# BMW X3 Running Boards / Side Steps



## mattchubb1

Hiya,

Managed to get some time on fathers day to clean the aluminium running boards / side steps on our x3 this weekend. We've had the car about 3 months now and I keep meaning to get around to it... but thought it was going to really fiddly trying to get around all the bobbly plastic bits... anyway removed them all  and that made it much easier!!!

Heres some pics of before, mid way and finished  very pleased with the results as there is no rust or tar spots 

All I used was AG Metal Polish and a bit of patience to remove all the plastic bits!

Just need to work out if there is anything i can use like a wax to protect it?
Before...

















Midway

























Finished


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## tdi vrs

looks good top job, they are forever going like that on the x3 and x5 at the dealership i work at


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## mattchubb1

thanks!

yeah when we were looking at buying the X3 there were some which looked really bad.... and I thought it would be wouldn't be too difficult to get it looking good... just as well ours wasn't too bad as it took an age too do as it was!


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## tdm

perhaps something like blackfire metal sealant . http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/blackfire-wet-diamond-all-metal-sealant-engine.html


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## VIPER

Interesting mate, I've posted up asking about this myself quite recently as I look after a mate's X5 and his were terrible with the black spotting and etching. I'm gradually improving it each time I work on the car, but tbh. time is always against me and I could get it done so much quicker with the plugs out.

What's the procedure for removing them then? I didn't want to attempt it in case I broke them in the process. 

Advice much appreciated


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## Fastmonkey

I am planning on doing this on my X5 tonight, I tried to pull one of the plugs out but it felt like it would split/tear so I didn't do it.

So same as Pit Viper, can you let us know the safe way to do this please ? Thanks. :thumb:


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## mattchubb1

Fastmonkey said:


> I am planning on doing this on my X5 tonight, I tried to pull one of the plugs out but it felt like it would split/tear so I didn't do it.
> 
> So same as Pit Viper, can you let us know the safe way to do this please ? Thanks. :thumb:


Hi guys,

Ok so our x3 is a 55 plate (just to give you an idea of age).... and the plastic gromets were all in good shape and not brittle or frail and none out of all the gromets on both sides broke! so I'd say that you should be ok, i cant imagine them using different gromets on an x3 to an x5.

The plugs are like plastic squeezy gromets... admitidly i too was slightly worried when i was pulling them out, but as soon as you've pulled one out and seen the shape of it you can understand why its quite tough to pull.

I will say though that the tough bit is the bit where you try and start to pull them out, and the fact that there is so many of them!! 

I just used my finger nails to lever the top of the gromets up and then just pulled them out.

Rubbish drawing... but gives you an idea...









Once they are all out it makes it soooooo much easier to just do the whole plate.

Good luck! and hopefully see some pics later on


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## Fastmonkey

I started pulling but they never came so I didn't want to break them ! Still I will give it a go and push on through.

Thanks very much for the write up, I will hopefully get mine done tonight and will put pics up.


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## VIPER

Nice one, mate - thanks for that :thumb:

From the drawing they are pretty much how I imagined them to be tbh. i.e designed to push in easy but not so easy for removing. I actually have a tool for removing interior trim attaching plugs so I might see if that can grab them and level up and out.


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## Fastmonkey

I couldn't resist just going outside and trying and with a bit of effort out it came.


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## VIPER

Is the 'wide' part of the plug (the bit that pushes through the hole and then expands again on the other side) all the way around or is it like 2 'wings'?


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## Fastmonkey

It's all the way round. Here's a little vid so you can see.


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## VIPER

Brilliant, mate :thumb: Thanks so much for that! Top man :thumb:


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## Fastmonkey

Right one side done ! I used Autosol and some fine wire wool to clean them up.

Befores......



















I used a Snap On trim remover as suggested and it worked well, it did scratch the aluminium a few times on grit caught under the black plugs but luckily these were concelled under the plugs when refitted, be careful if you use a tool like this.










Afters.....





































The X5 so far, still loads to do on it.........


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## mattchubb1

excellent results there Fastmonkey!


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## VIPER

Yes, top results there, Fastmonkey :thumb: That's very similar to the tool I'll be using to get the plugs out.

I won't be working on the car again for another week or two but I'll take some pics of my efforts when I do.


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## Fastmonkey

PV - Cheers, I'm doing to do the other one tonight so I will experiment with the tool and see if I can find a way to get them out without any scratching.


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## VIPER

Great (I'll only be doing one side at a time probably as well).

This is what they looked like before I started (quite bad, but are now only about 1/4 as bad as this as I've been at them with some Megs NXT All Metal Polysh on a toothbrush since since this pic).










With the plugs out I should be able to get them looking as good as you've done yours :thumb:


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## Fastmonkey

They look much worse than mine did, I found the steal wool brought them up a treat, hopefully with some wool you can get them back to good as new. I tried just a cloth and Autosol but it would only shift about half of the marks. 

Careful with the plugs they are really easy to loose as there is so many of them !


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## VIPER

Yeah, quite bad weren't they! But no where near like that now.

I'll have an old bowl or something handy to put them in as I take them off, as knowing my luck one will bounce and roll down the street and straight down a drain...plop...oops  :lol:


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## bigshout

I gave mine a quick go today, used a brilo pad, and water, Tried metal polish and cloth as well but the brilo pad done the job and a cheap fix.

before

















After
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_eDzc-YGUk7o/S7pUfX60LKI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/o17R5eWLJOY/s512/IMG_0427.jpg









80% better than before. I can't see how I can completly fix them witout sanding them down.


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## Fastmonkey

That's made a difference, nice one, you could get them even better by using decreasing grades of wire wool.

Despite 2 coats of Colinite 476s mine have marked up again after a years winter use so another job i'll have to be doing this year !


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## turtlesdove3

Fastmonkey said:


> That's made a difference, nice one, you could get them even better by using decreasing grades of wire wool.
> 
> Despite 2 coats of Colinite 476s mine have marked up again after a years winter use so another job i'll have to be doing this year !


I heard that using wire wool is a messy job. Is it true?


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