I bought a full set from Performance Products in Co. Cal. just before they moved to Florida .

Good quality, made in Germany .

__________________
-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

Sorry, I checked out for a few days but I'm back.

I think for now, I will first attempt to clean my original trim with steel wool and use masking tape and cut along the edge of the chrome as suggested by Clemson88 and then use the Gummi Pfledge on the black plastic parts. I'm definitely going to remove the trim from the car first since I also want to detail the car, and will most likely order that tool to help with the removal of the trim. I'll see how that works. If I don't get the results I'm looking for then I'll most likely buy a new set, either from Turkey or from Pelican or some other site, depending on price/availability. I'm glad to hear that some of you have had success with buying aftermarket trim and it kind of seems like a no brainer since the quality seems good and they are pretty affordable. I figured I might as well take a stab at cleaning up the old ones first since it won't cost me much to give it a try.

Oh and I'll definitely buy more of those red clips.

Thanks for all the responses everyone!

Drilling out the holes might be overkill. The thickness of paint can make a big difference as well. Better to use a rat-tail file. Most of the time it will be just a little paint removed on the edge of the hole that will allow the retainers to be inserted.

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Don't Chrome them; polish them

Thanks for the tip!

No no. The red berries go into the holes in the metal fine. The pointed plastic inserts in the aluminum trim which go into the berries dont fit because the holes in the center of the berries themselves are too tight. So I had to slam the trim so hard I actually bent the door in a couple of locations to get the trim clips to seat in the berries.

So by slightly reaming out the hole in the center of the berries you'll be able to snap the trim on without hammering the door to destruction.

- Peter.

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2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

Ah, now I understand. I thought you meant drilling the holes in the body. A good idea then.

However, if you ever have the car repainted and the retainers are difficult to insert, then slight paint removal of the inside of the holes will work.

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Don't Chrome them; polish them

Noted! Thanks!

A judicious use of a heat gun also aids in installation.

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“Whatever story you're telling, it will be more interesting if, at the end you add, "and then everything burst into flames.”
― Brian P. Cleary, You Oughta Know By Now

Here's a little info from Kent's site regarding the red clips and his solution:

"IMPORTANT NOTICE: In recent years the quality of these aftermarket clips has changed. We have found the clips are now being made with a harder plastic. We received some complaints from customers that they were difficult to install. In early 2017 we bought new clips from Mercedes Benz but during testing found these are too soft and they easily pull out of the holes even after a recent installation. So we are back to recommending these red clips. They are certainly better quality that what you can buy on eBay!!!. We have found our red clips are much easier to install if you soften them first. That can easily be done by PUTTING THEM IN HOT WATER for a few minutes right before you install them. Then install the trim immediately."

Yup. I've done the hot water routine also. Works a treat but having a pan of hot water is not always convenient.

__________________
“Whatever story you're telling, it will be more interesting if, at the end you add, "and then everything burst into flames.”
― Brian P. Cleary, You Oughta Know By Now

I come here to learn the best tips & tricks to easing the job .

__________________
-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

Unless you're planning on scrubbing the anodization off the aluminum and buffing it to a chrome shine you might want to just but the cheap stuff from Turkey and change it out.

I suggest you search youtube for videos of the stripping and buffing process before you start masking on your trim.

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84 300SD
85 380SE
83 528e
95 318ic

This is most likely what will happen.