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      09-24-2018, 02:05 PM   #23
afisherunc
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I have SO and got so frustrated with installing the fronts that I passed on installing the rears. Rear red reflectors are close enough to SO after that experience!

On the fronts, I used a hairdryer and plastic pry bar because I feared heat gun would do what it did to OP. Painful install for sure.

Last edited by afisherunc; 09-24-2018 at 02:24 PM..
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      09-24-2018, 02:40 PM   #24
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Yikes. I just got my reflectors in and my approach was going to be the following (though it will probably take longer than most...):

a) Take off wheel and whole wheel well liner
b) Try to push the reflector out going from the bottom to the top using some elbow grease and a plastic prying tool
c) If that becomes too frustrating after a few minutes, I've got a heat gun
d) Put on low setting and, from the back, try to loosen up the adhesive. Again, going from the bottom to the top.

Hopefully this will work without me wanting to jump off a ledge.
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      09-24-2018, 02:47 PM   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark'sM3 View Post
Yikes. I just got my reflectors in and my approach was going to be the following (though it will probably take longer than most...):

a) Take off wheel and whole wheel well liner
b) Try to push the reflector out going from the bottom to the top using some elbow grease and a plastic prying tool
c) If that becomes too frustrating after a few minutes, I've got a heat gun
d) Put on low setting and, from the back, try to loosen up the adhesive. Again, going from the bottom to the top.

Hopefully this will work without me wanting to jump off a ledge.
Haha. I am quite sure you don't have to actually take off the wheel and the entire wheel liner. But it will definitely make it easier to work with, especially with the heat gun on the back.
I find pocket knife helps a lot by scraping the adhesives away before you start yanking it off.
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      09-24-2018, 03:24 PM   #26
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ouch, when I did mine one side came off pretty easily, other side took a little more elbow grease.
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      09-24-2018, 03:46 PM   #27
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I'm definitely in the minority, mine were super easy and it took me about two minutes to get each side off.
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      09-24-2018, 04:40 PM   #28
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If you're not comfortable or experienced with a heat gun, use a hair dryer on the highest setting. I found that it didn't take much heat to remove mine.

Also, do not try to reach in to the wheel well liner like the IND DIY says. Take the extra 5 minutes and remove the wheel and liner. It's just a couple of bolts and will allow you to focus more on the removal. This is especially true if you have the cameras above, which further restricts your movement.
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      09-24-2018, 05:05 PM   #29
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Props for you posting this up and warning us all.

Maybe you could hide it with a M performance sticker of some sort.
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      09-26-2018, 05:21 PM   #30
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Holy crap that would drive me nuts. Sorry that happened to such a beautiful car.
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      09-26-2018, 07:57 PM   #31
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I have 2018 too. This was exactly what made me worried about using a heat gun. In the end a hair dryer did the job although I lost my thumbs for 2 days.
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      09-27-2018, 08:34 AM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by yjypm View Post
I have 2018 too. This was exactly what made me worried about using a heat gun. In the end a hair dryer did the job although I lost my thumbs for 2 days.
I used a hair dryer as well and that was plenty enough to do the job. Heat gun is too extreme for this job.
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      09-27-2018, 06:54 PM   #33
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Originally Posted by msmching View Post
I always search YouTube video for installation guide, if not, then I'll get on here to look for one. That's why, I looked at couple of them on YouTube, which is basically, push, pull and pop it goes. And also with the heat gun as well.
If I were going to post a DIY YouTube video, I would go through all the steps first rather than do it all on the first take. So it would be pretty easy to go through all the effort to take off the original reflectors, then just kind of put them back in place for the video. That's why a YouTube video might look incredibly easy, because it's not the first time and the hard work was already done.

I had an incredibly hard time with the first reflector on my 2016 M4 (my post is above, somewhere in the late summer of 2016) and I had already done my wife's 335is coupe in 2011. The second side was easier because I knew how much force to use and I started with the heat gun the second time.

My wife's M3 is due in the next 2-3 weeks and I'm dreading the painted front reflector install. This time, I'm jacking up each side and removing the wheel so I can get inside the wheel well for more leverage, definitely using a heat gun (carefully!) and pry tools.

Note to OP: You should have used the heat gun on the inside of the wheel well...
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      09-27-2018, 07:01 PM   #34
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SD ///M4 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by msmching View Post
I always search YouTube video for installation guide, if not, then I'll get on here to look for one. That's why, I looked at couple of them on YouTube, which is basically, push, pull and pop it goes. And also with the heat gun as well.
If I were going to post a DIY YouTube video, I would go through all the steps first rather than do it all on the first take. So it would be pretty easy to go through all the effort to take off the original reflectors, then just kind of put them back in place for the video. That's why a YouTube video might look incredibly easy, because it's not the first time and the hard work was already done.

I had an incredibly hard time with the first reflector on my 2016 M4 (my post is above, somewhere in the late summer of 2016) and I had already done my wife's 335is coupe in 2011. The second side was easier because I knew how much force to use and I started with the heat gun the second time.

My wife's M3 is due in the next 2-3 weeks and I'm dreading the painted front reflector install. This time, I'm jacking up each side and removing the wheel so I can get inside the wheel well for more leverage, definitely using a heat gun (carefully!) and pry tools.

Note to OP: You should have used the heat gun on the inside of the wheel well...
Well, have fun with the next time! There's a lot of "should have" for me, but well, at least I learned from it this time.

I will ditch the heat gun and use hair dryer instead if I am going to do it next time. If I am not wrong, a heat gun on the back will still go wrong for the paint....
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      09-27-2018, 07:06 PM   #35
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Quote:
Originally Posted by msmching View Post
Well, have fun with the next time! There's a lot of "should have" for me, but well, at least I learned from it this time.

I will ditch the heat gun and use hair dryer instead if I am going to do it next time. If I am not wrong, a heat gun on the back will still go wrong for the paint....
When I did mine in 2016 I used my wife's craft heat gun on the paint around the outside edge of the reflector a few inches away and I checked the heat of the paint every pass. I didn't hold it on one place until the paint blistered. But since I'm going to take off the wheel I'm going to do it from the back this time. You only want to heat up the adhesive, not try and burn it off!

Sorry it didn't work well for you...
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      09-27-2018, 07:33 PM   #36
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Quote:
Originally Posted by damageprone View Post
Props for you posting this up and warning us all.

Maybe you could hide it with a M performance sticker of some sort.
I have been on instagram since that day.. checking for pictures, hoping to find someone's car that has vinyl on that area to give me an idea what I can do lol!
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      09-28-2018, 12:04 AM   #37
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Quote:
Originally Posted by msmching View Post
I have been on instagram since that day.. checking for pictures, hoping to find someone's car that has vinyl on that area to give me an idea what I can do lol!
Not my cup of tea but maybe something like this.


I feel like it’s almost like covering up a really bad tattoo haha.
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      09-28-2018, 07:54 AM   #38
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The area is no longer flat, so covering it up with a decal is not going to work. And it's a bad idea on such a nice car. I would just get it fixed.
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      09-28-2018, 08:36 AM   #39
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eyeamgrewt View Post
I'm definitely in the minority, mine were super easy and it took me about two minutes to get each side off.
Same here, I just removed 2 or 3 bolts in the fender liner and pushed them out. I'm baffled that people have trouble at all.
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      09-28-2018, 03:34 PM   #40
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Oh my word, I did it on a warm day without a heat gun and a bit of patients, without issue.
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      09-29-2018, 01:19 PM   #41
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Seeing this thread I am definitely taking the extra 5-minutes to take the wheel off and using a heat gun on the inside.
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      09-29-2018, 03:05 PM   #42
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BoostinChick View Post
Seeing this thread I am definitely taking the extra 5-minutes to take the wheel off and using a heat gun on the inside.
You can do that but its not necessary at all IMO. A hair dryer (instead of a heat gun), some strong thumbs, and some patience is all you need. Push in from one of the corners on either the top or the bottom and wait for it to eventually break free. Once it does its much easier to keep pushing until the rest of the reflector separates from the adhesive.

Last edited by gatorfast; 09-29-2018 at 03:12 PM..
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      09-29-2018, 03:11 PM   #43
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gatorfast View Post
You can do that but its not necessary at all IMO. A hair dryer (instead of a heat gun), some strong thumbs, and some patience is all you need. Push in from one of the corners on either the top or the bottom and wait for it to eventually break free. Once it does its much easier to keep pushing until he rest of the reflector separates from the adhesive.
Agree 100%
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      09-29-2018, 03:31 PM   #44
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gatorfast View Post
You can do that but its not necessary at all IMO. A hair dryer (instead of a heat gun), some strong thumbs, and some patience is all you need. Push in from one of the corners on either the top or the bottom and wait for it to eventually break free. Once it does its much easier to keep pushing until the rest of the reflector separates from the adhesive.
Even with the extra cameras in the bumper? I have small girly hands but wanted to give myself enough room to get it out cleanly.
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