It seems to me that blacking out the chrome like trim around the windows of our beloved e30's has become the thing to do. Quite a few people, whom will go unnamed have been known to have carried out this mod without removing the trim. Sure this can be done this way, but for proper paint adhesion you really must thoroughly sand the surface of the trim, which is easier said then done with glass, and painted panels directly adjacent to said trim. My solution was to remove the trim altogether, which is no real surprise to anyone that is following my e30 project cars progress. Removal of the trim is not all that hard, but be warned it can and will be involving, mildly time consuming, and most of all... tedious.

First off, I would suggest giving your car a good bath, to clean up any debris and dirt that you might find to be in your way later. After the car has dried (or sat dirty for you lazy people) prepare your tools. You will most likely need the following:

1. Flathead screwdriver (6-8in or so)
2. Phillips head screwdriver (6-8in or so)
3. Needle nose pliers
4. Socket set, consisting of a 1/4 ratchet, 3/8 ratchet, 3in extensions to fit both, 1/4 8mm socket, 3/8 10mm socket

Removing the trim is the next task at hand, I would suggest devoting an entire day or even two to this if your intention is to let the paint dry before reinstalling the trim. I started with my front window trim, but it doesn't really matter where you begin.

Start by rolling all your windows down, and leave them this way for access. Remove the piece of trim that runs along the bottom of the window, on the door. This one is by far the easiest one to remove. Simply pull up on it, and it should pop free. It may or may not leave clips behind on the door, but carefully remove them with pliers if need be. Next up is the trim piece that follows the top edge, and leading slope of the door. You will need to remove the rubber/fuzzy gasket that holds the top of the window still when it is up. Under where that rubber gasket was you can see the small clips that hold the top trim in place. Ready your flathead screwdriver, and get at it! They all pop free easy enough, but be careful, you will note they are very thin, and as a result they break very easy. place your screw driver under the tabs as show in the picture, and pull it up, while pulling the trim away from it, it should pop free, you will know when it has done so. This trim piece may have 7 or more clips holding it. Once all the clips are popped free, pull the trailing edge of the trim up and away from the door, and slide the front leading edge up the door and off.

That concludes the process for the front door and its window trim, repeat on the opposite side of the car for double the fun...