Speaking of interior trim; A post replacement?
 

Kidding.. how often can this come up, really; My A post interior trim pieces apparently were not glued on sufficiently at the factory. The fabric cover is separating from the plastic trim piece. Dozens of air bubble / separations have formed on the passenger side trim piece. Worse in cold weather. Now the driver's side is starting. This is the kind of part, in my opinion, that should be covered on a permanent warranty. Silly that this is happening on a BMW. 2003 X5 3.0i E53.

So anyhoo.. how hard are these things to replace? I'd like to know how to do it, but the other thing is... this trim piece is going over the head restraint air bag system. Please let me know if there are cautions, or, if this is too risky to perform and I should have my dealer do it. Thanks guys.
:D

Believe it or not, this seems to be a common problem. I removed mine a year or so ago and reglued, but they have since wrinkled again. As far as removal, it is pretty simple. Pop out the Airbag plastic cap and there is a screw underneath. Remove it, then carefully grab the top of the trim piece and pull it upwards and towards you. It is a little tricky getting it back in - just be patient.

me personally, I am scared to touch them since they have the airbags in them... I wanted to install some speakers in the pillars but wont touch them because of the airbags. I guess if mine start to separate I will be making a trip to the dealer or live with it. I am quite sure they will be very expensive to replace

Yep...this is a fairly common problem as I found on quite a few forums (one example from this forum => http://www.xoutpost.com/x5-e53-forum/...hlight=pillar). But BMWNA doesn't seem to think so as I was told that mine was the first they've ever heard with such a problem.

I have the same issue... and growing
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...wBUBBLE002.jpg
http://www.xoutpost.com/x5-e53-forum/...bag-liner.html

Now that I think about it, the headliner of my 740iL is starting to do that

Actually the bags are located in the body of the vehicle, not inside the trim pieces. But you probably wouldn't want to install speakers bc the wiring to them might get tangled up in the airbags and inhibit the them from fully deploying.

that may just open a few options then especially if it is like the one in the doors, I thought they were part of the door panel until I pulled it off....

Are they located in the top corner, close to the headliner?

Actually, when I bought mine as CPO, that was one of the things I noticed on the A pillars on both passenger and driver side when I test drove the vehicle. Once, I picked up the X5 I headed to the dealer that weekened to have them replace it among other things they needed replaced.

I wonder why BMW can't use the same glue with other vehicle brands that doesn't have this problem. Don't they have the same interior glue available in Germany as they do here in the US? :dunno:

Actually, my brother's MB had the same problem...so it's not just a BMW thing. Probably a supplier issue.

If you don't want to repair them you can buy new trim pieces, they're not too expensive..

LEFT WINDSHIELD PANEL COVER - HELLGRAU 51438243689 $40.18
RIGHT WINDSHIELD PANEL COVER - HELLGRAU 51438243690 $42.97

LEFT WINDSHIELD PANEL COVER - HELLBEIGE 51438250217 $40.18
RIGHT WINDSHIELD PANEL COVER - HELLBEIGE 51438250218 $40.18

LEFT WINDSHIELD PANEL COVER - PASTELLGR 51438259237 $40.18
RIGHT WINDSHIELD PANEL COVER - PASTELLGR 51438259238 $40.18

LEFT WINDSHIELD PANEL COVER - SCHWARZ 51438259239 $40.18
RIGHT WINDSHIELD PANEL COVER - SCHWARZ 51438259240 $40.18

No, they run down the length of the pillar - look like a rolled up plastic bag. The drain lines for the sunroof are also located in this area.

Not bad price at all.... I would just replace them if they start to bubble

I guess that kills that ideal again:(

Thanks guys. I think I'm going to go for the work myself. It sounds like the airbag is very isolated from the trim piece. That's the info I needed. I was curious if the trim had a complex mounting system that helped the airbag to deploy. Doesn't sound like it. Just remove and replace.

Interesting that the right side trim piece is a couple of dollars more :dunno:

I'll pick 'em up this week, .. along with a couple of rear trunk hatch shocks for my Z3 Coupe.

Since you have to fix anyway, have you considered putting in a sued roof liner and pillars, maybe a few other peices as well just to add a little flare?

My e46 M3 and a few friends had the same problem.

Yeah, I realize it could just happen again.

I am into upgrading some trim pieces with leather, but I have my energies / sights set on redoing the door panel inserts in a cinnamon nappa leather (the interior is beige). Oh.. that, and covering the back half of the door handles with black pebbled leather (eliminate paint peeling problem for good).