Rear Window Trim InstallationBMW 330i 2006 E90 240k Miles
In today's vlog post we will cover how to replace the rear window trim seal, because chance are that by your is falling apart. I've replaced it twice in the life time of the vehicle, I would say about 5 years ago. I struggled a lot because I didn't know the secret to it, in today's blog we are going to cover the secret to a fast installation. But first...
First step: Purchasing
You have to buy the correct window trim. I got mine from BMW El Cajon, it was not very expensive considering how expensive everything is there, but that is not here nor there.... This is the part number if you are interested.
Part # 51 31 7 061 970
Price about $40 dollars.
You can ask for it at the dealer, it's called the : Rear Windows Seal
I was going to buy it online for less at ECS tuning, but the shipping was $30 dollars... Yikes... total about $60 dollars shipped.... so I opted to go to the dealer instead...
Second Step: Removal
If your window seal is as bad as mine, it's probably coming off already, or disintegrating...lol, kidding aside, the trim is just pushed in place, so all you have to do is pull on it, from an edge, and it will come off. It is very easy to remove...
Third: Installation
It's important for you to know that the trim "should" snap i place as soon as you start to push it where it belongs. The trim has a groove and it snaps into the window. The installation is very easy and fast.... BUT...
If you are struggling, like I was, it's because the manufacturer put too much "silicone" around "under" the window and because it's on the way, you won't be able to push the trim into where goes. You have to remove a bit of the "silicone". I used a pic and I ran it along the window pressing down enough, but not enough where I could damage the paint, almost under the window glass. I would say about 2mm under the rear window glass. The silicone in my car was brittle, yours may still be "fresh" I say fresh because it might be malleable, or gooey.... in which case it will just messy to remove... and in this case I FEEL FOR YOU... mine however was easy to cut out in long strips... like picture below... I just ran the PIC under the window in long swoops...
HOW MUCH SILICONE TO REMOVE: I remove this much SILICONE (about 2MM), UNDER THE GLASS, all along the area where the seal trim won't go in. After you remove this much....trim will slide in place, VERY EASILY.... I can't stress this enough, if you are struggling to get the trim in... You have to remove this extra silicone before it will go in.... Otherwise you will be there for hours with NO Results.... This is the secret to the Installation. If you are concerned at all about this job, take it to the dealer for the installation... the installation procedure I am telling you about here is for DIYers...
Don't be scared to do this, it's actually very easy....
Where to Start: Installation
I started inserting the trimm at one end and worked it in until I got to the first corner, then continued...If there is enough clearance under the window you won't be struggling.. so please do yourself a favour and remove a few millimeters of silicone, "under the glass" to get enough clearance to continue. There is a lot of silicone under the glass of my car, enough where I wasn't worried by removing a few millimeters.
It only takes about 5 minutes to completely install all of the trimm, I ended up removing the silicone under the glass on the TOP section of the glass, which took me about 30 minutes, to get the clearance I needed to insert the trim. Along both the left and the right of the window, I didn't have to remove any silicone under the glass
very easy installation... :)
Let me know how your installation went...
I hope this was helpful to you!
I post a ton of BMW 330I E90 related content, I have a lot of other posts, check them out, link below to the main page.
Comment below if you have any questions...
Thank again and until next time
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