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BMW 3-Series and 4-Series Forum (F30 / F32) | F30POST > Technical Forums > Cosmetic Maintenance: Wash, Wax, Detailing, Repairs > Window Pillar Trim
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      03-29-2021, 06:44 PM   #1
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Window Pillar Trim



I noticed that the rear passenger side window door pillar trim was bubbling on my F30 and I'd like to fix that as some point, I think its just a glossy piece of plastic trim that could be replaced but I'm not entirely sure, I couldn't really find anything about it, is it possible to replace this without pulling apart the entire door?
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      03-29-2021, 09:58 PM   #2
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I believe the run channel is painted metal. You pretty much gut the door to get that piece out.
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      03-29-2021, 10:15 PM   #3
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The plastic pieces between the doors are attached with double sided tape and screws, the C pillar covers are doubled sided taped only. You can pry them off with plastic trim removal wedges. I got tired of having to polish mine every six months to gt rid of the spider webbing, so I pulled them and wrapped them with carbon fiber vinyl, the same that I had already used to wrap my mirror covers. I haven't had to polish them since.

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      05-25-2021, 12:16 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Billfitz View Post
The plastic pieces between the doors are attached with double sided tape and screws, the C pillar covers are doubled sided taped only. You can pry them off with plastic trim removal wedges. I got tired of having to polish mine every six months to gt rid of the spider webbing, so I pulled them and wrapped them with carbon fiber vinyl, the same that I had already used to wrap my mirror covers. I haven't had to polish them since.

Can you buy replacement black glossy panels? My passenger-side one is really scratched from a previous owner.
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      05-25-2021, 12:58 PM   #5
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You can, but after a few months of driving they'll end up spider webbed anyway.
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      06-04-2021, 05:52 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stevecrawf0rd View Post
Can you buy replacement black glossy panels? My passenger-side one is really scratched from a previous owner.
You could just polish it instead of buying new ones. Then put ceramic coat on it to protect it.
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      06-04-2021, 07:26 AM   #7
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The OP mentioned it is "bubling". I'm not sure how those plastic pieces would "bubble", but if that is the case, polishing them won't help.

If it was simply marred up, I'd agree. My solution for any of my cars is to polish them with a soft pad and a finishing polish. Most of the time this makes them look good as new and with my polisher takes only a minute or two for each side.
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      06-30-2021, 04:25 AM   #8
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This has always been a painfull piece of the car for me.
I tried various methods, and stickers, but within time they got loose and started to look bad.
I took off all stickers and after recommendation from my friend I thoroughly cleaned the area and then did a Ceramic Coating on them, that brought it right out and made it look amazing.
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      06-30-2021, 08:05 AM   #9
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If by 'stickers' you mean vinyl wrap it won't come loose if applied correctly. You must remove the the trim from the car, a five minute job, and as the name implies wrap the vinyl around the trim. If you don't wrap it around the edges and adhere it to the back of the trim then it will peel.
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      07-01-2021, 12:19 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Billfitz View Post
The plastic pieces between the doors are attached with double sided tape and screws, the C pillar covers are doubled sided taped only. You can pry them off with plastic trim removal wedges. I got tired of having to polish mine every six months to gt rid of the spider webbing, so I pulled them and wrapped them with carbon fiber vinyl, the same that I had already used to wrap my mirror covers. I haven't had to polish them since.

looks nice !!
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      07-01-2021, 12:45 PM   #11
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And it still looks as good as the day I installed it. The same for my mirror caps, wrapped with the same 3M Di-Noc.
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