How do I get door molding off without breaking it?

[AV325i]

I just took the carpeting out of my 1990 325i and I broke the plastic pieces that hold the carpeting down just inside the door. The plastic strip (I don't know the real name!) is held by plastic clips that push into the frame. They look like they are just pressure fit, but when I pry them off I end up breaking the clip, or more often the grove on the bottom of the plastic strip. How is one supposed to get these plastic strips off? Thanks! Now what do I do when I put them back on. Sheet metal screws?

[SpartanTiger81]

It's hard not to break the clips. If you break them, just order new ones..I broke about 3, but they are still fit tight against the carpet..

[LovableSheep]

When I broke a couple of those off, I just went to the junk yard and grabbed a handful of them from a couple of cars there. Replaced then ones I broke, plus I have extras in case I break them again.

I did find that after I broke a couple of clips on one side, when I did the other side, it helped to do it slowly, one section at a time, prying up with a flat blade screwdriver in between the metal and plastic. Didn't end up breaking any doing it this way.

[Jean]

If they are original they will break for sure. New ones are $12-18 iirc each. Clips most likely will get mangled as well, so order a new set, those are cheap.

Sheet metal screws? - Uhh no. Put it back in the same way.

[dkbmxer002]

picture of what you broke? i plan to replace my doors and swap over the internal parts so i wanna see what to look out for and possibly order before i do it.

[Jean]

The door molding is different from this door sills..

[AV325i]

One of the 4 molding pieces I am talking about is shown below. You can see the plastic clip (white) that slides into the molding and then flips over and snaps into the body of the car.



I did not have trouble with the plastic clip breaking, rather the molding itself broke before the clip broke, as shown below.



I tried to use a screwdriver as suggested above and slowly pry the piece off, but the molding still broke. Maybe I just was not slow and patient enough.

There are not many BMW's in junk yards in Minnesota, so I can't get the molding and clips there. I suppose the dealer wants big $$ for them, or are the molding pieces just about $15 as Jean said above?

'm not sure what I am going to do now. Maybe I will just have to get some black headed metal screws and screw the molding directly to the body, unless anyone has a better idea. Maybe I could epoxy and screw the clips back on the the proper location, but they would break for sure if I ever tried to take them out again.

[John in VA]

realoem.com shows sill strips for ~$30.

[thereisnoyun]

clips break... old plastics are brittle no matter what you do, just go to the yard and grab a handful. Even if you do it perfectly, it will still break.

[Jean]

Thats exactly what I thought you were doing, I just recently replaced mine. They get brittle with age, so I would say one time use only LOL.

When I got the new sills and clips, I slid the clips over from one end and then lined them all up to make sure they all would go in the holes .