My 09 Maxima came with some chrome pillars on the areas inbetween the windows where it seems to be black on every other Maxima in existence. I don't like how the chrome pillars break up the smooth blackness of the tinted windows so am interested in removing them.

Before I did that though I wanted to make sure this is possible. I'm assuming that Nissan doesn't offer them factory because I haven't seen a single other Max with them on, only chrome trim around both side windows as a whole. Is that accurate, and are these safe to remove? If so what should I use to do that? Or could these be factory, and should I not mess with them?

Here's a pic, you can see the chrome trim between the driver and back seat windows. Tacky in my opinion...

 

They have to be add-ons. I spend time at my dealers looking over their inventory, and I don't recall ever seeing chrome 'B' pillars on a 7th gen Maxima. I just double-checked the official Maxima brochures, which show side photos of the 'S', 'SV', 'SV' with Sport package and 'SV' with Premium package, and all have black 'B' pillars for 2009, 2010 and 2011.

I have no idea how they put them on. They can almost surely be removed. As a last resort, if you can't find a way to get them off, you could sand the finish (so paint will grip), mask them off from the rest of the car, and spray them black with a good quality automotive paint.

 

Cool, thanks for the help. Wanted to make sure they weren't stock and that I was trying to pull something off that does not come off. How hot should I go with a heat gun to try to remove them? 200 degrees is plenty right (lowest setting I think I have)?

 

save yourself the trouble and just use black matte vinyl. thats what i used to cover all the chrome on mine. when the weather get warm, i will do the door handle..

 

Don't you use a heat gun to put that stuff on? If I'm going to use a heat gun regardless it sounds easier to remove than cover up. Granted I'd do this on the other parts of chrome if I wanted them black, I just figured if these were aftermarket add-ons they'd be pretty easy to remove.

 

chances are the chrome strips are held on by 3M double sided tape. how much of the tape is unknown. i would try to lift a corner of the chrome and see if it can come off relatively easy. you may want to buy a 'goo gone' type product for the leftover residue from the 3m tape.

 

I'll see how much give they have when I pull on them. This is where I get nervous because I know if I warp the piece at all and can't finish removing it my car will look MAD ghetto. I do have Goo Gone for the sticky residue.

 

The 3m double sided tape provided on these things aren't strong enough to hold on its own. So they use alternative products like adhesive to keep them on. When noticing a slight resistance I would grab a heat gun and start loosening down the adhesive to make the process a clean one.

 

Agreed. Try using a hair dryer to begin with. It will come off.

 

Should I be careful when aiming the blow dryer/heat gun? For example could this also take off the chrome trim that surrounds the windows? Because that trim I do NOT want to take off or damage. Should I get a piece of metal to use as a heat shield for the surrounding parts of the car?

 

these are double sided tape by 3m and are after market sold on ebay not hard to take off at all use a heat gun at low to medium setting then lift a corner use pilers to grip them then start peeling it back ,use goo gone to remover the left over tape.

 

X2

 

And same goes for that little thin piece of chrome on the trim of the rear windows? It splits off that small window near the back of the car and just wanted to make sure that's also an add-on.

 

that is factory, it goes with the chrome strips that runs on top and on the bottom of the windows

 

I'm sorry I used the wrong word, I shouldn't have said trim. I was talking about the third "skinny" chrome pillar that is on the rear side windows.

 

That thin small vertical molding between the back edge of the rear door window and the fixed piece of glass is black from the factory on all 7th gen Maximas. If yours is chrome, it is an aftermarket add-on.

 

Okay I got these strips off using a heat gun, was sort of a pain with the first one cause it left basically all of the adhesive strip on the car. Rest were easy though. Looks like these were on here a long time though because the black is a little discolored where the adhesive strips were. I tried goo gone and windex and you can still see it.

I guess this is where I get some of that black matte vinyl and cover them in it?

 

That would be easiest. It would be a time-consuming task to mask everything around these pillars, sand them lightly, and spray paint them black with a good grade black automotive paint. The black matte vinyl should do the job just fine.

 

Went ahead and covered up the chrome with black glossy vinyl which matches the stock B pillars perfectly. Going to have to go back and do it again because I made some mistakes, but not bad for a first time installing vinyl!

 

Where did you get your black matte vinyl from? I can't find anything but faux carbon fiber.

I practiced on the door handles with the carbon vinyl....what a PITA with the angles. I couldn't do it and it look right. If you get them done, let us know.