Side Finisher Rubber Replacement and Rear Side Window Trim Replacement

[PSUEng]

NO NEED TO REMOVE RIVET AND THE BRACKET ! JUST PULL OLD RUBBER OUT, SPRAY WD-40 AND SLIDE NEW STRIP IN.

I'll try that method when I do the other side. The side I did do, there was no way the new rubber was going in there as far as I could see; but, I'll give your method a try.

[E46 M3]

Mine "arrived" today but post office has lost it lmao just my luck, hopefully it turns up tomorrow.

[mthird]

NO NEED TO REMOVE RIVET AND THE BRACKET ! JUST PULL OLD RUBBER OUT, SPRAY WD-40 AND SLIDE NEW STRIP IN.

[PSUEng]

This is exactly how I feel.

Well you just drill out the rivet. I bought a Quinn rivet gun and rivet pack from harbor freight--1/8" Aluminum rivet back in, no problem. The issue is, seating the bracket. That bracket allows the finisher to attach to the body. Anyway, it's not THAT bad, it's just finicky. Make sure you line up your new seal to the tick mark in the trim finisher and stretch it to fit; hotter is better. And put a new foam seal over the riveted area to keep your paint from getting scraped by the bracket upon reassembly.

[Mayan-Viking]

Still scared to install mine bc of this rivet issue. And it’s like 105° here 😭

This is exactly how I feel.

[nachizl8]

Got it thanks

[Maxima SE]

Maybe a dumb question but does this rivet issue not come up if you choose to install the OP aftermarket weather stripping option? Is this something that’s only encountered with this OE style weather stripping?

No. The aftermarket stuff is just some generic weatherstripping that is forced into place, especially around the rivet area. It is kind of a ghetto solution to be honest. I do not remember seeing a rivet but it has been well over 3 years since I did the aftermarket fix. The install for the OEM one gotta be different.

[nachizl8]

Maybe a dumb question but does this rivet issue not come up if you choose to install the OP aftermarket weather stripping option? Is this something that’s only encountered with this OE style weather stripping?

[SQ13]

Still scared to install mine bc of this rivet issue. And it’s like 105° here 😭

[9kracing]

FWIW mine showed up awhile ago, looks good, if it's not OEM it could certainly pass for it.

Seems to be very good quality. When I install them I will post a pic.

[gmanM3]

Had to sign up for an account to this forum just for this. In for 2 sets!

[PSUEng]

Strange, when I did my 3M weather stripping I definitely didn't have any rivets to deal with, just screws, the trim pieces came off fairly easily.

I also don't think any of the previous owners had taken the trim off as the weather stripping was in bad shape.

The rivet fastens a bracket to the aluminum finisher to allow the finisher to attach to the body and probably provide some degree of seal position control. The way the bracket fits is such that there is an interference with the rubber seal making it tough to position into place with a new seal. I’m still wondering if there wasn’t a better design—like integrate the bracket shape and mounting points into the aluminum trim and make some shape change on the rubber seal if necessary . Here are some photos of the area…

[Cubieman]

Strange, when I did my 3M weather stripping I definitely didn't have any rivets to deal with, just screws, the trim pieces came off fairly easily.

I also don't think any of the previous owners had taken the trim off as the weather stripping was in bad shape.

[E46 M3]

Maybe this is why BMW never sold it?

[PSUEng]

The riveted bracket wasn’t too bad for me but it’s definitely an unnecessarily tight fit. The back window is fitting pretty tight in that spot on the bottom of the kink now.
I marked the end of the old strip with some masking tape as a target to stretch the strip towards.
Worst part of the whole project was removing the adhesive for the lower strip.

If you're saying it's a tight fit near the kink, at the bottom, mine is the same. But I'd say this riveted bracket deal is one of the worst auto trim designs I've seen in a while; would love to talk to the designer about that one. That was the worst part for me. It's like the bracket designer and the rubber seal designer never talked, never test fit any parts, never thought "hey, maybe we can add a recess for the bracket"...it's just there--and a b**tch to mess with; I bet the supplier loves building these trim finisher assemblies. And I now realize maybe why BMW doesn't sell this part--no dealer is going to fight this on a repair due to time alone.