Front, side and rear trim--Paint or Replace?

[Interlocker]

Good morning all,

I'm hopefully a soon-to-be member of the M42 fanatics, as I have a '91 318is I'm about to purchase.  Paint isn't in very good shape, but the interior is great and the motor runs strong for 180K miles.  This will be my DD as my E36M3 becomes a track-only car.  The

Anyway, aside from the *hideous* wheels the car currently has, the owner previous to the guy who owns it now painted the front and rear bumper trim, as well as the side trim and door handles, to match the paint of the rest of the car.  I'm not a big fan, and would prefer all those items to be black again.

Is it easy enough to remove and repaint all these items, or would I be better off find a salvage yard or some other source for the black parts?

Thanks, and here's a pic of what it currently looks like.  OE or some other such wheels and trim are the first on my to-do list.

[Interlocker]

Another pic with a view of the front.  This actually makes the paint look much nicer than it really is, but I'm fine with it as it stands and won't bother painting it for quite a while.  It actually looks as though someone washed it with a Brillo pad, and there's signs that it had been egged once, as there's some sort of ooze running down on the driver's side that doesn't look like it wants to come off.

[Febi Guibo]

Well, worst case, you could try painting them and if it didn't work out, get replacements.

The bumper trim / impact strips are extremely difficult to remove without breaking the mounting tabs, but you could probably remove the bumpers, mask and sand the trim and then paint them.


oh... and hey man, WELCOME!!

[thumper3ld]

I say leave'em or get'em resprayed the color of the car ima big fan of color matched moldings.

[Interlocker]

I say leave'em or get'em resprayed the color of the car ima big fan of color matched moldings.

Thanks.  Yeah, the more I look at that second picture I posted, the less "offended" I am by the matched moldings.  I think it's just those horrible wheels that really need to be changed ASAP, or at least cleaned.

[thumper3ld]

Definately try cleaning them first. Ur car does look good by the way. Good luck with the purchase.

[Interlocker]

oh... and hey man, WELCOME!!

Thanks!  I'm really looking forward to this.  I've always loved the E30s, but haven't owned one yet.  A previous E21 320i was just OK, but I didn't appreciate it enough at the time anyway.

[Interlocker]

Definately try cleaning them first. Ur car does look good by the way. Good luck with the purchase.

Thanks!  The pictures make the exterior look better than it is.  The paint has no shine to it and is scratched up pretty well.  The interior looks great, though, and I'm really wishing the owner would sell it to me now instead of in June.

This should give me time to have the little repairs lined up and ready to do.

[Febi Guibo]

This should give me time to have the little repairs lined up and ready to do.

that's june of 2006??

[Interlocker]

that's june of 2006??

haha!  Yeah, next month.  The blower doesn't work, nor does the AC compressor.  I can probably get by without AC, but my girlfriend will be in for world of hurt if the heater doesn't work.  Mechanically, everything else seems sound.  It's just missing the lower front valence, as is usually the case it seems, and the rear bumper isn't on quite straight.

Looking at the engine bay, it looks like I'll be able to get away with a lot of DIY work.

Countdown is on!

[twinpop171]

I say leave the mouldings alone. Get a nice set of black wheels on it and it will look great IMHO.
Oh by the way, welcome!
Dan.

[M42boy]

Good morning all,

I'm hopefully a soon-to-be member of the M42 fanatics, as I have a '91 318is I'm about to purchase.  Paint isn't in very good shape, but the interior is great and the motor runs strong for 180K miles.  This will be my DD as my E36M3 becomes a track-only car.  The

That trim is supprisingly cheap brand new from Bavarian Autosport.  Still may cost more than you want to spend.  If the rest of the car is in great shape, it may be worth it and will definately improve the appearance.  

http://www.bavauto.com

If you want to be cheap, you could probably find everything you need from a salvage yard.  But, finding parts in good condition there can be challenging.  Can probably find stuff like the door handles there though.

When I have more time, I can check our local yard.

[Interlocker]

When I have more time, I can check our local yard.

Thanks for the offer!  I should probably wait to actually own the car before getting too many parts for it, though.  

I did look up the parts, and they don't seem terribly expensive, but the reality of it is that I'll probably drive it for a little while as-is, and then start with the fixes.  Except for those wheels.  The more I look at them, the sicker I feel.  

[jfdublyu]

yeah dude. like the whole matched trim thing, but those rims are gnarly. i just went for a second look and threw up in my mouth. yuck!

[M42boy]

Thanks for the offer!  I should probably wait to actually own the car before getting too many parts for it, though.  

I did look up the parts, and they don't seem terribly expensive, but the reality of it is that I'll probably drive it for a little while as-is, and then start with the fixes.  Except for those wheels.  The more I look at them, the sicker I feel.  

No problem.  We have a pretty good yard around here so I can find that stuff, but finding them in good condition can take soem time.

I highly reccomend just driving it "as is" for a while.  I drove my car for a few months before really doing anything.  I got comfortable with it and learned what things it needed.  Turns out mine needed a bit of mechanical attention first, so I'm starting there.

Once all the mechanicals are in order, I can have fun fixing up all those little cosmetic things.  Most important, it has to run good!