Removing '09 Tahoe side molding... Easy to NOT destroy it?

[houtex]

If it were me,I'd start at one end after having the truck parked in the hot sun with the fishing line. Then after I got a good edge up I'd CAREFULLY apply heat with the heat gun to the BACK of the molding between it and the door. GeT comfortable. Get a stool,provide yourself some shade,a cool drink and plenty of time.....you can do it. Use some GOOGONE or the like and have a bucket of soap and water on hand for clean up. Start with the smallest piece first then go from there. Good luck ,take pics.

 

[booyaltz]

any pics of this? i am about to swap out my 07 LTZ black moldings for the 2007 Escalade moldings. I don't want to screw it up.

 

[soulsea]

I am actually afraid to undertake such a thing myself. Not so much because I feel I can't do it as it seems simple enough. The issues that concern me are the following:

1. I'm not sure if the paint underneath the moldings is clear-coated. I suspect that it is basically the same finish as the rest of the truck but other than anecdotal statements by others I have yet to confirm this with a solid source.

2. When I bought the truck it had those god-awful Hybrid decals all over the side panels and front/back windows. I had the dealer remove them of course before I even picked up the truck and this left no visible marks. However it has resulted in an odd thing happening ... namely when the truck is clean it's fine, but as soon as dust or pollen starts collecting on it it collects differently where the decals used to be. So in fact you can see the Hybrid decal outlines under certain circumstances. This is not a big deal, the dust and light have to be just right for that to happen and so far I have only observed it on windows. But I would hate to de-badge/de-mold the truck and be able to see different shading every time it gets a little dusty.

 

[edgaranah1]

It wont be noticeable if you clay it then wax it out. Wish you could do the same to the windshield, When I first bought the truck it has those stickers on the front windshield. when pollen dust or pollen settles you could see the outline. I have tried razors without any luck.

 

[timjohnson22]

I agree with edgaranah1, When i used the fishing line it took me all day to remove all the moldings and badges. No color issues under the moldings

 

[Monarkk]

See I had an issue under one of my moldings, In my 08 when I de-molded and de-badges 3 of the 4 when coming off were perfect underneath. However one of the doors had a major ghosting in the shape of the door molding that I ultimately had to get the door repainted because it was driving me crazy.

 

[geoffreyis]

in your 08 tahoe, when did you take the molding off? i am thinking about taking mine off my 08 this weekend. the paint is greystone metallic, im just worried the paint will look weird

 

[stevek]

1. I'm not sure if the paint underneath the moldings is clear-coated. I suspect that it is basically the same finish as the rest of the truck but other than anecdotal statements by others I have yet to confirm this with a solid source

They paint the whole car without moldings on... they don't magically appear on there.

 

[fireman297]

I demolded my Yukon and I had no problems with the paint and the moldings are in perfect condition. Just used a heat gun and an eraser wheel. Then clayed the vehicle and a little wax and it looks great.

 

[felixgun]

Hey all,

I picked up some Escalade molding for my '09 Tahoe. I need to remove my stock molding (it's the new chrome-on-top, body-color-on-bottom integrated molding), and I can either do it myself, or have my local body guy do it.

If I do it myself via the fishing line sawing action, can I remove it without wrinkling/bending the molding? Or, by nature of the removal, does the molding get warped/bent coming off? It just doesn't look like it would have the rigidity of the Escalade molding -- but I'd like to salvage it.

Also, do you know if the chrome part comes off separately from the bottom part?

Thanks!

/< / /2 /<

Looks like you never put the esky moulding on the doors... what happened with this?