[Ron435d]

Evening chaps,

I have ordered a set of replica m performance side skirt decals. After some research I found this guy https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/233541714151 after a few emails were exchanged he sent them next day delivery and assured me there exactly the same as oem. With the m sport curve etc.

I mean I'm no vinyl expert but how different can they be?

Has anybody experienced fitting these themselves?
I have the m performance side skirts which I will take off first and follow the wet instalation method but anybody got any first hand experience be great to here how you got on?

Also got this for application https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261487378773
Which was really fast delivery came next day and feels great quality ill post a pic.

[JLX.]

Hi,

I fitted a pair myself and they turned out great, they look amazing once finished but the fitting can be fiddly! Mine were carbon, it was basically one huge sticker.

The hardest thing I found was keeping it straight as you need to keep it in line with the curvature in the skirt. The vinyl is within curvature as well if you look closely at the OEM skirts.

There are some videos on YouTube if you haven't watched these already. The area obviously needs to be cleaned down fully including underneath the car where it wraps around. I found it best to mask up the entire decal to your car first so you have it somewhat aligned and then begin peeling back the vinyl/sticker from one side. The important thing is to make sure you are keeping the thing straight, if your angle is off even slightly it just gets worse and worse as you get further down. Because the top of the vinyl/sticker curves with the skirt you need to be careful of air bubbles here also as they can appear quite easy if the decal isn’t fully pushed down onto the car.

I had zero experience of applying things like this before and it turned out OK so I'm sure you'll be fine but needs patience.

[Ron435d]

Originally Posted by JLX.

Hi,

I fitted a pair myself and they turned out great, they look amazing once finished but the fitting can be fiddly! Mine were carbon, it was basically one huge sticker.

The hardest thing I found was keeping it straight as you need to keep it in line with the curvature in the skirt. The vinyl is within curvature as well if you look closely at the OEM skirts.

There are some videos on YouTube if you haven't watched these already. The area obviously needs to be cleaned down fully including underneath the car where it wraps around. I found it best to mask up the entire decal to your car first so you have it somewhat aligned and then begin peeling back the vinyl/sticker from one side. The important thing is to make sure you are keeping the thing straight, if your angle is off even slightly it just gets worse and worse as you get further down. Because the top of the vinyl/sticker curves with the skirt you need to be careful of air bubbles here also as they can appear quite easy if the decal isn’t fully pushed down onto the car.

I had zero experience of applying things like this before and it turned out OK so I'm sure you'll be fine but needs patience.

Hi mate, yes I watched numerous videos which basically stated the same as yourself. My car is kept immaculate, and has a good layer of protectant on so a full.chemical decontamination will be done and use and IPA to wipe down.

I did find one guy who did all.this then sprayed water on the sticky part of the decal and pealed it back and put the whole decal on using the .ethos you mentioned above but the water allowed him to move the decal.on the car around if he messed it up relatively easily and made the squeeze of the bubbles easier took minutes and once in place said the water will dry and will.stick just as God as if you didn't spray with water and guy at BMW said the same reference the water so might try that also.

[JLX.]

Yeah that sounds like an idea! I found mine were more stickers than vinyl and was cautious of affecting the stickiness due to how hardwearing/weather proofed it needs to be down there.

They look awesome once on though! Have you considered the blades also?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-F30-M...1/174244463220

[Ron435d]

Originally Posted by JLX.

Yeah that sounds like an idea! I found mine were more stickers than vinyl and was cautious of affecting the stickiness due to how hardwearing/weather proofed it needs to be down there.

They look awesome once on though! Have you considered the blades also?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-F30-M...1/174244463220

I'll check the quality of the vinyl when it arrives i spoke to the email selle.ron mine who.reasured me.it was the same vinyl not sticker that bmw use so hopefully that is the case. And yes i already have the blades on but I have the full.m.lerformance kit just without the 20's and the vinyl. Soon to put on the 666m m4 comp alloys just waiting ion them.to arrive.

[JLX.]

Awesome, photos needed!

[Ron435d]

Originally Posted by JLX.

Awesome, photos needed!

Soon as I've got the on correctly ill post some pics up. Should arrive Monday or Tuesday so il crack on the day they arrive and keep you posted.

[aquazi]

Fitted them (genuine ones) to mine... easy to on the face side... a ball ache on the underside as you do need liberal heat to shrink them - while someone else stretches it.

Took me about 45 mins the first side and 30 mins the next.

[otee10]

Originally Posted by aquazi

Fitted them (genuine ones) to mine... easy to on the face side... a ball ache on the underside as you do need liberal heat to shrink them - while someone else stretches it.

Took me about 45 mins the first side and 30 mins the next.

Any photos mate? Tempted to add these to mine.

[Ron435d]

Originally Posted by aquazi

Fitted them (genuine ones) to mine... easy to on the face side... a ball ache on the underside as you do need liberal heat to shrink them - while someone else stretches it.

Took me about 45 mins the first side and 30 mins the next.

I have a heat gun and my better half helping me. Unless any of you fellow chaps live local.to Yorkshire lol

[ukbeemerboy]

Originally Posted by Ron435d

I have a heat gun and my better half helping me. Unless any of you fellow chaps live local.to Yorkshire lol

My advice would be to remove the side skirt so you can lay it flat on a work mate or the floor. Much easier than doing it on the car.
I took them off to fit my M Performance side skirts though I didn’t fit the vinyls as I don’t like them.

[Ace320]

I have installed those decals 2 times, first time it was OK since I have 0 experience, but 2nd time I did it basically flawless.

I have used water and a 3M squeegee and heat gun at very end just to dry a water under the decal and that's it.

NOTE: Remove protective film from the decals before installation, that way you will see bubbles and you can squeeze them out.

[RoShambolt]

I installed my own, I had the skirts off to install the safe blades after so was easy to do access wise, definitely use a slip solution to ease positioning and bubble removal. I would wrap a bit of microfibre around that squeegee edge too just to protect the decal surface.

They've looked great for 18 months, then they started to fade a bit, I used some Gtechniq permanent trim restorer to bring them back, but still not the same, just noticed at two years old the side that sits in the sun she on the drive is all crazed and cracked on the surface. Bit crap for an OEM item. I'm thinking they will be a nightmare to replace now the aside blades are on.

[BIFCAIDS]

Zero need to use water, you lot make putting a sticker on a skirt sound like open heart surgery. Unless you all have Parkinson's. *