[ddenov]

Has anybody found a solution/modified the original center consol and how?

Mine looks bubbly like on the photo and most second hand are same or starting to look like that.

Has anybody peeled the shiny aluminium part? What is below it? Can it be sanded and painted?

Any other options?

[ezaircon4jc]

You should be able to remove the console top and refinish that section with a paint for plastics. Prep is everything.

[Knuckle89]

Yes I had the same issue.

I removed the part which is quite simple and on YouTube, just have to remove the armrest flaps and the rest is pretty obvious.

The hard part however is you can’t separate this silver piece from the rest. I tried removing the silver from there but it’s a hard, sharp metallic foil - I got most of it off, but not all of it and didn’t sand the part as I would have damaged the rest. Underneath is a horrible yellow plastic.

I then vinyl wrapped it, looked ok from a distance but not so great close up:





Eventually however, my eBay alert for the part number came up trumps. BMW don’t sell this part alone it comes with the cup holder covers and the silver trim for the dash so is really expensive. Every used item had damage on, but a seller came up that had split the parts and I got it for about £85 with some bonus bits I didn’t need.

Right hand drive part number for my interior style was
51169380180

[ddenov]

Oh gosh… aliexpress then it is…

Thank you very much for the detailed explanation!

[SunsetDriver]

Is there a way how to prevent this from happenjng? Mine is in great condition now but I’m afraid it’s a matter of time before I get this problem as well. Is it because of hot/cold weather maybe?

[Knuckle89]

Well hot weather unlikely the cause in the UK!! I would assume it was aggressive cleaning materials or something more than the weather.