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      05-01-2014, 12:47 PM   #1
pablobaq
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My new White GT 335 with "carbon fiber" roof bike rack

Hi all, I just wanted to share with you some pics of my new White GT. This car has really given me the excitement of driving back, without sacrificing on the functionality of an SUV that I need for my family.
The car sounds great with the 6cil engine, and the xdrive really makes the car sturdy and "on rails" while cornering.
Here are a couple of pics when I picked up the car:







Since Im an Avid mountain biker, the next step was to get the roof rack for the GT. But I wanted something a little more muted that the OEM BMW Aluminum racks:





I purchased online some carbon fiber vinyl wrap and started the process:





This is not very difficult, but you need to take your time to do it right. Nowadays all the vinyls come with a bubble release feature that makes it easy to apply without the annoying bubbles, just use a credit card or squeegee. I also wrapped the bike rack, which is a little more challenging because of the curved aluminum extrusion.




This is how it looks at the end: Pretty happy with the outcome. BTW, the wife's hairdryer will work wonders molding the wrap in complex surfaces... Just don't tell her you snagged it




The muted look of the carbon fiber really makes the roof rack and bike carrier really cool:



Ok, so then to installation on the GT:



The install is pretty easy and if you are somewhat handy, you wont have a problem getting it installed.




I really like how the roof rack looks on the car. Its definitely a taste thing, some might not like it, but for me its an A+

I check fitment of my other love and the rack actually holds the bike pretty solidly:




Here are a couple more pics of the car with bike on:






If somebody has any questions, please feel free to ask.
Hope you enjoyed the pics. My next mod: painting the kidney grills black.
Cheers!
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      05-01-2014, 01:52 PM   #2
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Looks great
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      05-01-2014, 07:31 PM   #3
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Thanks brhon,
Has anybody painted their grill yet on their GT?
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      05-01-2014, 08:48 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pablobaq View Post
Thanks brhon,
Has anybody painted their grill yet on their GT?
There is a thread where someone used plasti dip, but can not recall who that was. I should be able to pick up a Estoril Blue 328 M Sport this weekend. I have been back and forth on different cars and models, but I think this is it.
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      05-02-2014, 12:23 AM   #5
.BMW.
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Nice!

And beautiful wheels, style 598, on your 3 Series GT.
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      05-02-2014, 01:45 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brhon View Post
There is a thread where someone used plasti dip, but can not recall who that was. I should be able to pick up a Estoril Blue 328 M Sport this weekend. I have been back and forth on different cars and models, but I think this is it.
Car and bike rack looks great.

The black grill thread is here
http://www.f30post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=969700

Post #9
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      05-02-2014, 06:31 PM   #7
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Thanks Alan,
I actually asked the OP but he never answered regarding the grill.

To everyone interested on painting the grills, I asked a friend that owns a BMW body shop and he says that the chrome plastic will eventually peel if painted... No matter if you sand it and prime it.

I might try doing a test with glossy black vinyl. For sure this will last longer..
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      05-03-2014, 06:11 AM   #8
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Good pics. Thanks for sharing.

I have to say, I feel a bit sorry for you guys in the US, the orange reflectors on the front side wheel arch have a bad impact on the design. Nothing you can do, I know. I wonder what the idea is behind making such reflectors obligatory.
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      05-03-2014, 03:32 PM   #9
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Yeah, Mike, Some people are painting them the same color as their car...
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      05-07-2014, 11:33 AM   #10
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I got the 3M glossy black vinyl to wrap the grills... Will keep you guys posted
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      05-09-2014, 03:52 PM   #11
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Hi guys, Im loving the 3m vinyl. Here is how my grills turned out.









I'll probably do an DIY for people here...
Its fairly easy to do and cheap too! I paid $15 for the vinyl and took about an hour.
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      05-10-2014, 01:11 AM   #12
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Looks brilliant!

What next?????

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      05-12-2014, 04:57 PM   #13
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Wow,
your car looks very cool! I totally get what you are doing with the black.
Stunning!

BTW do you get a lot of wind noise with the rack without a fairing?
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      05-13-2014, 10:20 AM   #14
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Thanks Richjf77 and mpanada,

I think the next thing on the list will be a wind fairing. To answer mpanada's question, the wind noise gets a bit annoying after 40mph.

I've decided to go with the inno medium its nice and clean. People in the forum say it doesn't fit. But I have an idea that might work.
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      05-13-2014, 01:54 PM   #15
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Looks super, both the grill and roof rack. Thnks so much for posting this. Innovative mods such as yours are inspiring, and make the forum a tremendous resource. Just awesome!
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      05-16-2014, 11:25 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by diablo2112 View Post
Looks super, both the grill and roof rack. Thnks so much for posting this. Innovative mods such as yours are inspiring, and make the forum a tremendous resource. Just awesome!
Thank diablo for your encouraging words!

I figured out a way to install the Inno fairing virtually in any rack.
Will post a pic shortly.
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      05-16-2014, 01:42 PM   #17
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The car looks great

What do you think of carbon-foliating only the roof?
I have a silver M-sport
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      05-16-2014, 04:38 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ELNch View Post
The car looks great

What do you think of carbon-foliating only the roof?
I have a silver M-sport
Thanks ELNch!

I personally think that the carbon pattern looks great when done in small accents. If you over-do it it might get a little tacky. But again thats only my opinion. Try it and see... the cool thing is that its vinyl, so you can always peel it off. And remember, it only has to look great in your eyes.
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      05-16-2014, 06:42 PM   #19
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Hey Guys,
I just uploaded my DIY on converting the regular chrome grills into glossy black. Enjoy!

http://www.f30post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=986632
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      05-19-2014, 02:28 PM   #20
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Car is coming out beautiful! Thanks for the vinyl grilles DIY.
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      05-20-2014, 05:11 AM   #21
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Great DIY Post, great car too!!!Great job
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      05-20-2014, 07:31 PM   #22
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Thanks for posting the DIY. Been wanting to do this and now I know how!

Quote:
Originally Posted by pablobaq View Post
Hey Guys,
I just uploaded my DIY on converting the regular chrome grills into glossy black. Enjoy!

http://www.f30post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=986632
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