Cover, side panel removal.

[wyshyvanuk]

Arrrrrggggghh. I've caught the side panel cover, part# 51137078264, the one with the BMW badge that acts as a turn signal, on the side of my garage door and tipped it into the surrounding body work. Looks like I should just apply enough brute force to pluck the part back out and then clip it back in to the body panel. It feels pretty well stuck. Would anyone advise against the brute force method. I can't see anything else holding it in. The part in question is NOT the round clear plastic piece, but the body color piece into which the clear plastic piece fits. Thanks for any advice.
Ted

[v3.2mc]

first thing is to twist and pull the side repeater out of the painted trim piece. once that's out and you've disconnected the bulb socket, place the backs of your hands together, stick your fingers in the hole, and pull straight out.
it sounds to me like you've bent the metal tabs of the fender that keep it flush to the outside. it may be a good idea to pull both sides off to see what the true damage is by comparing the two.

[wyshyvanuk]

"....pull the side repeater out of the painted trim piece." It's that painted trim piece that's half in and half out of the fender panel. Are you saying that I can pull the entire panel out by pulling on both sides of the opening? Sounds like a better way to approach the problem. Thanks.

[StickMon]

This kinda shows how in clips in.
Kinda.

[chickdr]

Twist and remove the indicator part with the BMW logo then you can see how the trim piece is removed.

[wyshyvanuk]

Thanks for everyone's responses. This is a classic case of why-didn't-he-just-include-a-picture. The "painted trim piece" had been half way knocked into the surrounding panel and had jammed. Ultimately, the brute force method was necessary. Enough nicks on the edge to warrant a replacement. Expensive, but I'll be able to sleep at night ;~).