Alright dudes, I'm sure most of you out there have crappy looking exterior window sill trim just like I do. Finding a donor car with a decent set at a wrecking yard is never going to happen either, so I was curious to see if anyone has had success painting theirs? My car is in damn good shape besides this trim (gotta love the endurance of that pearl white man), but this trim is driving me nuts and there's no way I'm gonna drop 4 bills on all new OEM trim. So if anyone has done this successfully please chime in, otherwise I guess I'm gonna be the guinea pig for this one. Thanks.

 

so you were quoted for brand new trim? either way use SE trim and flat black paint will probably do the trick, although some of the trim under the windows is fuzzy IIRC

youll probably have more luck at a junkyard than you think

 

Some one on here 2 years ago made a thread about his trim painting project. Can't remember the name right now, but I know he used Krylon spray paint. Search for it.

 

http://forums.maxima.org/3rd-generat...irror-mod.html Heres the link. I need to also do this myself.

 

Ive heard of people doing this by just painting their trim but im just taking the chance of just replacing all of my trim from front to back. Its a bit pricey but i would rather do it right and have it brand new. So far i already have the front windshield trim and front drivers door trim. I have to get the rest piece by piece from the dealer. Slow process but all worth it. I thought it was Carlos (Shavedmax?) who did this thread of painting his trim awhile back?

 

Just paint them. I made/posted in a thread several years ago when I painted mine complete with pictures on how to remove the belt moldings but haven't for the life of me been able to find the thread.

The thing is when you paint themis ideally you want to get the entire original coating off. Then paint directly on the metal. Makes it look brand new. Use a flat paint.. Just generic Krylon or Rustoleum flat or satin look great and adhere really well and dry fast. I use the same stuff on the wiper arms

 

You guys are fast on the replies, thanks! Alright sounds like when I get some free time in the next few weeks I'll be trying to remove the old covering and them painting them. I agree with the satin colored rustoleum...it worked well on my wiper arms also. Any tips for removing the old black coating? Thanks!
-Sean

 

Yep, easy - remove them and spray/coat them with paint stripper and let it sit for a few minutes. It'll bubble the black coating right up and you can peel it right off in pretty large sections. You may have to do it two times or so, and around the edges and stuff you'll need a razor blade to get the last little bits scraped/cut up, though. But the paint stripper will take off a good 85-90% of the coating right away.

Then wash it all off, give it a light sanding just for good measure, and paint. The paint sticks soooooo well to it when you get it down to the bare metal. And then when painted it looks absolutely brand new

 

are SE and GXE trims the same when sanded?

 

yes. down to the bare metal they are all the same (shiny)

 

Great! Thanks guys. This doesn't sound too bad at all! I wasn't even thinking about using the paint stripper, but that makes total sense. When I get it done I'll report back. (unless I screwed it up! lol) -Sean

 

I'm doing it regardless. Gonna take all precautions.

 

What's the best way to remove the window trim without breaking it? and is there a certain order to remove them in?