E90Post
 


 
BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Cosmetic and Lighting Modifications (exterior/interior) > Poor Man's Shadowline Trim - EPIC FAIL



Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      09-25-2010, 03:42 PM   #1
Ben Richards
Private First Class
Ben Richards's Avatar
United_States
32
Rep
131
Posts

Drives: 2016 F10 550i xDrive
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: VA

iTrader: (0)

Poor Man's Shadowline Trim - EPIC FAIL

I want badly to get rid of my chrome trim, so after a lot of reading on the forum, I'd decided to try to cover the chrome with black vinyl. Ordered my gloss black vinyl from bmwshadowline.com - good service, timely delivery, even came with instructions.

Washed the car, prepped the chrome trim, and went to work. Applied the vinyl to the upper trim on the first side of the car. I won't go into the details, but the results look something like this. It wasn't like window tinting where you might have a tiny air bubble here or there. It looked like that along the entire length of the application. Like sh*t.

I am not blaming anyone but my un-talented self! But I would love some feedback, some alternatives, some way to get the hell rid of this ridiculous chrome trim. As we speak, I've never been so close to willing to spend the dough on the real shadowline trim and swap out the chrome.

- BR
Attached Images
     
Appreciate 0
      09-25-2010, 04:13 PM   #2
wchoy
First Lieutenant
United_States
6
Rep
311
Posts

Drives: '08 AW e90 335i
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii / LA

iTrader: (0)

did you put a soapy water mixture to help lubricate it? that will help a lot.
Appreciate 0
      09-25-2010, 04:14 PM   #3
MikeDNJBMW
Lieutenant
17
Rep
420
Posts

Drives: 2011 e90 335 ix, 08 335i e92 6
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: bergen county, nj

iTrader: (6)

Garage List
2012 bmw x5d  [0.00]
wow, looks like you put it on dry bro, i believe yuo should have sprayed some lightly soaped water under there and used a small squeegee to press the water out....
ive never did trim on a car only stickers on windows and tints
Appreciate 0
      09-25-2010, 04:54 PM   #4
NiVeDh
Major General
NiVeDh's Avatar
United_States
426
Rep
8,003
Posts

Drives: '08 E90 335i, '99 E36 M3
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Houston, TX & Atlanta, GA

iTrader: (132)

Garage List
Similar thing happened to me. The gloss vinyl is harder to work with than matte. Some of the bubbles went away after a few days. Overall, I am disappointed as well. Painting the trim might be a better option.
Appreciate 0
      09-25-2010, 05:00 PM   #5
NaTuReB0Y
Powered By 36DD
NaTuReB0Y's Avatar
United_States
371
Rep
7,369
Posts

Drives: 2006 E90
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Inland Empire

iTrader: (12)

I paid $150 to get mine custom paint gloss black......worth the headache!
__________________
2006 E90 330i Jet Black | 20" WORK VS-XX | FK452 | H&R Sport on Koni Yellow | REMUS QUAD
Appreciate 0
      09-25-2010, 06:50 PM   #6
Ben Richards
Private First Class
Ben Richards's Avatar
United_States
32
Rep
131
Posts

Drives: 2016 F10 550i xDrive
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: VA

iTrader: (0)

soapy water...uh...nope, didn't do that. sh*t.

did you paint your trim while it was on the car? i've read that it's hard/impossible to take the chrome trim off without bending it, so i'm trying to avoid that. any idea what kind of paint?

thanks guys.

-br
Appreciate 0
      09-25-2010, 10:05 PM   #7
csupernova
Captain
csupernova's Avatar
34
Rep
606
Posts

Drives: E90 330i
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: NYC

iTrader: (7)

you can get the avery's matte black vinyl from ebay and apply it dry with no problem. No bubble whatsoever...
Appreciate 0
      09-25-2010, 10:15 PM   #8
NiVeDh
Major General
NiVeDh's Avatar
United_States
426
Rep
8,003
Posts

Drives: '08 E90 335i, '99 E36 M3
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Houston, TX & Atlanta, GA

iTrader: (132)

Garage List
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ben Richards View Post
soapy water...uh...nope, didn't do that. sh*t.

did you paint your trim while it was on the car? i've read that it's hard/impossible to take the chrome trim off without bending it, so i'm trying to avoid that. any idea what kind of paint?

thanks guys.

-br
I used soapy water and a heat gun and it still turned out bad.
Appreciate 0
      09-25-2010, 10:23 PM   #9
Ben Richards
Private First Class
Ben Richards's Avatar
United_States
32
Rep
131
Posts

Drives: 2016 F10 550i xDrive
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: VA

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by NiVeDh View Post
I used soapy water and a heat gun and it still turned out bad.
hey, looks like you're in the ATL area... any idea where to go for some professional help on an issue like this? i would definitely consider it.
Appreciate 0
      09-26-2010, 01:05 AM   #10
NiVeDh
Major General
NiVeDh's Avatar
United_States
426
Rep
8,003
Posts

Drives: '08 E90 335i, '99 E36 M3
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Houston, TX & Atlanta, GA

iTrader: (132)

Garage List
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ben Richards View Post
hey, looks like you're in the ATL area... any idea where to go for some professional help on an issue like this? i would definitely consider it.
No idea... I'm looking for a place that will paint my trim. Maybe we can get some sort of group thing going and get a discount?
Appreciate 0
      09-26-2010, 08:03 AM   #11
Ben Richards
Private First Class
Ben Richards's Avatar
United_States
32
Rep
131
Posts

Drives: 2016 F10 550i xDrive
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: VA

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by NiVeDh View Post
No idea... I'm looking for a place that will paint my trim. Maybe we can get some sort of group thing going and get a discount?
sounds hopeful. do you think the best bet would be a vinyl sign place?
Appreciate 0
      09-26-2010, 12:52 PM   #12
catch
Major General
catch's Avatar
Canada
670
Rep
7,148
Posts

Drives: F80 M3
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Thornhill

iTrader: (27)

i had mine painted by a bodyshop. they painted it on the car, just masked it off
__________________
2016 F80 M3 Mineral White/Sakhir Orange
2013 BMW S1000RR Flat Silver <stolen>
2007 BMW E92 335i Jet Black/Jade Grey <sold>
Appreciate 0
      09-27-2010, 05:55 PM   #13
Ben Richards
Private First Class
Ben Richards's Avatar
United_States
32
Rep
131
Posts

Drives: 2016 F10 550i xDrive
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: VA

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by catch View Post
i had mine painted by a bodyshop. they painted it on the car, just masked it off
interesting. ballpark cost?
Appreciate 0
      09-27-2010, 07:53 PM   #14
coh4777
Lieutenant
34
Rep
533
Posts

Drives: 07 BMW 335i Coupe
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Vegas

iTrader: (0)

I was thinking about doing vinyl shadowline myself but knew I'd screw it up so went to a tint shop to get it done. Cost me $150, which is a pretty decent price I think. Other than a couple really really minor defects that you could only see if you were 3 inches away and looking for them, it came out perfect.

As much as I hate to spend money on a mod that is purely cosmetic and that other forums have somehow managed to do on their own, I was happy to pay for this one.
__________________
COH4777
2007 335i Coupe - Jet Black / Coral Red / Aluminum Trim / 6MT / Sport / Premium / CA / Navi / iPod + USB

Appreciate 0
      10-06-2010, 11:29 PM   #15
UltimateLurker
Second Lieutenant
UltimateLurker's Avatar
United_States
16
Rep
234
Posts

Drives: 2011 335i AW M-Sport
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Seattle, WA

iTrader: (3)

Couldn't we just mask off the trim with painters tape and newspaper, give the trim a light sanding, primer and paint? It doesn't look like a very difficult piece to spray paint matte or gloss black. Somebody must have tried this.
Appreciate 0
      10-07-2010, 10:17 PM   #16
3X3=5
Lieutenant
3X3=5's Avatar
126
Rep
557
Posts

Drives: in a lot of traffic
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Seattle

iTrader: (8)

Quote:
Originally Posted by UltimateLurker View Post
Couldn't we just mask off the trim with painters tape and newspaper, give the trim a light sanding, primer and paint? It doesn't look like a very difficult piece to spray paint matte or gloss black. Somebody must have tried this.
There's a DIY where someone painted the trim on the car with a foam roller. It looked OK, but had a lot of texture because of the foam used for application. As for spray painting it, personally I wouldn't risk that on my car. You'd better mask the entire vehicle to avoid overspray, and if get a run/drip you're screwed. In my experience with spray paint if you sand a drip and spray over it you'll get a slightly different texture to it.

But if you want to try it and post pics, it'd be great to see if success is possible. I guess worst case you have to take it to a paint shop to fix, so all you have to lose is some time and a can of paint.
Appreciate 0
      10-07-2010, 10:53 PM   #17
Mr. 5
Modder Raider
Mr. 5's Avatar
Scotland
802
Rep
8,633
Posts

Drives: M3
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Surf City, HB

iTrader: (31)

Garage List
2007 e90 335i  [8.00]
Yah, sorry but that looks so bad.
I did mine with matte black and used my driver's license to smoothe it out.
__________________
e36 M3 Coupe, e36 325i Sedan
e90 335i--SOLD

Best 60-130-------------9.15 Seconds------------------WWW.MR5RACING.COM
Appreciate 0
      10-08-2010, 08:10 AM   #18
RON1X
Colonel
RON1X's Avatar
No_Country
76
Rep
2,491
Posts

Drives: 991 C2S Guards Red
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Nashville, TN

iTrader: (8)

Garage List
2008 E92 M3  [9.00]
I had a vinyl sign shop in Atlanta do mine for $100 bucks. It is isn't perfect, but that was partially my fault for not telling them to wrap the vinyl around the edges of the chrome trim. It still is 100x better than the chrome, and the mistakes arevprobably only noticeable to me. If you guys find a place that will paint it, I would much rather go that route, although I have heard the trims are fragile to take off
__________________
991.1 C2S PDK, Guards Red | PDCC | Sport Chrono + | Clear Tail Lights | Alcantara Steering Wheel | HRE FF01 | TechArt Springs | Sport Exhaust
Previous: Porsche 997 Turbo 6MT, Atlas Gray | Cobb Stage 2 | HRE FF01 | Europipe Stg. 2 Exhaust | GMG LMS Rollbar | GT2 Exhaust Tips | Pagid RS-29 | Rennline Pedals | SSK
997.2 Track Car, heavily modded & E92 M3 DCT, still miss her daily & E92 335i heavily modded
Appreciate 0
      10-08-2010, 09:56 AM   #19
Craig@SupremePower
G.O.A.T.!
Craig@SupremePower's Avatar
United_States
1018
Rep
74,992
Posts

Drives: '18 GMC Yukon XL
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: New Jersey

iTrader: (14)

paint it!
Appreciate 0
      10-08-2010, 06:38 PM   #20
Dom the Bomb
Lieutenant
Dom the Bomb's Avatar
19
Rep
465
Posts

Drives: 2007 335i
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Corpus Christi, Texas

iTrader: (18)

i had mine painted looks great. your look like you painted it on with a brush. try try agian.
__________________
UR Catted Dp's - BMS DCI - JB3 2.0 - Helix FMIC - Vent Boost Gauge - CF Grill-DO Meth Kit 2-Carbon8 Power Dome Hood-Amuse Front Bumper-M3 Side Skirts-LC818 Smoke Chrome Wheels On The Way
Appreciate 0
      10-08-2010, 09:41 PM   #21
LKN M3
Mlife Worldwide
LKN M3's Avatar
United_States
17
Rep
177
Posts

Drives: M3
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: hoping for SoCal

iTrader: (5)

PM sent, OP are you willing to drive to Charlotte?
Appreciate 0
      10-09-2010, 12:36 AM   #22
NiVeDh
Major General
NiVeDh's Avatar
United_States
426
Rep
8,003
Posts

Drives: '08 E90 335i, '99 E36 M3
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Houston, TX & Atlanta, GA

iTrader: (132)

Garage List
Quote:
Originally Posted by LKN M3 View Post
PM sent, OP are you willing to drive to Charlotte?
I am!
Appreciate 0
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:08 PM.




e90post
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST