[UTEE24]

I am posting a picture-oriented DIY guide to replacing the windshield reveal molding on my E92 coupe. You do NOT have to remove the windshield.

I think it is absolutely ridiculous that dealerships will try to scam people out of $1000 when this is a ~$30 + tax part and at most 1 hour labor job. And the 1 hour labor is rounding up from 30 minutes.

I would like to first say thanks to the posters of these threads, which provided valuable information and great insight on what to expect:

www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=723121
www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=523429
www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=573281

I purchased my rubber reveal molding from getBMWparts.com, PN 51-31-7-119-711. Thanks to Jason for providing such a great service.

First, gather the tools. A wooden pick is all that is needed to pry out the old rubber. I would not recommend using a box cutter or screw driver.



Here is what my reveal molding looked like:



Up close:



I started peeling the old rubber out at the front passenger bottom corner. Gently pry up the bottom rubber cover piece to get access to the bottom of the cracked molding. This was my start point.



Continue prying from the bottom to top, try to keep the old molding all in one piece.



Slowly continue prying, and round the corner.



At the stubborn glue points, use a wooden pick to help pry the glue gum off the car



Once the old piece is removed, use the WD-40 to clean the old glue off the paint. Use the glass cleaner to clean the glue off the windshield. I ended up not using the isopropyl alcohol.



Press the new reveal molding back in, starting at the top corner edge of the driver's side. Do NOT pull the adhesive backing yet! Fit the entire reveal molding in to the groove (all 3 sides) before pulling the adhesive sticker backing. Make sure the reveal molding is aligned perfectly with the car lines. I used the blunt end of the wooden pick to gently push the rubber down into the groove. Be careful not to stab the rubber and puncture it.



Press the center piece of the molding in. The passenger top corner edge may require some massaging to get the alignment perfect.



Work the molding all the way down. Once you're happy with the alignment, pull all 3 of the sticker backing to make the position permanent.



The windshield reveal lining is brand new again! This was a very easy DIY, with the total time being about 45 minutes, but that was me being super careful along the way. Next one would easily be under 20 minutes. (Hopefully there will not be a next one.)

Happy rubber molding!

Sorry for the double pictures.

[Spun Crankhub]

Great write up!

[jmftexas]

Just did this, thanks for the write up! I had a pretty hard time getting the trim back in along the top of the windshield. I found that using an old credit card or gift card helped quite a bit in getting the trim seated properly. Looks so much better now.

[IK6SPEED]

Thanks!!! Will try this, i was told that the whole windshield needed to be replaced but this is awesome.

[GTiceman]

Took me 26min from start to finish and includes cleaning time. Dealer told me they would need to remove the windshield and that it usually cracks when they do and I would be responsible for that. This was super easy and helpful.

FYI I used a trim removal tool to help seat the molding so I didnt need to risk the punctures

[GoRomeo]

I need to do this too. Is not that bad yet. Not sure if I can DIY it myself. Any videos available?

[Fortyb]

Great write up just got finished. And only paid $29.00 for the rubber molding.

[AU335]

Fantastic writeup! Thanks so much! Did this over the weekend. So fast... so cheap...so much better looking now.

[Wolf 335]

Can't believe how badly it was cracked.

Was that cracked one original molding or was it replaced at some point?

[1QuikWS6]

Excellent writeup

Just did this today - literally did take me only about 35min

Mine wasn't quite as bad as OP, so cleanup was minimal...

Now I'm good for another 46K miles

[slawless]

Thanks for the encouragement. I replaced mine today. It really was easy. However I am a bit OC and I spent about an hour trying to remove every bit of the old glue.

[wnathan57]

Great write up! I've been looking to do this for awhile now and just ordered my molding.

[jtswole]

Mine was going good until the last corner, I cracked the windshield. I used a piece of wood and hammer to bang in the top and the last corner, I guess the wood was on the glass and it cracked. Other than that, it was easy to do.

[DaleT]

AWESOME. just ordered the part. Thanks!!

[xyaaeg234g234]

Originally Posted by jtswole

Mine was going good until the last corner, I cracked the windshield. I used a piece of wood and hammer to bang in the top and the last corner, I guess the wood was on the glass and it cracked. Other than that, it was easy to do.

Glad to hear I'm not the only one! I have an '09 e90 and only had to replace the top portion. The passenger side went in without issues but I couldn't for the life of me get the driver side to seat properly. I was smacking it with the handle of my pry tool with 4-6 layers of shop towel/microfiber cloth below it, I must've slipped and caught the top area of the windshield and got a nice big spider crack.

Thankfully I had already filed a claim and had an appt set for a replacement since it had some damage to it when I purchased the car - I called my ins and let them know about the additional damage and they said it did not matter since they already approved the claim, phew!

Super happy to live in Florida and have my windshield replaced for free from road hazard damage! Saved me about $400 through safelite.

[b1mmr]

Awesome, thank you! I noticed last week that mine was "up" in a few spots.

[Abax335]

can't wait for someone to try this and crack the glass

[b1mmr]

Originally Posted by Abax335

can't wait for someone to try this and crack the glass

Who used the restroom in your breakfast..

[lag]

Noticed mine cracking at the top a few years ago. I just was cleaning the car and noticed it's basically falling apart at the base of the windshield now. Was thinking "of course this is going to be a $$$ fix.". Glad it's not, ordering the replacement surround now.

[J. Dub]

Well done OP.

[foxman7]

great write up just bought an e93 and it needed this. I spent about 2 hours doing it mainly because of the cleaning. The easiest part is the removal the longest the cleaning and the most difficult putting in because of the corners. And it turned out fabulous. great DIY.

[doru]

In order to avoid having "cooked" rubber seals around windshield, windows etc, one would use Next Zett Gummipflege. In the early days, it was called Eins Zett and BMW actually was recommending it to their clients. Linky of web-page
Personally I used this stick on all my BMW's for years, and I have never experienced cracked or damaged rubber seals. I do it twice/year.

0.02