E39 Windshield trim replacement

[agent15]

Thanks for the writeup BlackBMW, just finished mine up.

I bought the moulding from BMW of Schererville. They have it for $26.44.

[Dualnames]

So I am having wind noise and this is cracked all around. Would replacing this reduce it or would I have to redo the seal or some how repair it?

[CBRacerX]

So I am having wind noise and this is cracked all around. Would replacing this reduce it or would I have to redo the seal or some how repair it?

It is a cheap and easy DIY, would be the very first thing to try!

[Dualnames]

It is a cheap and easy DIY, would be the very first thing to try!

Yea I probably will. It is not attractive. I will just inspect the seal while in there and if there are spots that are iffy maybe put a little gunk in there.

[dixiebuyer]

Be a little careful when you remove the molding from its packaging, mine hung a bit, thinking it was rubber I pulled hard and deformed the metal a bit. Since it is flexible, not a big deal, but it could have kinked and broken.

I had to use a rubber mallet to "assist" my stubborn molding in along the top of the windshield. About halfway through the top mine was getting a little bound up and not wanting to go into the groove. (Rubber) hammer time! Goes without saying you need to be careful, but the trim tool just wasn't cutting it for me. The mallet popped it right in.

I used detailer's spray instead of soap, worked pretty well, ymmv.

Any dealer that charges $800 for this must be trying to get rid of you.

[tsx080]

i also completed this diy today, i found that if you gently twisted the rubber as u fed it in that it all slotted together very easily. taking the old rubber out was very easy for me since it had already broken into three parts and the drivers side was already half out of the channel. if you have any odd rattle noises at highway speeds inspect your window trim and see if like mine it was causing the rattle. thanks for the brilliant diy!

[Jasnite]

I did this last night when I got home from work. Easy as hell to do. Completed the removal and install in less than an hour. Spent 10 minutes admiring my work. Can't believe I dreaded attempting this.

[lambarim]

Installation hint:

Instead of pressing the trim in with your hand or using a pry tool, use a wooden wallpaper seam roller. It's faster, safer, and you get better, more consistent results.

Thanks,
Mike

[joako]

I've done this but the new part doesn't stay in place. Per TIS you need to R&R the windshield to do this properly.

Any dealer that charges $800 for this must be trying to get rid of you.

They are going by the book which says to remove the windshield.

[Spiller]

Thanks for the writeup! Braman BMW Miami had it in stock and got it for $55. Will install it tomorrow

[f33apilot]

Got the same 'must pull out and replace windshield' from my body shop guy. Great job and appreciate the post. Online shopping for a new trim piece right now so i can correct an unsightly problem.

Thanks,

[CaptFAJ]

thank you Blackman for the great pics and tips. I replaced mine today. Paid $38.00 for the window molding at Finish Line, located in Miami just south of Opa Locka airport. Great bunch of guys and if you're in south Florida or just want to order some great OEM parts for a great price call them! Did my window trim in less than an hour and thats being detailed and thorough with the job! I thought as well as others that have posted on this DIY that you had to replace the whole window inorder to install a new rubber molding. WRONG! I called a window specialist and she told me that the rubber gasket is not in anyway keeping the windshield attached to the car.

Thanks again for all of the tips!!

[burakol]

Did this yesterday and took me more than an hour... the moulding in my car was still original from 98... removing was easy but I had some trouble installing it... the "c" shape wouldn't stay in the groove and upon further inspection I noticed that there were some sealant (and some rubber leftover from orig trim) that was left in the channel... I ended up using cutter and had to scrape some sealant out to get enough space for the metal "c" from the replacement trim to stay... It was not hard at all but I had to do it in over an hour... I do hope I did not scrape so much that it would lead to a leaky windshield...

[Rustyzipper]

Just did this...getting the top part off was a Bi@ch, It was really in there, nothing to grab on too...just keep working at it. Also, the Rubber mallet worked great to install, working from the open sunroof helped alot too. Not sure if it was needed, but I put some black silicone in the upper top corners to seal it off good.

...LOOKS GREAT NOW!!!

[Jesuscookies]

mission accomplished!

Took me about 3 minutes to pull the old piece of crap out, and about an hour to finesse the new one in.

The top corners were tough to line up the first time around. I had to pull it out and do it a second time.

Anyway, this is not a hard job at all, and can be done with basic tools, by a novice DIY'er.

[BlackBMWs]

Thanks for the comments all!

After doing this a few times, I find that on the reinstall step, the soapy water really does help for both installation and repositioning. Also, ensuring that there is no debris in the channel between the window frame and the glass is also key to the trim fitting properly.

Anyway, glad this DIY has made a difference for many folks.

Cheers!

[Macht[030]]

Just did this a few minutes ago. Good write up. It was tricky getting the bottow right and bottom left, and I ended up taking out the bottom corner rubber pieces that surround the hood hinge until after I was done and then reinstalled them.

[y99yan]

I know this is old post. I have been looking for information on how to replace Windshield Molding Frame - Front (for my 2001 525i) for a quiet a long time. Thanks for the information, it is really very helpful.

[will308]

I was getting a wistle from the deteriorated moulding at 90 mph. I changed this last night and it's an easy fix. Part was $ 42.00 from Pelican and it took roughly an hour to do.

Thanks to the original OP for a great write up!

[FR35H]

Great write up, easy to do and makes a huge difference in appearance and wind noise! Thanks.

[BeemVerg]

Thanks for the post! My moulding started disintegrating as I washed my car today. Ordering mine soon!

I am curious though about Part no. 51311925433. These are 3 pieces of rubber 'buffer'. What is this for ?

TIA.

[Jimania]

You can find the parts that you need at BavAuto. I ordered these items for my '97 E-39 and the prices were better than dealership (hard to believe, huh?).
Rivets/Grommets $16
Hood Cowl Cover $68
Hood Cowl Cover Trim (L & R) $16
Windshield Frame Moulding $ 41

I know an ex-dealership mechanic and he said that the windshield needs to be pulled and reset to do it right. I'm going to try it with windshield in place. Even though the frame moulding has a metal insert I'm betting that laying the pieces in the sun, and using soapy water, things will be fairly easy to install.

[mmedic]

This was very helpful. In a bout two hours I replaced the windshield gasket, put on a new ZHP knob and boot, and scraped off and updated my M5 badge. It looks great

[topaz540i]

i just replaced my trim. very easy job. takes about half and hour. the hardest part is once u take the old one out make sure the groove is very clean. razor the glass edge. vaccuum the gap. there can be no old remnants or the new one wont sit well. using soapy water on the glass helps with positioning the trim. it is a little hard to stretch it and get the corners right but overall very easy to do at home with minimal tools.

[Ferruccio]

I got my trim for $41, and managed to do the install pretty well.

It was fairly simple. Using a knife to cut out the extra rubber "stuff" under the glass that impeded on the new trim being able to fit properly was rather difficult. The hardest part, by far, was stuffing the trim into the corners. I had to use a flat head screwdriver and slowly stuff pry millimeter after millimeter into place. I managed to get it all installed with:

soap and water
rag
flat head screwdriver
chopstick
popsicle stick
needle nose pliers
pressurized can of air

Most of the time dealt with the parts where the new trim didn't fit without some slight modification. It is all on, though! This writeup helped a lot.