Removing the Exterior Door Trim

[07cobaltowner]

alright first thing is to do this on a nice hot day. it was 82 when i did it. park you car out in the sun and let it get nice and hot.
here's what you will need.

1- clean 100% cotton rag
1- clean 100% cotton towel
1- bottle of Meguir's Scratch X

1- spray bottle of Goo Gone

1- plastic putty knife

-start with the side of the car that is not facing the sun, (trust me i did it the other way around and you will see why)
-start by sprying the Goo Gone gel onto the trim covering every bit of it and make sure to let it drip down between it and the car.
let it set for at least 8min. DON'T RUSH IT. if you want it to be easy and turn out good wait 10min.
-once it has soaked in thoroughly take your plastic putty knife using the towel to cushion it against the car and squeeze it between. i used and up and down motion while pushing forward at the same time.
go slowly and make sure the adhesive is coming off with the trim, and not being left on the car.
should look like this as you take it off.

try to minimize scratches but don't worry to much about small ones.
now if you get the whole trim off with out any residue left then you are done with this step, -but if you left some adhesive behind and it looks like this

which is what happened when i started on the sunny side of my car.
reapply Goo Gone and get your towel and start to rub, back and forth really hard.
it will eventually come off, but takes awhile. this is exactly why you need to be on the shady side, and take your time.
-so once all that is done either take your car to get it washed or wash it yourself. take extra time to scrub the area where the trim was since you are going to have all kinds of residue form the Goo Gone and the adhesive.
-once your done with washing it take you Meguir's Scratch X and start to work on the scratched areas. this stuff works just like wax and has good instructions on the bottle. work in small areas applying plenty of elbow grease wait til it dries then wipe it off with a clean cloth.
-i would recommend after your done this to clean the area and go ahead and wax your car.
here is the finished product, enjoy!

[ironkoijak]

nice write up. i did mine about 2 months ago it was cold and took forever. definately worth it though, looks soooo much better

[Cory Wisecup]

hey man nice thread...im doin it this week...anymore tips??

[07cobaltowner]

wait for a hot day!

[OrngBalt]

Great post.... think I am gonna do it this weekend.

[Trey6417]

great write up. Soon as I read this, i went and did it right away! I always thought the door trim was screw in from teh inside of the door and if i would take it off, i would need to get the holes fillled...painted...ect. Anyways I just got done with mine ( I did it in my garage, didn't need it to be hot) and got it done in little less then an hour! Came right off after letting the goo-gone sit for 10 mins then i slid the spatula under it and it took the entire guard right off, tape and all. No scratches or anything and now i love it! propz to ya

[BlackLS]

If you don't want to wait for a hot day you can use a heat gun or a hair dryer on it you just have to keep it moving and don't leave it sit at one spot for too long. Nice write up...it looks a million times better

[YellowG5]

Here is something better to use than a Putty Knife...That IMHO is just asking for scratches, hence you having to use Scratch X...

Get some HIGH STRENGTH fishing line...and go to town on it after heating up sections at a time with a hairdryer... This leaves almost NO sticker foam stuff behind...and all you have to do is use a MICROFIBER cloth and some Goo Gone and then finish up with a wash and wax cause that section has never been waxed...

I Highly Recommend people staying away from putty knives...much safer with Fishing line.

[SilverG5]

Originally Posted by YellowG5

Here is something better to use than a Putty Knife...That IMHO is just asking for scratches, hence you having to use Scratch X...

Get some HIGH STRENGTH fishing line...and go to town on it after heating up sections at a time with a hairdryer... This leaves almost NO sticker foam stuff behind...and all you have to do is use a MICROFIBER cloth and some Goo Gone and then finish up with a wash and wax cause that section has never been waxed...

I Highly Recommend people staying away from putty knives...much safer with Fishing line.

Fishing line is the best to use. That's what I use on all the cars at my shop.

[07cobaltowner]

hmm... well i did specify a plastic putty knife but fishing line does sound like a good idea.
the biggest trick is the goo gone. makes all the difference!

[OrngBalt]

Ive removed all the badges from my car with the fishing line.... the trim is next, ive grown to not be able to stand it. I suggest fishing line. then use your remover and let it soak a little on the glue. heat it with a hair dryer and it should just about "roll" off with just a little pressure

[07cobaltowner]

well i have a friend who wants to do this so i think i will try fishing line.
ill let you guys know which way works better.

[OrngBalt]

telling ya bro... fishing line is the way to go. you may leave some more glue, or you may leave non. then just soak the glue with whatever remover you use (I've used turtlewax bug and tar remover) for like 10 minutes, then heat it up with the hair dryer or heat gun and you should be able to roll it off in one piece. There is a video floating around, I forgot where I posted it, but some guys debadged 2 WRX's in under 20 minutes, all glue removed and everything.

Found It:

http://videos.streetfire.net/categor...89EE0B9E08.htm

[D4u2s0t]

great write up, plus rep!

when i did mine, i just peeled it right off. used a fingernail to pry up the edge, and SLOWLY pulled and it came off no problem. i used some goo gone afterwards, took about 3 minutes and came out perfect.

[PatDamanCobalt]

I have asked this before and havn't got the answer I was looking for. Has anyone done this on their car after 2 years? I'm worried If i do it now my rally yellow paint will be darker underneath.

[OrngBalt]

Originally Posted by PatDamanCobalt

I have asked this before and havn't got the answer I was looking for. Has anyone done this on their car after 2 years? I'm worried If i do it now my rally yellow paint will be darker underneath.

I just removed my badges on my Sunburst after having the car for a year in harsh baking sun and awful new england winter.... no difference.

[07cobaltowner]

my car was only like 6months old when i did it. honestly it's gonna be hard to tell with yellow, you might have a slight it of fading, two years is not a long time when you think about it.
yo shold be fine.

[OrngBalt]

Originally Posted by 07cobaltowner

my car was only like 6months old when i did it. honestly it's gonna be hard to tell with yellow, you might have a slight it of fading, two years is not a long time when you think about it.
yo shold be fine.

I was thinking the same thing. Yellow is gonna be hard to tell. I would think if anything the darker colors have more of a chance of showing anything since they are a whole lot more prone to fading (absorbing more light) You should be all right.