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2000 c230 kompressor special edition, 2012 E550 coupe (sold), 2017 C63 sedan (sold), 2018 C63S Coupe
Side Chrome Trim Removal
Hello All, just thought I'd share this as I was absolutely dreading removing the chrome trim running along the sides of the car. Removed my "blue efficiency" badges a while ago and it was an absolute PITA, so I figured the side trim would be far worse. Did a little research and found an item from 3M that made it really easy. Its called the 3M stripe off wheel, basically a giant rubber eraser you can attach to a drill. Worked really well. Thought I'd do a quick write up for anyone who was in the same boat I was.
First I removed the trim using old fishing line. Just snake it behind the trim and then "saw" it back and forth along the length of the trim piece. Make sure to clean up the area before doing this with some detailer or soapy water.
Now use the rubber wheel to gently remove the residual tape. Wipe down the area again before doing this.
Wipe off the excess rubber and go over any spots you missed a second time. In the pic above you can see that the outline of the trim was still visible. Not sure if this was residual adhesive or just crap that had built up between the trim and paint over the years. I was able to scrape it off pretty easily with a wet fingernail, so I switched to using my buffer and a light cutting compound to remove that instead of continuing on with the rubber wheel. Sure you could get the same results by hand with clay or compound and a little elbow grease. Some adhesive remover might have also done the trick. But I have a buffer at my disposal so that was my weapon of choice. The whole process only took about an hour.
Then enjoy your new chromeless look!
Last edited by crazy00c230k; Mar 26, 2017 at 05:56 AM.
Nice write up. Thanks for the info.
I've been debating doing this as well.
Does the 3M rubber strip off cause any damage to the paint? It sounded so harsh in the video..
And your wheels are very nice, wild combo, but looks great.
Last edited by hotwheels_; Mar 25, 2017 at 10:46 PM.
Reason: Edit
2000 c230 kompressor special edition, 2012 E550 coupe (sold), 2017 C63 sedan (sold), 2018 C63S Coupe
Originally Posted by griza
Have you thought about wrapping or plastic dipping the rest of the silver trim, grill and badges?
Should be done next weekend!
Originally Posted by hotwheels_
Nice write up. Thanks for the info.
I've been debating doing this as well.
Does the 3M rubber strip off cause any damage to the paint? It sounded so harsh in the video..
And your wheels are very nice, wild combo, but looks great.
Thanks! I didnt see any marring or even light scratches, wouldn't have felt the need to compound if it wasn't for that bit of residual stuff. You dont have to apply much pressure and the wheel is really not much harder than an eraser. It reminds me of a gummy eraser but less crumbly. Definitely make sure you keep the area clean though, I can imagine a little dirt turning that rubber wheel into a sanding disk.
Last edited by crazy00c230k; Mar 26, 2017 at 01:20 AM.
Hello All, just thought I'd share this as I was absolutely dreading removing the chrome trim running along the sides of the car. Removed my "blue efficiency" badges a while ago and it was an absolute PITA, so I figured the side trim would be far worse. Did a little research and found an item from 3M that made it really easy. Its called the 3M stripe off wheel, basically a giant rubber eraser you can attach to a drill. Worked really well. Thought I'd do a quick write up for anyone who was in the same boat I was.
How much of the wheel was left after? Enough to do multiple cars?
Dammit, I wish I knew about this wheel before I did mine. Mine was a 2-day process. One for each side and a night between for arm recovery from scrubbing the 3M with Goo Gone lol.
Thanks, I traded it in recently, so she's no longer mine. It was a godhand style lip similar to this one. I purchased it from another member here so I'm not entirely sure of the brand though.
Last edited by crazy00c230k; Aug 26, 2020 at 06:55 PM.
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