W211 door and bumper bump strips how to remove?
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2002
- Messages
- 7,654
- Location
- London\Essex
- Car
- E63s s213 2019, E55 2004 Silver-SOLD, E63 w212 Weistec AMG-SOLD, E55 2004-SOLD, C36 1997-SOLD
bumper strips will pry off, door strips i think are screwed down from behind.
Simon1966 recently sprayed his on his estate so he may have taken them off and have info on how.
Simon1966 recently sprayed his on his estate so he may have taken them off and have info on how.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2002
- Messages
- 7,654
- Location
- London\Essex
- Car
- E63s s213 2019, E55 2004 Silver-SOLD, E63 w212 Weistec AMG-SOLD, E55 2004-SOLD, C36 1997-SOLD
corrected 
The side strips are easily removed from the car as a whole unit which includes the main painted part and the polished stainless insert strip. There is only one screw securing each, which I think from memory is a torx head. Simply remove the screw and the whole thing slides off. The next issue is actually removing the polished stainless inserts which are held from behind with quite a few sprung clips. I can't remember exactly what I did but it's pretty obvious when you see them. I reformed the clips a little before refitting to achieve a nice tight fit. I have to say I couldn't work out how to remove the short strip on the front wings, it may need the arch liner removing, I therefore did these in-situ and left them on the car.
The bumper strips are really difficult to do!!! I have read that these can be removed with the bumper on the car but having removed them with my bumpers off I really can't see how this could be done without damaging them. These strips are proper chrome on a brass wrap over the plastic not polished stainless like the side strips. The front ones sit in a plastic moulding which is possible to slide off but again I found this very difficult even with the bumpers off!! The rear ones sit within a dummy moulding profile so are actually clipped into the bumper itself. The actual chrome strips have moulded barbed lugs on the back which locate into slots in the plastic. There was no way I could remove these without damaging the chrome wrap (which is easily done!) and I had to feather the edge of the barb using a dremel so I could pop them off. They were easier on the rear bumper than the front insert moulding as the plastic is more pliable.
All in I would say it was a real pain to do and had I known what was inovlved before I started I probably wouldn't have removed them, but I wanted to be able to prepare them 100% before painting them.
Good Luck
The bumper strips are really difficult to do!!! I have read that these can be removed with the bumper on the car but having removed them with my bumpers off I really can't see how this could be done without damaging them. These strips are proper chrome on a brass wrap over the plastic not polished stainless like the side strips. The front ones sit in a plastic moulding which is possible to slide off but again I found this very difficult even with the bumpers off!! The rear ones sit within a dummy moulding profile so are actually clipped into the bumper itself. The actual chrome strips have moulded barbed lugs on the back which locate into slots in the plastic. There was no way I could remove these without damaging the chrome wrap (which is easily done!) and I had to feather the edge of the barb using a dremel so I could pop them off. They were easier on the rear bumper than the front insert moulding as the plastic is more pliable.
All in I would say it was a real pain to do and had I known what was inovlved before I started I probably wouldn't have removed them, but I wanted to be able to prepare them 100% before painting them.
Good Luck
Are the front bumper strips the ones with the parking sensors in?
I followed a guide on another forum but the pictures have disappeared.
For the front bumper, I used a plastic tile grout tool which is quite strong - you can just lever off if you start from the end which is near the door.
Then work your way around until just after the main curve stops round the front (you have a foot or so to go between that and the front number plate) and pull the whole trim in line with the front number plate but away from the front number plate (i.e. don't try and lever it off on that section as it has L shape hooks.
For the front bumper, I used a plastic tile grout tool which is quite strong - you can just lever off if you start from the end which is near the door.
Then work your way around until just after the main curve stops round the front (you have a foot or so to go between that and the front number plate) and pull the whole trim in line with the front number plate but away from the front number plate (i.e. don't try and lever it off on that section as it has L shape hooks.
