Removal of Front Seats, Center Console Trim, Interior Detail Project

[BMWX5CHI]

Originally Posted by Jyohay

just a thought,
when i did my stereo install, i had to get to the underseat subs.
instead of disconnecting and fully removing the seats,
i just unbolted them, and tipped/leaned the back, pivoting on the back of the rails.
should give you enough room to take care of what you need to do

Yeah, thought about it, but I need room to move around. Going to clean headliner with a porter cable with ultra soft upholstery brush attachment. Also need to remove center console trim to wrap those pieces in 3M-DiNoc.

[BMWX5CHI]

Now the fun part begins . . . .

[BMWX5CHI]

I removed all of the air vents for a better cleaning. Found some ashes inside of the vents. Shifter removed along with idrive control. Going to wrap shift plate that goes over e-brake and leave the smaller plate and shifter alone. Door panels are going to get cleaned before trim pieces go back on. All trim has been wrapped in 3M Dinoc Black Carbon Fiber (Matte Finish) except for the glove box.(that will be last.) Going to start cleaning the upholstery, starting from the top down. Found some cigarettes burn spots on carpet. Going to try to repair those best as possible. So next is the head liner.

[BMWX5CHI]

Headliner, pillars, and dash cleaned. Used half and half ratio of simple green and water. First I used a soft bristle brush and worked in the simple green to a lather. Then I used a porter cable DA and a ultra soft upholstery brush attachment to give it a good scrub. Wiped with a damp microfiber cloth and then hit it with a dry one. I put in a heater for about 2 hours to dry the headliner and pillars. Came out very nice. Next step, shampoo the carpet. I'm hoping for a smoke-free smell after all of this.

[BMWX5CHI]

A peek of the finished trim.

[lordshin808]

did you had to completely remove the center console to take out the two long lateral trim pieces? That's what I heard before and ppl say it was a PITA.

I wanted to wrap my interior trim too, but never liked the thought of removing the center console.

[BMWX5CHI]

Originally Posted by lordshin808

did you had to completely remove the center console to take out the two long lateral trim pieces? That's what I heard before and ppl say it was a PITA.

I wanted to wrap my interior trim too, but never liked the thought of removing the center console.

No, it was actually real easy. Remove the iDrive trim, remove the cup holder trim, and remove the rear air vent trim. That will expose 6 screws, 3 for each side. The ones by the cup holder are tricky. You will need a swivel socket with a torx T20 bit or something flexible enough to remove the screws. After you remove all of the screws they slide out pulling them towards you. (ie towards the back of the vehicle). That's pretty much it. I've read a few post where people wrap all of the trim with the pieces still on the car. I didn't like that idea, so I removed all of the trim. I even contact cemented the edges on the back for a permanent install. I'm pretty confident I won't have any peeling issues. Also I used the 3M primer before apply the Dinoc. Two coats and let them dry in between.

[lordshin808]

Originally Posted by BMWX5CHI

No, it was actually real easy. Remove the iDrive trim, remove the cup holder trim, and remove the rear air vent trim. That will expose 6 screws, 3 for each side. The ones by the cup holder are tricky. You will need a swivel socket with a torx T20 bit or something flexible enough to remove the screws. After you remove all of the screws they slide out pulling them towards you. (ie towards the back of the vehicle). That's pretty much it. I've read a few post where people wrap all of the trim with the pieces still on the car. I didn't like that idea, so I removed all of the trim. I even contact cemented the edges on the back for a permanent install. I'm pretty confident I won't have any peeling issues. Also I used the 3M primer before apply the Dinoc. Two coats and let them dry in between.

Thanks for the tip. I'm glad to hear it's much easier than I previously thought. I might have to revisit this project again when I have time. The stupid bamboo trim is cracking all over the place.

yea I read about ppl wrapping the trim with it still on. I agree. I think you can do a better job taking it off. Now i think you might have to wrap the glove box trim with it still ON. Unless you figured out a way to take it off.

[BMWX5CHI]

Originally Posted by lordshin808

Thanks for the tip. I'm glad to hear it's much easier than I previously thought. I might have to revisit this project again when I have time. The stupid bamboo trim is cracking all over the place.

yea I read about ppl wrapping the trim with it still on. I agree. I think you can do a better job taking it off. Now i think you might have to wrap the glove box trim with it still ON. Unless you figured out a way to take it off.

No problem. Cracks in the wood was the main reason I wrapped the trim, I also got cracks all over. The glove box trim is the only one I can not remove due to the plastic rivets. You can remove the rivets, but you will have to some how glue the tabs back in or modify it to stay in place. Too much of a risk since you can break the remaining tabs off the trim. I'm going to wrap that piece last and make sure I apply the primer nice and even and take my time.

[Arby1028]

This is the most intensive interior car detail I've ever seen. What would you charge to do mine???