Body side molding peeling back

[DaveO9]

I know this has been discussed in older threads, but I didn’t see anything recent for NNBS. I’m thinking about just removing all four of the door moldings. This is the worst one, but all four are doing it. I’m worried that they’re warping and putting them back with new 3M tape will just be a temp solution. Will I be able to make it look right without the moldings or will there be a noticeable stripe? My paint is decent for a 14 YO vehicle.

 

[iamdub]

I know this has been discussed in older threads, but I didn’t see anything recent for NNBS. I’m thinking about just removing all four of the door moldings. This is the worst one, but all four are doing it. I’m worried that they’re warping and putting them back with new 3M tape will just be a temp solution. Will I be able to make it look right without the moldings or will there be a noticeable stripe? My paint is decent for a 14 YO vehicle. View attachment 391028

They're gonna have to come off to be fixed, so you might as well remove them. Before you do, take pics, notes and accurate measurements so you'll know where they go when/if you decide to reinstall them. Judging by the condition of the paint and that it's parked inside, I'd wager that with enough elbow grease, you'd really minimize the shadowing.

For the strips, remove all the old tape and leave them out in the sun (this is a summer job) to soften. You might wanna use a heat gun as well. But you wanna soften the vinyl then lightly curl it in the opposite direction and let it cool. When it cools, it should straighten out or remain slightly curved in that opposite direction and stay. Apply new double-sided tape and reinstall. Of course you'd thoroughly de-wax and clean the surface and, referencing your notes, mark the borders with masking tape to have guides.

 

[Trey Hardy]

I know this has been discussed in older threads, but I didn’t see anything recent for NNBS. I’m thinking about just removing all four of the door moldings. This is the worst one, but all four are doing it. I’m worried that they’re warping and putting them back with new 3M tape will just be a temp solution. Will I be able to make it look right without the moldings or will there be a noticeable stripe? My paint is decent for a 14 YO vehicle. View attachment 391028

I took mine off the same day I got home
My paint is far from perfect
However with a harbor freight buffer and some mequires polish I had it looking right in no time!
Take your time and if you use a eraser wheel on the 3m tape be super easy as it’ll dig into the clear coat if not… learned from experience getting impatient towards the end
It was done in about a hour

I personally think it looks way cleaner without the trim but if someone hits your door in a parking lot it’ll have no protection
Luckily not many people park close to me and even when they do they can’t get close enough to hit my door

 

[DaveO9]

They're gonna have to come off to be fixed, so you might as well remove them. Before you do, take pics, notes and accurate measurements so you'll know where they go when/if you decide to reinstall them. Judging by the condition of the paint and that it's parked inside, I'd wager that with enough elbow grease, you'd really minimize the shadowing.

For the strips, remove all the old tape and leave them out in the sun (this is a summer job) to soften. You might wanna use a heat gun as well. But you wanna soften the vinyl then lightly curl it in the opposite direction and let it cool. When it cools, it should straighten out or remain slightly curved in that opposite direction and stay. Apply new double-sided tape and reinstall. Of course you'd thoroughly de-wax and clean the surface and, referencing your notes, mark the borders with masking tape to have guides.

I took mine off the same day I got home
My paint is far from perfect
However with a harbor freight buffer and some mequires polish I had it looking right in no time!
Take your time and if you use a eraser wheel on the 3m tape be super easy as it’ll dig into the clear coat if not… learned from experience getting impatient towards the end
It was done in about a hour

I personally think it looks way cleaner without the trim but if someone hits your door in a parking lot it’ll have no protection
Luckily not many people park close to me and even when they do they can’t get close enough to hit my door

Thanks guys. I'm going to remove them now. If we have sun in Feb in the PNW it's still not enough to get them warm, so I'll wait till summer IF I want them back on. But I may decide I like it without them. Good comment about taking careful notes and pics so I can locate them properly later. Thanks.

 

[swathdiver]

Some folks remove them and can get a clean door while others discover rust and corrosion and need paint.

Mine were warped but went right back on nice and straight with new adhesive.

 

[DaveO9]

I got mine all off and tape remnants removed over the weekend. Everything came off clean except it took a small strip of paint off on PS front. I like the look off of it WO moldings so I think I’m going to leave them off. (Plus the thinner end of one of the moldings broke in removal). I ordered one of those exact match touch up paint kits last night, so I’ll see how I do with chip repair. I used an eraser wheel for the gum/tape removal - made that part a piece of cake! Very happy with that purchase and no damage to paint due to that. Only tricky part was a P.O. used silicone to try to fix the problem on one molding - took a while to get that removed, even with the wheel and caulk remover.

I’ll get better pics when I can get some nice shots outside.