The door sill plates sure look nice and keep your shoes from scuffing the paint on the vehicle. I had my rear passenger side door sill plate go loose on me from years of people getting in and out of the car. I decided to pull it off before it just fell off and we lost it in the parking lot. It looked really ugly with it off and I wanted to get it back on there as soon as possible.
I removed the plate carefully and the T shaped moulding clips did not pop out. They snapped off at the head. Have no fear, they are cheap and easy to replace. I found the best deal at the bimmer specialist website.
001-988-97-81/58
001-80-10052 /10
Moulding CLip
20912c07 HA39R3 2
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The first thing you should do is clean the sill of the door and the sill plate itself. Then you take a blade or even a flat head screwdriver and carefully bend up the molded rail so that you can slide the clip out. Be careful not to break the plastic. It was pressed in with a notch and can break. Make sure its warm room temp when you do this. Very light pressure.
![Image]()
Slide the head of the clip out. I slid them all out in one direction. It was really easy. Make sure you don't leave any little broke off parts in the rail. Carefully slide the new ones in from the same side they came out of and place them in the same spot the old ones were. Carefully depress the rail where the factory pressed the clips in. Light pressure put them back in place and kept the clips from sliding.
![Image]()
![Image]()
Carefully pop out the old receivers or whatever they call it. You can also purchase these but I didn't break any and they are reusable. I used a blade and my finger nail to pop them out. Do not attempt to remove the broken male part of the clip. It will not come out in reverse! It takes a little care when removing them. Just keep playing with it until they pop out evenly. Canted, they may break.
![Image]()
Remove the broken off male part of the clip by pushing it out in a complete pass. Don't try to back it out. It will not work. It slid out very easily.
![Image]()
Here is the part that few people do and will keep the trim in place for a very long time and prevent any rattle noise. The factory used bee's wax on the female part of the clip assembly in order to keep water from leaking into the holes of the door sill. If you don't have any bee's wax, you can use the wax that covers your cheese. I got my wax from from some really good Wisconsin cheese. It did not smell and is natural bee's wax. I suppose any pliable wax would do.
Pretend you are a plumber and roll a small ball of wax into a rope. Wrap the rope around the edge of the female clip, work it around so that it bevels the wax into the edge.
Take three even smaller balls of wax and fill the small rim around the male part of the clip. You can smear it in with your fingers. Try to avoid any excess wax as it may interfere with the locking lips of the clip assembly.
![Image]()
Press the female clip assembly parts into the holes of the door sill. Remove any excess wax that purges out with your finger nail and wipe off with a clean rag. You want a nice bead all around the plastic so water wont get in there!
![Image]()
For the last part, I forgot to get a photo but I couldn't shoot it and perform the task at the same time.
Carefully align the plate and look in the gap to see that the male parts of the clips line up with the female. I had to push the plate towards the car to get it in properly. You don't want to press them down at an angle. They need to go straight down.
Once you have them lined up press down over the top of where the clips are and they will seat in nice. Pat the plate down and you will hear them all click in with a distinct locking sound.
Now your door sill plates will stay in place and won't create corrosion. The big key is WAX! The Germans love that shit!
![Image]()
Good luck!
I removed the plate carefully and the T shaped moulding clips did not pop out. They snapped off at the head. Have no fear, they are cheap and easy to replace. I found the best deal at the bimmer specialist website.
001-988-97-81/58
001-80-10052 /10
Moulding CLip
20912c07 HA39R3 2
The first thing you should do is clean the sill of the door and the sill plate itself. Then you take a blade or even a flat head screwdriver and carefully bend up the molded rail so that you can slide the clip out. Be careful not to break the plastic. It was pressed in with a notch and can break. Make sure its warm room temp when you do this. Very light pressure.
Slide the head of the clip out. I slid them all out in one direction. It was really easy. Make sure you don't leave any little broke off parts in the rail. Carefully slide the new ones in from the same side they came out of and place them in the same spot the old ones were. Carefully depress the rail where the factory pressed the clips in. Light pressure put them back in place and kept the clips from sliding.
Carefully pop out the old receivers or whatever they call it. You can also purchase these but I didn't break any and they are reusable. I used a blade and my finger nail to pop them out. Do not attempt to remove the broken male part of the clip. It will not come out in reverse! It takes a little care when removing them. Just keep playing with it until they pop out evenly. Canted, they may break.
Remove the broken off male part of the clip by pushing it out in a complete pass. Don't try to back it out. It will not work. It slid out very easily.
Here is the part that few people do and will keep the trim in place for a very long time and prevent any rattle noise. The factory used bee's wax on the female part of the clip assembly in order to keep water from leaking into the holes of the door sill. If you don't have any bee's wax, you can use the wax that covers your cheese. I got my wax from from some really good Wisconsin cheese. It did not smell and is natural bee's wax. I suppose any pliable wax would do.
Pretend you are a plumber and roll a small ball of wax into a rope. Wrap the rope around the edge of the female clip, work it around so that it bevels the wax into the edge.
Take three even smaller balls of wax and fill the small rim around the male part of the clip. You can smear it in with your fingers. Try to avoid any excess wax as it may interfere with the locking lips of the clip assembly.
Press the female clip assembly parts into the holes of the door sill. Remove any excess wax that purges out with your finger nail and wipe off with a clean rag. You want a nice bead all around the plastic so water wont get in there!
For the last part, I forgot to get a photo but I couldn't shoot it and perform the task at the same time.
Carefully align the plate and look in the gap to see that the male parts of the clips line up with the female. I had to push the plate towards the car to get it in properly. You don't want to press them down at an angle. They need to go straight down.
Once you have them lined up press down over the top of where the clips are and they will seat in nice. Pat the plate down and you will hear them all click in with a distinct locking sound.
Now your door sill plates will stay in place and won't create corrosion. The big key is WAX! The Germans love that shit!
Good luck!
