Fitted new chrome window trim to the front and rear windscreens this afternoon, took approximatley one hour to fit using washing up liquid and a small flat head srewdriver.
It has totaly transformed the look of the car and it has to be the best 50 quid i have spent in a long time, got it off ebay and i think the bloke still has some available.

Sounds good - where's the pictures then?

Was the seller donniebmwm535 by any chance?

I have a back one going spare if anyone doesn't want to buy both.

Hello Chris,

My new chrome set is sitting on a shelf in the garage .... please stick some phots up and a description of how you did it and it might motivate me to get orf my fat 'arris and do mine

Cheers

Chris

The best way to do this job is to take your time and start on the rear screen first this is the easier of the two.
First carefully remove the two chrome corners with a small flat head screw driver, put the screwdriver into the rubber seal on the windscreen side and lift upwards, the reason for for putting it into this side is in case it slips, and it will not mark the glass but it would sratch your paint so try and stay on this side of the rubber whenever you are using the screwdriver.

Now pull the old locking strips out, try not to snap them as you want to use these for measuring the new strips.

Now you want a bucket of warm water add some washing up liquid and clean the inside of the rubber seal.

Now get a bottle of fairy liquid and fill the channel in the rubber seal use your finger to get it right into the grooves, dry your hands and you can proceed with the first strip on the drivers side, place the strip in the top corner and slide it down until it locates the grooves in the bottom chrome corner piece, you may have to fiddle about a little to get it into the grooves but sure you will get what i mean, repeat on the opposite side.

Now for the top strip, slide it in form one side until the whole strip is even on each corner now all you need to do is put the chrome corners on and use your screwdriver to ease them below the rubber.

Sure by now you have got the hang of it, but on the front one DO NOT CUT THE NEW STRIP TO SIZE, FIT THE WHOLE STRIP AND THEN CUT OFF THE EXCESS, dont be put off by the two bends it is strong material. Now all you need to do is wash them down with warm water to get rid of the washing up liquid.

I have to say this one of the most satisfying jobs i have done, sure you will feel the same when you see the end result. Will try and post pictures tommorow when i get to work.

The old strips snap easily due to age.

Top write up mate. No excuses now ....

Good write up Chris, did my front last night. My back screen was done some time ago. Excellent advice on keeping to the windscreen side.

BTW I have a back set going - any offers?

well I would be interested in a set for my e28 84 the strips on my BMW are sun burned and look really nasty, Let me know where or if they are available from a fellow member.

Fred

Fred,

Try this link, it's where I got mine:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BMW-E28-E12-5-Ser ... dZViewItem

Hi there I have a spare set unused and still wrapped if anyone is interested. Would have transformed the look of the car if I had fitted them on my eta, but sold it for an M535i instead with ALLLLLL black trim...nice!!!

Finally done it .. easy job thanks to the write up. Used Meguire's Trim Detailer instead of washing up liquid so now the black rubber is gleaming as well and the tip about using the driver on the windscreen side is priceless.

Cheers chris100 ... not sure what DRP535 was on about (other forum) as the new strip looked bigger than the one I took out Ah, maybe the old one (that looked like it was the original) was also a cheap internet jobbie too

got some of this trim from morse & thought i'd give it a whirl today! basically its as the write up - i chose to use megs as the lube and also took the opportunity to t-cut and polish under the rubber - its very easy with the trim out so just the rear took me a couple of hours - pics:


Before:


carefull now


found it easiest to pull the trim out from the corners - it then slides off the main chrome easily. once you get one corner out its easy to pull out (mine wasn't brittle):


thinking what it might look like dechromed after a good clean - removed vents - oooh mould gave them a good clean too!


ahhh thats better



Fin!

nice work, really makes a difference

it does, front next when i get some more chrome.

thinking i'll have the rear clusters out for a good clean and the front grille next for a scrub!

my god, you've got that analcleaningofcaronsunnydayitis bad m8!



Wanna do mine as well?

not really - wifes away so thought i'd make use of the time - doing some proper work now

Thing is i want the couple of scabby bits doing so when their done this will show up the rest.

I find if you say right i'm gonna blitz the car it ends up as a wash and perhaps a polish.

this way i do one bit for a couple of hours and get a good result the rest might get done a couple of evenings a week - before too long it will be looking spanking again

Can still get these from > Email: info@wallothnesch.com <mailto:info@wallothnesch.com>
> Internet: www.wallothnesch.com <http://www.wallothnesch.com/>got a quote from them for the front.
Thought it not to bad....


thank you for your enquiry. We can offer as follows:
>
> upper front windscreen chrome strip (plastic) 17,50 EUR
>
> lower chrome trim (metal) 42,80 EUR
>
> connectors left or right side 3,00 EUR each
>
> postage to UK 17,50 EUR

Just looking around as new here, I've just had a local firm powder coat ALL the internal and outer chrome finish aluminium door and windscreen trims in hard satin black, for £30, plus another £25 for fine shot blasting. bought new black corners from BMW for about £2.50 each, result is fab! haven't had time to fit them all yet, but quite a transformation. Thats the way to do a dechrome!

I would really hate to throw a spanner in the works here, but it is not a good idea to use washing up liquid to help with fitting screen seals and trim: It contains quantities of salt, which, as we all know, induces corrosion, especially when sandwiched between two layers of seal with no possible exit.

Cooking oil is the ideal substitute.

this is the next job on the list for me... isn't natural rubber slightly soluble in oil hippie dave? at least, that's what it says on this pack of condoms.... I'll be taking Durex's advice and using a water-based lubricant, just in case.

I had the afternoon off today so I got round to fitting the chrome trim- I struggled for about an hour trying to get the first side strip on the rear, using the technique described above (if I understand it correctly?) Sliding it in from the top just wasn't working for me, no matter how much lubrication I used (and I used a lot!) it was just going so far and jamming completely- and that was on the shortest sections- no idea how you would push the 7ft long front section in like that?

So I used a different tactic, and armed with a pair of plastic bicycle tyre levers (a £1 investment and a lot kinder to the rubber/glass/paint-work when the inevitable slips happen), I put one edge under along the full length, and then zipped along with the lever, popping the other edge under- much easier and quicker.

Well pleased, it looks so much better!!... and another job crossed off the list

Ask your friendly local sparky for some "yellow 77" cable pulling lubricant, or use silicone spray or silicone grease, all these are silicone based & are innert, so shouldn't eat the rubber, or anything else for that matter. I haven't done mine yet, but the rear windscreen definately needs doing, I expect once I do it, it'll show the rest of it up & I'll have to do the front as well. A job for the spring, methinks.

Mine needs doing on the 528 but Im tempted to just paint the trims either black or silver.