Outer Door Handle Trim Replacement - BMW Z3 and E36 3 Series

The newest Z3 is nearly a decade old now, the newest E36 is even older. As these cars age the rubber bits and pieces will start showing their age even if the rest of the car is not. One of the first things people notice is the cracking rubber around the door handle trim. This is fairly simple to replace and very inexpensive.

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If your door handle trim looks like this you are in the right place.

To complete this job you will need:

Flashlight
Small Flathead Screw Driver
Allen Key
Cleaning Materials
Replacement Door Handle Trim Z3/E36

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Step 1

Open the door and pry off the small plastic access panel with the small flat head screw driver.

Step 2

Using the flashlight, look through the access hole into the door and locate the slide that locks the trim into place. Generally the slide is gold in color.

Step 3

Use the allen key to push that slide in releasing the top of the trim. The exact size of the allen key is not important.

Step 4

With the slide pushed in you will be able to remove the trim by pulling out on the top. At this point the need for cleaning materials should become evident.

Step 5

Clean.

Step 6

Place the new trim in, lower end first, then rotate until the top is also in place.

Select your model to purchase your trim:

Step 7

Stick the short end of the allen key into the access port. Hook the slide and pull it back towards you, while keeping slight pressure on the new trim piece. This will lock the new trim in place.

Replace the cover on the access port and you are done!