Might remove door trim pieces

W

White95Max

New member
I keep noticing salt/dirt buildup under my door trim pieces. I'm afraid that eventually, I'm going to get rust developing under the pieces. You can't wash under them, so there's nothing I can do but look at the dirt/salt in disgust.

The other thing I worry about, is when I wash the car in the winter, and the water runs between the trim and the door. I know the water is getting behind the trim and freezing, and I have to wonder where the water expands to...is it pushing the trim off anyway?

The Protege already has a body line just above the trim piece, so the overall look would be very similar. But it would definitely be easier to clean/clay/polish/wax, and I wouldn't have to worry about dirt/salt buildup under the pieces.



Here's what a silver Protege looks like without the door trim (car belongs to member "Fizz" at MSProtege.com):



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And here's my car now:



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Opinions? Suggestions?

What would be the easiest way to remove the trim pieces? Hair dryer?
 
I was going to do this with my car summer last year. Suggestions here were based on the fine cord/fishing line approach. I did this up to the point I realised that the trim was clipped on through holes in the panel! DUH.
 
I hadn't thought of that, but that wouldn't be the case with mine, since others with the exact same car have done it.
 
White95Max said:
I hadn't thought of that, but that wouldn't be the case with mine, since others with the exact same car have done it.
Click to expand...

AS mentioned above, many cars have clips holding on the molding. Be sure that there is absolutely no holes behind, otherwise you are left with a big expense.



I would use fishing line and goo-gone. Then protect all the paint that the goo-gone has touched when you are finished the job.



Another thought is that the rub strips prevent alot of door dings, so if you are like me, and have a small parking spot in an apt. complex taking off the rub strips is a gamble.
 
boxer said:
AS mentioned above, many cars have clips holding on the molding. Be sure that there is absolutely no holes behind, otherwise you are left with a big expense.



I would use fishing line and goo-gone. Then protect all the paint that the goo-gone has touched when you are finished the job.



Another thought is that the rub strips prevent alot of door dings, so if you are like me, and have a small parking spot in an apt. complex taking off the rub strips is a gamble.
Click to expand...





I am almost certain that there are no clips, but I will ask a couple other Protege owners that have done this.



I do live in an apartment complex, and I also park in a college parking lot. BUT... I have a garage at my apartment, so I never have to park next to anyone. And at school, I park in the far back corner of the furthest lot, so I very rarely have anyone next to me. And I park on the outside of that parking spot too.

Only in the summer do people with other nice cars park back there. In the winter when it's -5*F, I'm the only one crazy enough to walk all the way from that spot. :D





Zoom - no, I didn't put the alloys back on. It's still winter! That was just the best picture to match the angle of the other picture.
 
They are a pain for the reasons you stated. If you can get them off without damaging the panels and they aren't any type of fasteners I say go for it.



Worse case is you'll have to buy new ones and get them painted if you want to put them back on. At least with Audi's they are a one time on type of thing. Once you remove them you have to get new ones . Or so I am told.
 
Setec, yes I would. But oddly enough, I have 4 minor door dings as it is, and the trim pieces are in mint condition. It hardly seems like they are doing their job.

All of the door dings came with the car when I bought it.
 
Just a thought, you might have more door dings if you didn't have the rub strips on there. I'm presuming they are vinyl, and therefore may have saved the doors without leaving much/any evidence of having done so. Usually they put those strips at the "right" part of the door to prevent dings, I find the problem these days is all the trucks/SUV's are much higher and give you dings in places another car never could.
 
Exactly. They only protect the car from other cars of similar ride height. Minivans, trucks, and SUVs are still plenty able to ding my car. And those are the most common vehicles around here anyway.



No matter where I go, I do my best to park in the safest area of the parking lot, which is usually much farther away than anyone else is willing to park. Department stores, grocery stores...whatever. My rule is:

Find the last row of cars, and park 10 spots from the last car.
 
I removed all the badges/trim/moldings/etc on every S-10 I have owned. The result I found is much smoother in appearance, easier washing and waxing, and one more item to place on cardomain. :xyxthumbs



I have also (after convincing my long-time girlfriend) done this to her trail of cars over the past four years, all with excellent results.
 
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