I've been debating removing them for a while since my drivers door molding already fell off and i can see some moss (wtf, It moves daily?!) on the passenger side rear trim, but i' like to see one or two that someone already did that on so i don't decide it's hideous and then have to re-glue it back on. They are glues on, right? Anyways, anyone got some pics?

 

2 sided tape, and there are holes under the front and rear-most trim pieces which would need a patch welded in.

A little extreme, but they do look funny without any trim or body crease.

 

Oh wow, that's interesting without the side markers. I think I'll leave them for now - I assume the side marker lights are the holes you're talking about?

I do think i like them better without the black trim pieces, though. You even removed them from the bumpers! I didn't think about that...... i like it. hope my paint is good under them.

 

There's no holes, other than the side markers themselves. As said, double sided trim tape is used to hold them on.

 

Mine have been removed from the front wheels back, the section in front of the front wheels has been painted to match the body.

To be honest, I'd keep them on if the car is your daily....too many shopping trolleys and cars doors that will open straight onto your paintwork if you remove them.

Here's mine.



Cam...

 

heres mine ready for paint by march

 

Mine with side moldings and side marker lights removed. One thing I plan on putting back are the badges on the fenders, otherwise I like it without the moldings

 

Think I'll give it a shot. I can always put them back on if I have to. Thanks guys! Now we just gotta see if I can remove them without damaging paint, Lol.

 

n/m

 

You can, just make sure you give yourself a lot of time to do it and don't rush.

 

use a heat gun and heat the moulding and the two sided tape will usually pretty much release. often times though, the tape sticks to the body and comes off the moulding. nasty business there if you are trying hard to save the paint. i've also seen moulding removed on cars with older paint to find thatthe paint under the moulding looks great and you can see theshade difference in the paint with the mouldings removed and the car then looks like trash.

 

Or even worse. Finding out the car was repainted, particularly a different color, without the molding being removed first......

 

On my rear most trim pieces there are screws securing the piece on as well as the stock tape. They look stock, and the fender has square holes with white nylon inserts that look stock, the trim piece also has countersunk holes in it for the heads of the screws. Maybe my car is just weird.

 

My car was missing piece under fuel filler. No holes were present. Nor were there any signs of where anything but the tape held it on when I got the replacement piece.
There are screw holes for the side markers, but they are not made to hold the rub strip on.
Also, my GSL-SE has had the rub strips removed. No signs of any holes left over.
No clue if there was some odd, one-off thing such as what you decribed. Anything is possible.....

 

Love those wheels Box Man

 

I figured I'd use a heat gun, i'll go nice and slow. a co-worker of mine has a tool he calls a sticker eraser for his vinyl work that he can remove things with on cars without damaging paint, so i figured I'd give that a shot on the tape that gets left on the car. I'm assuming it's been painted under the strips - the drivers side door is, at least. I also figured after i remove them, I'll do a wax / buff job on the 7, too. may as well just in case it's obvious they were just removed.

 

i'd suggest leaving them on unless you're going to be running 16 inch or larger wheels, or fitting a wide bodykit. Besides saving your panels from impact, the strips also serve to break up the side of the car from a design point of view.

 

I'm still debating it, it's one of those little side projects i haven't gotten to yet, like wiring some lights in the interior and replacing my ripped carpet. sooner or later, it'll happen.

 

Hey guys.. heres an extra pic just in case... I took off all of the moldings with a razor--very carefully-- before I sent the car to be painted... however now that its all done... I kind of want to put them back on her... I have 3m double sided automotive molding tape, but I'm not sure thats going to hold... does anyone have any suggestions as to what to use? possibly from your own experiences?

 

I used the 3M molding tape on my car to reinstall a section of the molding and it holds great.

 

Thanks Chris I appreciate it