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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Cosmetic and Lighting Modifications (exterior/interior) > window trim : from chrome to black. best way?



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      02-20-2013, 05:26 PM   #1
g0ldo
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window trim : from chrome to black. best way?

hey guys,

I have a 2006 330xi Jet black and I switched from chrome to black kidney grills but now I would like to get my window trims black as well. I have read a bit in here on various possibilities but I still dont know whats the best way to go.

Buying black trims from a parts shop would cost roughly 200$/side which is quite alot for this kind of mod..
Painting? People seem to think that its impossible to put the original trims back in place after you took them off in the first place.

Anybody here has done that recently? Can you give your feedback and post pics if available?
Thanks!

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      02-20-2013, 05:44 PM   #2
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You'll find you really only have 3 options.

1. Buy new from BMW...

2. Plastidip

3. Vinyl Wrap.



If you choose option 1... then get ready to spend 1098 bucks on the trim.

Plastidp runs what... 5 bucks a can? And it's reversible.... just do a good job masking off and you'll be fine.

Vinyl.. more tricky to put on, but in my opinion it will look much better.

I plan on getting window tints once the weather gets a little better and having the tint shop do my ugly chrome trim at the same time.
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      02-20-2013, 07:12 PM   #3
g0ldo
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Thanks for the reply. Yeah I heard about plastidip or vinyl wrap as well but I was a bit scared to do it by myself. How much do you think a body shop would charge to do that kind of job?
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      02-20-2013, 07:16 PM   #4
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It's best in my opinion to vinyl wrap. It's not gonna be that hard. You just need the enthusiasm to do it and some time. It's gonna be fun I promise you. Besides it's reversible so no worries if you mess up.
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      02-20-2013, 08:07 PM   #5
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^werd

vinyl and plastidip are completely reversible so there's really no "screwing up" per say. give yourself an afternoon and have at it
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      02-20-2013, 08:12 PM   #6
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try plasti dip its easy and reversible. I did my grill last week and was going to do my trim yesterday but the weather was shitty so it'll have to wait another week.
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      02-21-2013, 07:32 AM   #7
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Plastidip it, the look in my opinion is better and you don't have to worry about it cracking like vinyl will do over time. If it gets a little nick in it, easy fix also.

Just watch vids on YouTube and you will be successful. My friend just plastidiped his CRV this past weekend after watching two 5 minute videos. So it's not hard.
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      02-21-2013, 08:23 AM   #8
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I've had both plastidip and vinyl on mine, go vinyl for sure.
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      02-21-2013, 09:27 AM   #9
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I did the same recently(black grills and black trim).

I used vinyl wrap from BMWSHADOWLINE dot com. It was my first time using vinyl and i must say I am pleased with the results. It was very easy to work with and VERY forgiving. Looks pretty darn good too! But yeah definitely give yourself a good part of a saturday, take your time and have fun with it!

Heres mine:

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      02-21-2013, 09:54 AM   #10
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Vinyl takes forever before it cracks, it would only crack if it's near the end of it's rated lifespan which is something like 7-8 years for high quality vinyl. I don't think Plastidip would last remotely that long.

The other thing about Plastidip is the texture. It's not really that glossy and can be sort of rough. I've seen both and vinyl is much, much more professional looking.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Thatoneguy_335i View Post
Plastidip it, the look in my opinion is better and you don't have to worry about it cracking like vinyl will do over time. If it gets a little nick in it, easy fix also.

Just watch vids on YouTube and you will be successful. My friend just plastidiped his CRV this past weekend after watching two 5 minute videos. So it's not hard.
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      02-21-2013, 10:14 AM   #11
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Thanks for all the replies guys. I think Im going to go with vinyl wrap as well as soon as it stops f*"&/&/g snowing!! How much did it cost in parts (vinyl) to do the job Dylanize? In fact, what size did you buy from bmwshadowline website? Also, thanks for the pic!
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      02-21-2013, 12:00 PM   #12
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Vinyl it, platidip gives it a rubbery look especially if you dont know how to do it correctly
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      02-21-2013, 06:05 PM   #13
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Taking out the bottom chrome trim is extreme tricky. You cannot reuse the bottom trim if you managed to bend it. Each piece is $55.
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      02-21-2013, 09:42 PM   #14
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Mask it off and paint it. I used Rustoleum from autozone on my E46 and its been good since April 2011. No chipping. Just sand, prime, and paint. I plan on doing the same to my E90.

I may have been overly cautious in masking the car off.
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Last edited by ChrissyP; 02-21-2013 at 09:46 PM.. Reason: Added photos
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      04-06-2013, 09:55 AM   #15
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hey! finally ended up with vinyl and I have half of it done. it looks great on the parts you actually see when the doors are closed, but all the curvy parts you dont see are pretty messed up..

I dont know if its because Im terrible at applying the vinyl or if its normal but eeeew Im having a tough time with the curves!
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      04-06-2013, 10:44 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by g0ldo View Post
hey! finally ended up with vinyl and I have half of it done. it looks great on the parts you actually see when the doors are closed, but all the curvy parts you dont see are pretty messed up..

I dont know if its because Im terrible at applying the vinyl or if its normal but eeeew Im having a tough time with the curves!
let see some pics of what you're talking about
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      04-06-2013, 10:54 AM   #17
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here we go

first 2 pics are the good part
last 2 are the bad part
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Last edited by g0ldo; 04-06-2013 at 11:05 AM..
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      04-06-2013, 11:28 AM   #18
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I would re-do it. I think you tried to cut too much before the heat application. try again but leave extra vinyl hanging out so that you can cut it after the heat application so that it covers everything. then trim off the excess.
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      04-06-2013, 11:49 AM   #19
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i didnt even heat anything up in fact. the instructions that came along the vinyl wrap didnt mention that we needed to use a heatgun or something like that. so it was basically only press hard and thats it.

but yeah maybe i should use it
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      04-06-2013, 12:09 PM   #20
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If you decide to dip your trim then keep in mind that Plasti-dip is offered in clear as well, so you can do matte black or gloss black, depending on your preference.

Get it at www.dipyourcar.com
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      04-06-2013, 06:00 PM   #21
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Just plasti dipped today chrome today.

Went awesome.
Came out better.

I do wish i removed mirrors though. Theres a couple smalls spots im gonna need to touch up on the chrome near them.

Dippin works great
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      04-06-2013, 06:22 PM   #22
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This is how it came out.
Posting this on my phone so grabbing the image url is kinda a bitch to import. Sorry.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=606948150485&l=f1fac82508
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