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How delicate is the aluminum trim?

3K views 37 replies 23 participants last post by  rikwynn 
#1 ·
I am looking into the Saddle Brown / Brushed Aluminum trim for a 335i sedan.

However, after looking at it in person and the comments from some people, it seems the aluminum trim may be too delicate and will get scratched, dented or dirty very easily.

Any personal experiences about the aluminum trim?

Will the Light Burl Walnut trim be a better choice?

Thanks!
 
#2 · (Edited)
It is, indeed, rather soft and can be nicked/dented/scratched easily. But to me personally, any wood would be a no-no, period. I would rather wrap the existing trim in CF when it gets bad enough (seriously considering, actually, just for aesthetic reasons). It has been almost two years, and mine is still holding up Ok - most passengers wouldn't even notice any imperfections unless told.
 
#3 ·
Ultimately, trim is a matter of personal choice. The rule of thumb is that if you are purchasing the car and will sell the car someday (which most will), avoid the crazy combinations.

Personally I'm not a big fan of the light burl wood with Saddle. Check out saddle and grey poplar. It is understated, but I think has a bit more warmth than the aluminum and blends very well with saddle. It says grey, but in truth it is just a wood trim minus the wood tones. I don't dislike the aluminum trim at all, just not on my car.

I'm not sure if I would worry much about trim damage, but I guess it all goes to how well your car holds up over time and who you have in your car putting their feet on the trim :thumbdwn:
 
#5 ·
There are a couple of things to keep an eye on with AL trim - one is the front passenger who releases their seat belt and lets it fly back into the retractor and the other is a driver's wristwatch scratching their side as they reach for their seat belt.

I've adjusted the passenger seat belt with the plastic slip collar to reduce the odds of a flying buckle hitting anything, and reach across my body with my right hand to get to my seatbelt.

I haven't had a problem since. Now - just say that you do drag track shoes across the trim, it's not that difficult to replace. So my advice is to go with what you think looks best. Personally I think the AL trim with the saddle is the sharpest look you can go with.

Dave.
 
#6 ·
As you are aware from my previous post, this was to be my choice AL w/ Saddle but with the possibilities of scratches/dents at eye level it becomes a no no for me to live with!

My second choice which happens to have been my wife's first is Gray Poplar. I did happen to see that combo at the dealership and it looks very nice though not as sporty as the AL but it did blend very nicely with the black dash. Any of the other more brownish woods, to my eyes clashed.

For those that have not seen it, the combo is highlighted in the '09 'vert 3 series catalog.

Then again, as another poster has suggested, AL can easily be replaced if need be and with concerted care the AL can stay free of passenger damage.

Good luck with your decision.

Regards,
Daytrader
 
#7 ·
I haven't checked lately, but is piano black available? That would go nicely with the saddle, otherwise, that aluminum trim is too delicate and cheaply made.
 
#11 ·
My trim is holding up nicely and I do not foresee that changing in the future. The trim on the dash should almost be impossible to nick, unless you are just super careless. The real place where you can nick it is the doors, but even there, I have had no issues trying to keep it nick/scratch free. No issues with the center console yet either.

I wasn't a big fan of the wood combinations with black dakota and am very happy with the alu trim.
 
#12 ·
I have the aluminum with terra brown on my monaco blue 335. I have some knicks on my door trim from the seat belt, other tan that it is in great shape after two years.
 
#13 ·
Honestly, the veneer on the wood trim scratches just as well. I've got swirl marks that are apparent in direct sunlight on the dash wood trim......and I only use a microfiber cloth :dunno:
 
#32 ·
+1 same here for my last 3 5ers. Just need to take a bit of care.

FWIW, the 33dd just ordered: space / chestnut / alum trim
 
#15 ·
Maybe it just me, but I think both Dark Burl and Light Burl look fantastic with saddle.

And, at least in my car, I've not had any signs of scratch or dulling of the wood veneer.

Go with what you like, but if it were me, I'd go with one of the wood trims.

Nice that BMW gives us so many options.
 
#16 ·
Glacier Silver aluminum trim?

I am just not sold on the wood trim completely. I am actually starting to lean towards the Glacier Silver aluminum trim.

The first time I saw it, I did not like it because it reminded me of snake skin and it seemed hard to clean between the groves. However, the pattern may help hide dents and scratches better.

After looking at these pictures and these pictures, I can see the look growing on me over time.
 
#22 ·
I am just not sold on the wood trim completely. I am actually starting to lean towards the Glacier Silver aluminum trim.

The first time I saw it, I did not like it because it reminded me of snake skin and it seemed hard to clean between the groves. However, the pattern may help hide dents and scratches better.

After looking at these pictures and these pictures, I can see the look growing on me over time.
My feeling about wood vs. metal is that is a personal choice and if you really don't like wood, you should probably avoid it.

The one bit of advice I will give though is to make sure you actually see a particular color combo in person before you chose. The photos that you see on the web really misrepresent the way stuff looks in person. That, btw, is particularly true of the saddle brown which looks a heck of a lot nicer than you might think based on all the various .JPG photos.

So, before you order glacier silver, see it in person, and see it with the saddle.
 
#23 ·
I have a friend who is pretty anal about his car, and his aluminum is in good shape ... on his side (driver's side), the passengers are apparently letting go of the seatbelt and it's pitting the aluminum worse than a teenager's face.
 
#25 ·
My aluminum is doing fine. A loaner I had had one of the "wood" trims and the glare off of it in sunlight was incredibly annoying. Even if I liked how the others looked, I would opt out of it because of glare alone.
 
#26 ·
I ordered the glacier trim instead of brushed to alleviate any potential scratch issues; the glacier is also less reflective than the brushed aluminum. I won't see the car until I pick it up in Munich on 11/23, so no first hand data.

I really had little choice with the coral interior - one of the aluminum trims seemed to be the only visually acceptable choice since piano black isn't available.

Dick
 
#27 ·
Ive got a Black on Black 335 coupe with the aluminum trim and so far only issue I have is that the trim gets small dents due to the throwback from the seatbelt. Im very careful but my passengers are not so careful when they release their safety belts and they slap the trim with the steel end. On a positive note it looks amazing and I will get it again on my next BMW.
 
#36 ·
against my better judgment the GF and i were "fooling around" in the e92 tonight and after i noticed there were a few light scratches on the passanger dash piece and iDrive/shift piece :mad::mad::mad::mad:

does anyone know if these scratches can sorta be buffed out? I'm so pissed off that i let this happen against my better judgment (and they're not the door panel pieces) that i might just have them replaced. UGHHHHHHHH
 
#37 ·
I would replace them, I've heard of folks trying to buff them out, but that is very soft material.
 
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