[njfoses]

Originally Posted by Mdog97

Update: I'm giving up and handing this over to the professionals.

I've made two solid, earnest attempts with 3M 2080 vinyl over two separate days. To recap, I was attempting to wrap the trim while it's on the car, after watching a million and one youtube videos. I bought a 3M 2080 gloss black Vvivid kit (1' x 5') with two plastic tools from Amazon (not proud of that, but the order-to-delivery time couldn't be topped), and a great Wagner heat gun for $39 (not from Amazon). (I had a second vinyl kit for the other side of the car, but just returned it.) I also borrowed some portable work lights for the garage, which made it much easier to see what I was doing vs. just the overhead fluorescents.

The silver trapezoid at the rear was really tough, particularly the corners, so after 1 attempt there I switched to the upper (slightly curved) rear window trim. I was able to get it wrapped without removing the rubber weather stripping or otherwise cutting any of that (or any other) rubber or seals. But the cutting process was nerve wracking, and it was very tough to tuck the long edges securely/correctly. If I was going to do it again, I'd buy the 3M (or knockoff) knifeless tape - MUCH safer than using a freehand blade for an amateur like me. Probably much cleaner and quicker to get to the right amount of overhang, too. I'd also get one of the finer rake-shaped plastic tools for tucking the wrap into tight spaces, and switch from an X-acto knife to the snap-off super-sharp knives used by the vinyl wrap experts.

(As a sort-of aside, if you're curious, there are some amazing 3M training videos online that will show you how to use their wrap products...one in particular with a freehand, overlapping design on an Audi R8 using only knifeless tape was an amazing demonstration of skill and precision.)

Having tried and failed, I can now see that (1) removing the weather stripping from the trim and (2) removing the trim from the car are both probably the best way to proceed. I'm sure body shop (and high end wrap shop) technicians know how to do this safely and efficiently, but I wasn't interested in trying this on my new car...a big part of the reason why I'm setting my tools down and handing this off to the professionals. I believe that if the trim pieces were off the car, proper wrapping would be relatively straightforward and safe.

While wrapping panels is all about smooth, bubble/adhesive/stretch mark-free layup across each broad surface, for wrapping trim the corners and edges are, IMHO, the art to this process. For example, in some of the CKWraps youtube videos he shows some good technique for certain kinds of corners, such as thin metal points (like at hood fronts & front quarter panels around headlight units). [Like everything on youtube, the signal-to-noise ratio is forever annoyingly low, but some other youtubers also have some great gems buried in their videos.] But getting complex, blocky corners like BMW upper window trim -ends- wrapped correctly is more challenging. Clearly someone who has lots of wrap experience is going to get a far superior result. My thought was that, if you get it wrong at the forward endpoints, it won't just look amateurish -- wind/water/dirt might get under a poor corner and commence dislocation of the wrap from the trim, necessitating a re-wrap.

Anyway, I hope my experience can help others thinking about doing this themselves. My conclusion: if you want it to look right, this is going to be one where it pays to let the professional handle it. I'll of course report on my experience once it's done (hopefully at the end of the week).

BTW, I had to stop by the dealership in Boston today for a few minutes to pick up something, and had a chance to ogle two X5Ms (one on the floor, one right outside) and an X7 M50. I don't think I'll ever settle for a BMW that isn't full M, MSport, or otherwise shadowline trim. It just looks great to my eye.

Agreed, which is why i let a pro handle mine. They did not remove the trim and did a great job that i never would have been able to accomplish myself. Vinyl and window tinting are two things that i will always leave to the pros.

[njfoses]

Originally Posted by pcube

I bought the trims from China, should take a couple of weeks to arrive. They are stick on, will give a review after they are installed.

Did you receive/install these yet?

[pcube]

My trims arrived and I got them installed last week. Quite a straightforward job, just make sure you line them up first to get an idea of how they go on.

The fit is not perfect (I would say around 95%), but you would have to be really close to the car to see the imperfections. I ordered them in gloss black, however they turned out more like a chrome black instead which isn't a big deal to me. Just know that they will not look like the oem black trims. I feel like the double sided tape provided is slightly too thick, so if you are really anal you might want to replace them first. Despite being stuck over the original trim pieces, it does not make it look like it bulges out unnaturally though.

Overall still very satisfied with the purchase. Cheaper than getting them vinyl wrapped, and better outcome imo.

Some before/after pics:

[agnewfedaykin]

Originally Posted by pcube

I bought the trims from China, should take a couple of weeks to arrive. They are stick on, will give a review after they are installed.

Did you get these on yet? Interested to see the quality as it's about half the cost of a wrap.

[njfoses]

Originally Posted by agnewfedaykin

Did you get these on yet? Interested to see the quality as it's about half the cost of a wrap.

Post right above.

[VipinLJ]

Originally Posted by njfoses

Post right above.

That looks amazing. How many days did it reach you in?

[pcube]

Originally Posted by VipinLJ

That looks amazing. How many days did it reach you in?

Took about a month by sea. I'm in Singapore btw.

[VipinLJ]

Originally Posted by pcube

Took about a month by sea. I'm in Singapore btw.

Oh okay. So I'm guessing it'll take longer to America. The quality looks good and can pass for OEM!

[PK2348]

Originally Posted by pcube

My trims arrived and I got them installed last week. Quite a straightforward job, just make sure you line them up first to get an idea of how they go on.

The fit is not perfect (I would say around 95%), but you would have to be really close to the car to see the imperfections. I ordered them in gloss black, however they turned out more like a chrome black instead which isn't a big deal to me. Just know that they will not look like the oem black trims. I feel like the double sided tape provided is slightly too thick, so if you are really anal you might want to replace them first. Despite being stuck over the original trim pieces, it does not make it look like it bulges out unnaturally though.

Overall still very satisfied with the purchase. Cheaper than getting them vinyl wrapped, and better outcome imo.

Some before/after pics:

I ordered these today, but one thing bugs me about them. From the picture it appears double sided 3M tape is being used. Any concern regarding damaging chrome paint on the original trim?
I read somewhere this 3M tape is rated for 24 month life
Any experience? Insight?