As far as lower gloss goes. Make sure you peel off the protective film that covers the tape...but you probably already knew that.

 

yep i did peel off the film. I applied mine very late one afternoon, in poor lighting and i was butting the tape up to the upper rubber molding. If i look closely there are some chrome gaps showing....3/4" may be the way to go...

 

FWIW, I know this is an older thread, but Scotch 33+ electrical tape is far superior to the other stuff, actually commonly known in the trade as "japrap" (please pardon the derogatory term). I have had it on as trim before for months, including summer, and removed with no issue.

The 33+ is an extreme-temp tape, in a satin black. It matched the trim on the R53 perfectly, a little overlap but not noticeable, and no cheap shine to it. Easiest way to apply was to stick one end with some overlap, unroll about 18" of tape, and gently (without much stretch at all) guide the tape onto the chrome trim. Any mistakes or going off-center and it's easily removed and repositioned. Snip the end with some left over, then trim to fit, and smooth out with a finger. It's stretchy enough to get all the way around the contours of the car, and removed very cleanly in no time flat when I wanted to go back to chrome.

Oh - and it costs under $4/roll at Lowes/Home Depot, so even if you want to use "real" trim tape, it's worth it to buy a roll of 33+ and try the look first - also gives you good cheap practice at installing!

 

Lol, after reading this I went straight to Lowe's and picked up a roll of Super 33 for something around $3.10 after tax. Anyways really took my time and did it around 3 hrs. Anyways, I like the look now. Its subtle but there's just something cooler about the window area now.

 

It is definitely VERY subtle on the R50/53. I liked it, then didn't like it, then liked it... and it's both removable and cheap, so I'm OK with that. On my dark color (AB/S) R53, from some angles it made the car look small, from other angles, it made the car look mean, and still others, toylike.

IMHO it's a necessary mod on some colors of the newer R56 because the beltline is so much higher. It makes the car look lower and more "of a piece".

And you're right, I think it's "Super 33+". GREAT stuff, I won't be without it in my Mister-Fix-It kits.

 

Quick question, how did u cut the ends? On some of them i cut it right on the end piece, on the others i let it over hang so I culd tape it further hoping it might stick longer. That is one of my things when I looked at it today. In the breaks there are some pieces that are sticking out and not taped down, but its so minute its not noticeable unless u really look at it.

 

I got **** on one or two and trimmed right.. to.. the.. end.. of.. the.. chrome. On the others I just kinds scissorcut-and-stuck. The tape is stretchy and tenacious enough that I didn't really have any issues. And yes, while I've been known to reach for a pair of reading glasses every now and then (only when it's dark and I'm tired, really!) it looked really nice.

 

how wide is the "super 33+" tape? 1/2" or 3/4"?

 

Measures out at 48/64 on my calipers (3/4"), and the R53 beltline chrome measures at 1/2" (chrome only). The satin finish on the 33+ is a pretty good match for the R53 rubber, and the overlap wasn't noticeable, actually allowed a little margin for error.

 

...Just took some pictures today!

Before:




After:

 

Just applied the outmotoring tape for the clubman. What protective film are you guys talking about? I simply removed the backing with the adhesive and pasted it on. Is there a layer above the black tape that I should remove? 0.o

 

There's a shiny protective film that comes on the 3M tape. It may not come on the tape Outmotoring sells.