replacing myrtl wood with titanium interior trim

[Lori]

Has anyone replaced the oem myrtl wood trim in thier car with oem titanium trim. I want the pp but I don't want the wood so I would like to switch the trim with the bmw parts. How much are they? Where can I buy them and how difficult is the switch? Thanks.

[The HACK]

You can find out from Manny @ the parts counter at Cutter BMW in Santa Barbara how much the titanium trim cost. I got my matte aluminum trim for around $400 total.

The installation is NOT easy. If you are not comfortable with fixing things and following instructions, do not attempt this yourself. If you are mechanically inclined, here are some instructions I wrote up:

Coupe trims install and removal (http://www.studio2321.com/carstuff/trim_install/trim.htm)

If you have a sedan or wagon things are a little easier. The trims should pop out like the dash trims.

[Lori]

Thanks for your reply. It looks easy enough until the doors part I asked my dealer about it. He said the parts alone cost $1100. Does that sound right?

[Ack]

$1,100 for aluminum trim sounds really high. The Myrtle Wood trim goes for that.

The install, if you have done anything to your car yourself, isn't too difficult. It takes a lot of patience (the clips are really easy to break) and with no past experience taking apart the doors, it will take about 2-3 hours to complete. The rear "doors" on the coupe are the most difficult part of the install.

The front trim pieces will only take you about 5 minutes to replace. What is your dealer qouting you for parts and labor?

There is another good DIY at E46Fanatics (http://www.e46fanatics.com/howto/howtodetail.php?howto_id=25) that you should check out.

Good Luck!