & dry to flatten the primer. Finished off with 4 coats of gloss black. A fairly big job & long day but it has transformed the look from "executive" to the stealth mode I am after. Really pleased with the results. Will get some before & after pics posted soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Syxx Posted July 29, 2012 Report Share Posted July 29, 2012 good stuff mate, makes a difference from the chrome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
