How to Remove the Shadowline on a BMW


1. Start with the front left or front right door. Remove the horizontal trim piece located at the base of the window. Place a length of masking tape on the door, along the edge of the trim.
2. Slide a small screwdriver or putty knife under the trim, using a piece of cloth between the screwdriver and the trim. Start at the rear edge of the window and pry up very gently, working towards the front edge of the window. The trim will lift enough for you to gently pull the trim up and off of the car.
3. Clean off the dirt and dust under the trim by spraying it with Windex or a similar mild cleaner, then brush it off with a soft bristle brush. Touch up any small scratches and scrapes that developed from removing the trim with the touch-up paint.
4. Remove the upper window trim next. Close the door and locate the rubber seal located above the trim and below the trim. Open the door and inspect its top edge. Locate the small, round, black plastic button that holds the end of the upper rubber door seal to the door. Pry the buttons off gently with the tip of a screwdriver.
5. Lift up the edge of the door seal and pull it up and away from the door. The seal should come loose easily. Pull the door seal loose from the rear edge of the door, all the way to the exterior rear view mirror mounted on the door. Let the trim hang by the window. Do not remove it entirely.
6. Remove the door trim by removing the clips (located under the door seal) that are now exposed. The clips hold onto the trim with two tabs that go through the square holes in the trim and fold over the trim. Use a set of pliers to squeeze the tabs together so that they can be slipped through the square holes in the trim. If you cannot get a grip on the edges of the tabs with the pliers, use a small, sharp screwdriver to pry up the tabs enough to grab them with the pliers.
7. Lift the trim off of the clips and away from the door once the clips are moved out of the way. Remove the clips from the car by sliding a screwdriver under the clips and lifting them while simultaneously twisting them. Do this slowly, so that you don’t scratch the paint.
8. Repeat the process above for all four doors (or all four windows, if the car is not a four door). Clean the dust and dirt off with the soft bristle brush and Windex. Touch up any nicks or scratches.