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Has anyone bought and installed the belt line trim? How was the fit and finish? Any issues clipping on to the factory anchor fittings?

 

Some in-progress install pics would be awesome. 

 

Thanks, James

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1987 Porsche 944 Turbo (sold)
1973 Mintgrun 2002 "Kermit" (sold)

1973 Inka 2002 "Ernie"

1986 VW Vanagon Syncro Weekender "Otto Van Gonzo"

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Great question about the fit of the beltline trim  Really needs clarification 

Most posts about repo beltline (do a search) say that they don't have the correct radius and can't be made to fit correctly leaving buyers  dissatisfied  The common comment is that they are from China but who knows. Can the seller please clarify if these are from a new company and what is the fit experience.  Thanks   Lord knows we can't wait forever for BMW to produce these or pay polishers an arm and a leg to restore a set

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I’m curious, too. (In the event that Chris is sending direct messages and not putting up new posts.) I have all of my trim pieces, but they’re dinged and I am ready to send it all out to a specialist for repair and replating for a guaranteed fit (at a higher cost) if I have to. As the new parts from BMW have fitment issues, ignoring anything aftermarket, it’d be awesome if this set didn’t. Also, is there any special care needed for this stainless as opposed to the aluminum from the factory? (Does it require polishing? If so, how often? Does the paint need to be masked off? Etc.)

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On 5/10/2019 at 2:19 PM, Teelinger said:

Has anyone bought and installed the belt line trim? How was the fit and finish? Any issues clipping on to the factory anchor fittings?

 

Some in-progress install pics would be awesome. 

 

Thanks, James

 

1 hour ago, rstclark said:

Great question about the fit of the beltline trim  Really needs clarification 

Most posts about repo beltline (do a search) say that they don't have the correct radius and can't be made to fit correctly leaving buyers  dissatisfied  The common comment is that they are from China but who knows. Can the seller please clarify if these are from a new company and what is the fit experience.  Thanks   Lord knows we can't wait forever for BMW to produce these or pay polishers an arm and a leg to restore a set

 

I have been meaning to respond to your questions James! My apologies for the delay.

 

AN UPDATE:

 

I have been personally working in the research and development phase with my supplier to produce this belt line trim set for the last 2 years now. The trim and bumpers, for that matter, are made by a new manufacturer  in Vietnam that has started his own company. This individual has been my contact the entire time when he was at my old manufacturer's operation but now I work with him as a separate entity at the new facility he started and the quality is better than ever. Since he has left the old factory, I have personally assisted him in replicating the 2002 bumpers to be more true to the original. For example, We have changed the impact strip holes in the long bumpers to slots so customers don't need to purchase $15 clips to install the rubber strips: multiply $15 by the 20+ clips to attach the rubber strips and you are looking at a hefty bill. With the slots cut in the long bumper, the fasteners only run around $5 a piece and you only need a few of the $15 clips for the end holes, also, we have made the edges more crisp and defined to replicate the originals as well. Through this retooling process we have experienced a back order on bumpers, but we are now getting production back to normal operating speed. So for all of you waiting for your bumper sets they will be on their way very soon. 

 

So, enough about bumpers! Lets talk about the trim:

 

FIT:

 

I am very confident with the fit! Each piece of stainless trim is fit to the radius and contour curves of the 2002 at each corner. This has been one of the most difficult hurdles to overcome, we've tooled up and have all we need to really nail down those pesky contours and radii. Now the trim really hugs those corners nicely. The lengths are accurate all around the car and the ends are capped and polished. The inside mounting rails match that of the stock pieces with the cutouts to slide in the fasteners built in. The fasteners slide freely up and down the inside of the trim with little effort :) 

 

FASTENERS:

 

The metal fasteners will replace every plastic clip on your 02 except for the two on the pass and driver doors near the door hinges, those plastic clips will be left there because you cannot get a  metal fastener in that location from behind the door panel...but our trim will fit over the stock clips at that location. It is recommended you get new plastic clips for those locations by the door hinges. I have attached the pictures of the fasteners to give you guys a better idea of what they look like below. They come with metal washers, nylon washers, and nuts to secure the belt line to car. 60 fasteners total. 

 

FINISH:

 

The finish is a nice polished mirror and is very durable. It has a nice, smooth reflective surface and It is not plated, so if you scratch it you are able to buff on the surface without having to worry about burning through plating because there is none! Also, the trim will never rust or oxidize.

 

MAINTENANCE:

 

You will need to clean them just as much as you would clean the outside your 02. There is really no maintenance besides just cleaning it every once and  a while to clear the dirt and bugs off! It also wouldn't hurt to hit it with a metal polisher like Flitz or the like to shine em up every once and a while.

 

INSTALLATION PICS/VIDEO:

 

As far as installation pictures. I took some but they are not very good because I was trying to be the camera guy and the installer. So, I have got an installation video production day on the calendar to demonstrate how to get the trim pieces on. So keep an eye out for that, its coming down the pipeline.

 

P.S. The car in the pictures is my personal 2002 and this is not the first set I have attempted to install. TBH, I've gone through many frustrating days in order to ensure the best fit and finish of these sets before I brought the trim sets to market. I have corrected all mistakes and found avenues to nail down the accuracy of the trim. With this last installation I am confident and very excited that the sets coming down the line are up to the "overall" standards in the 2002 community, IMO. I know these sets have failed in the past with the fitment but I have been determined to overcome those previous failures due to the need for these pieces in the 02 community. I also have heard from some folks at the Bay Area Swap And Show at the Brisbane Marina that even the OEM pieces have been misfitting lately. But I am happy to say that this is not the case with 02bumpers.com sets.

 

P.P.S. 

I am working on getting the touring sets for all you hatchbackers out there. It will happen. 

 

Best, 


Chris 

 

 

59778426_10156433586993196_7403293367871733760_n.jpg

Edited by 02bumpers
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33 minutes ago, Seth Horwitz said:

I’m curious, too. (In the event that Chris is sending direct messages and not putting up new posts.) I have all of my trim pieces, but they’re dinged and I am ready to send it all out to a specialist for repair and replating for a guaranteed fit (at a higher cost) if I have to. As the new parts from BMW have fitment issues, ignoring anything aftermarket, it’d be awesome if this set didn’t. Also, is there any special care needed for this stainless as opposed to the aluminum from the factory? (Does it require polishing? If so, how often? Does the paint need to be masked off? Etc.)

Hey Seth, 

 

I have been pretty busy with private messages and with guys on the Facebook side of things and have unfortunately pushed off the FAQ post as a result. I have been unfaithful hahaha please forgive me!! ?

 

As far as the fit, please read the above post, I think I may have answered your question. There is really no special care needed besides general cleaning and maybe the occasional polish. But the shine comes through as long as you didn't just go rally the Baja 4000. Jokes aside, they will outlast the OEM easily. Paint does not need to be masked off but, I do recommend taking extra care while securing the fasteners, you want the fit to be tight but you don't have to go crazy on it. Let me know if I got all your questions covered!

 


-Chris

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Great response Chris and nice work  Thanks for supporting the 02 community  Don't need a set right now but based on what you are saying here I would certainty give your product a try,  especially since they are stainless and will  look good indefinitely

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Good info. Thanks, Chris. I’ll likely be doing your bumpers and trim, but I have some other mechanical and body work to do beforehand. 

 

As an aside, are there any issues (legally or with insurance companies) removing 76 D.O.T. bumpers? I know they don’t serve any protective purpose above 5mph, but I’m curious if you have any info, either way, as to the outside world’s acceptance of “structural” mods that aren’t structural. My friend did fiberglass bumpers on a 60 something 911, but I don’t think there were ever any regulations on those. 

 

Thanks again for some great looking products. 

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@02bumpers Thanks for the thorough response Chris. Much appreciated. I'll keep an eye out for the installation video and supporting documentation.

 

Do you have an estimate of timing for delivery once a trim order has been placed?

 

Also, what's your estimate on catching up to back orders on the bumpers? 

 

Thanks, James

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1987 Porsche 944 Turbo (sold)
1973 Mintgrun 2002 "Kermit" (sold)

1973 Inka 2002 "Ernie"

1986 VW Vanagon Syncro Weekender "Otto Van Gonzo"

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