Possible to fix dented/ scratched aluminium trim?

[boy2k]

Hi guys,
I know this is a common problem with E70s... most aluminium trims i have seen have been covered with dents and scratches... is it possible to repair these?

[graemeX5]

Hi
have you any pics to help as my friend does car repairs and if have a pic I can ask home what the options are,

given that aluminium is soft I imagine it would be hard to fix & possibly easier, but not necessarily cheaper to replace

[POC]

I had mine painted:







As far as I know other than replacing them there is no way to repair the trim

[boy2k]

I picked up my X5 yesterday and everything thats expensive works great lol.
It just has a few X5 niggles i want to sort out.

niggle 1: Its M sport so has chipped rear arches, will get these resprayed and get the plastic protectors put on.

niggle 2: Standard dents and scratches from seatbelts etc on the aluminum trim in the center and front doors.

I was thinking about having them painted or wrapped as im guessing replacing is expensive?

How much was it to get them painted by the way? (looks great in that colour on beige )

[POC]

I took them off myself then gave it all to the bodyshop to be painted, paid £120 all in to have them done in the same metallic black as the exterior of the car

[boy2k]

My friend can get parts at trade price so he's finding out what the damage would be...

I did consider painting them gloss white to match the outside of the car.
I have black nappa seats and dash so it would be nice contrast.

is the paint more scratch resistant? i guess the main problem is the softness of the alu...

[POC]

I'd guess the paint should be as durable as the outside body of the car?  I've not managed to scratch any of it yet!

[Pradaman]

Was it easy to remove all the trims?

[POC]

[quote="Pradaman"]
Was it easy to remove all the trims?
[/quote]

Easy? God no lol.  It's pretty straight forward but you need to strip the car right down.

[Pradaman]

I'm just looking to remove the ones either side of the centre console. Is that the hardest ones to remove?

[POC]

They are not too hard.....

- pop off the idrive knob
- pop out the trim panel underneath
- pop out the trim around the shutters over the cup holders
- remove the three screws one each piece of trim
- pull the trims outwards to pop out the securing clips then slide them backwards to get them out of the front clips

Thats pretty much it!  Enjoy.

Refitting is a nightmare as the trim around the cupholders is a pig to get back in!  It needs levering and lifting etc to get it into position, be patient with it and you'll get there.

Cheers, Paul