New tips for interior trim swap

[truman_greg]

Over the weekend, I switched my interior trim from the dark wood to aluminum, thanks to Morristown BMW's great prices. I wanted to contribute some tips as I've searched the site for trim removal / swap and couldn't find any answers other than "all pieces pop off except the center console".

1. Follow the console removal instructions in the faq - great writeup.
2. The trim panel covering the CD player has 3 lock washers fastening it the the plastic moving panel. I recommend first removing the radio, then the CD, then the moving panel in order to be able to pry these lock washers off, which also break easily. Home Depot and Menards do not carry replacement washers - I found them at Ace Hardware.
3. The trim covering the front ashtray and the trim covering the rear cup holders are screwed in.
4. Overall, to remove all pieces of trim, I needed Torx 8, 15 & 20.
5. Using a flat blade screwdriver to pop out trim may cause unnecessary damange to trim or X5 - I liked using a wallboard knife.

I hope this helps someone before they try to pry off any trim that is screwed in.