Zoron

Hi,

Driving on the freeway, I heard a rush of sound from the right passenger side, and I watched the A Pillar fly off and sadly in the rear view mirror watch a semi run it over shattering it to pieces. I ordered a new pillar with the three grommets. When I try to put the pillar back on, the top and bottom grommets seat alright, but the middle is very loose. I gave the middle a bit of pressure and the whole piece came off again. Does anybody have experience installing this piece on the 8th generation Maxima's?

A little guidance would be great. I would hate to see this happen again.

Thank you!

Zoron

Solved it. Pulled one of the white pegs off the panel and saw how it clipped into grommet. I basically needed a lot of force to clip. I removed the peg and put back on panel, reinstalled, marking where each peg was and put all my weight onto that spot. Got a small audible click on all three. Super snug. Feel good about the install.

robtroxel

Thanks for sharing this episode. I am still having a had time visualizing what A Pillar moulding you are describing? Is it a right or left side of the windshield part?

Mjscott22

Same thing happened to me. There is a newer part to replace with and I think a known problem with original part. I attempted to do it myself and now have a gap at the top there the piece meets the roof. It’s not much but it bothers me. I cannot get it to get anymore snug without a lot of rubber/silicone. I think the original windshield goo helped hold it in place as well

it is crazy loud when driving without that piece

robtroxel

Finally realized what part you were discussing. It would drive me nuts to listen to the wind noise you describe. Do you think it is aggressive car wash scrubbers could cause this part to fly off? Or is it that it was a bad part and not secure to begin with? Have you tried to get relief from the dealer zone repair rep?

Jon Alexander

the finisher piece behind the passenger window is know to fly off as well. Dealer said to 2 part it to the car, and that is what Nissan does to fix it... the clips are yuck... wonder if the a pillar is the same.

ALRONDON

My back driver side pillar black trim was loose, it seems to be an issue with all Máximas, after waiting almost 2 months and bothering them for the backordered part I took it to the dealer for the replacement. They told me it was just a clip process...This dealer has a small window in the waiting area looking to the shop and I saw them applying some type of glue to the part (not sure if they really changed the part) But it is fine now. I never take my car to automatic car washes because I believe those trims could be get loose easily..

Jon Alexander

My dealer said that 2 part epoxy is the solve and that is what they do to fix this specific issue.

Zoron

Hi, sadly, the install didn't hold well and after a year, the part came flying off on the freeway, never to be seen again. I've ordered the replacement part again, but will be using the 2 step epoxy process this time, and never taking the car to an automatic car wash in the future. Every instance of this happening is within a week of using an automatic car wash. Don't know if it's coincidence or not though, since I hit the car wash once a month.

compyelc4

I would not trust epoxy (every epoxy I've ever used was 2-part). First off, epoxy does not adhere well to smooth finishes. It does great if the two surfaces are roughed up first but I doubt that will work with clips and male pins and especially around the inside edges of the trip piece. Do yourself a huge favor and run a 3/16" or so bead of silicone adhesive on each of the clipping points, then run a bead around the underneath inside edge of the trim piece. Then press that freakin' plastic trim into place and clamp the whole thing down for a few hours with masking tape, painters tape, or even duct tape. If some of the silicone seeps out around the edge of the trim piece (BEFORE YOU APPLY THE TAPE) just wipe it away with a clean rag soaked in vinegar. It will wipe right off. Once cured however, that silicone will be much harder to remove, but you may have luck just carefully pealing away the residue mistake with a sharp wooden stick and some finger power. Good luck. Oh, if you do this procedure correctly the only thing that may remove that trim piece again is a major rollover.

Goldpanda94

Yup 2 of the 4 times I've had to get my windshield replaced the right A-pillar trim has come off. The Satellite people say that black trim piece is finicky and if the windshield is set too thick even a little it'll cause that trim to not sit properly and fly off eventually. Even now, on the highway I can hear that trim piece shifting a little if the wind hits it right. I'm just waiting for the next windshield crack so I can get them to install it tighter next time.

Treywa

This happened to me in December and I replaced the pillar molding using the existing grommets and clips. Happened to me again last week. Appreciate the discussion on using an adhesive to keep that thing attached to my car. I would agree with silicon over 2 part epoxy, so even if there is some flex from the wind the silica will absorb the energy without breaking like 2 part might do. Im actually going to use some 3m windshield adhesive I have laying about. If that sh*t don’t keep it in place, it is not meant to be there.

Zoron

Hi, looks like another post on this thread, so may as well make an updat. I did as compyelc4 described above. Since I used the silicone adhesive, that piece hasn't budget an inch. The car has been through an auto-wash a few times after I felt comfortable the panel was secure without issue. Hopefully this is the final solution to my A-Pillar panel issues.

compyelc4

Your dealer is nuts to suggest epoxy. Use black silicone adhesive or even Urethane adhesive. Epoxy will not stick to plastic for long. Do a search on this site and you should find a good writeup on how to re-attach this piece.

robtroxel

Ditto for what Compy says. H D Silicone adhesive is best.