Black Pieces Fading Around Windows

[bigj884]

not sure where to post these....so figured would go ahead and post in here...since i have a P5


within the last 3 months i have noticed that on the drivers side of my car....the black pieces along the bottom of the windows that sit on the very top of the door...are starting to fade.....and its getting worse it seems every month.....but the passenger side pieces are fine.

i can cover it up, some what, with wax, when i wax the car....but when the wax starts to wash off, the fading cames back into picture.

any way what my question is:

can i remove these pieces on the window and order replacements for it....

if they can be removed....how do i go about removing them?

if replacements can not be ordered for it....would painting the pieces work?



attached is a picture to show you the pieces i am referring to. and the pic is not of my car....my car is black....

[Watarski]

I have not used it yet, but Zaino makes a tire gloss that is supposed to be used on any black plastic, vinyl, or rubber surface. I think the previous owner used it on my car and it looks great. I don't know what everyone else uses...

[Action Jackson]

Stoner's Trim Shine (?) works great on all my plastic and rubber pieces except for tires (I use Meguires Endurance Gel on mine).

I think I also used Simoniz plastic trim polish/cleaner (?) before too.

Basically anything that protects against UV will be helpful.

[Kansei]

I've heard of this happening for other people, luckily it hasn't happened on my car yet.

I just checked onlinemazdaparts.com and couldn't find the part in the logical place (collision catalog, front door components section). You can PM bagman1 or post a thread in the Onlinemazdaparts.com section and he'll let you know the part number.

[altspace]

UV damage is done. You can apply many different products to give it a shine, but they wear off and you will see the fade again no matter what.

[MSP#735]

unfortunatley alt is right, i have the same problem, on ONE door, im going to simply buy a new one....i mean they can't be that expensive (or can they?)

what exactly is this piece called? (poke)

[qualityrockola]

i need all four of mine replaced. we should do a group buy or something. :)

[CTt3P5]

Hey, that's my car....when will I be receiving the first royalty check? haha...j/k Sux to hear about the uv damage. Gonna have to pay more attention to mine when I detail this spring.

[azeli73]

I had all four of mine replaced under warranty about two years ago. I think there is a TSB from The Man's site (http://www.protegefaq.net/tsb/3rdgen.html) (http://www.protegefaq.net/tsb/)

[MSP#735]

the TSB link, how well do dealerships grant or accord with the listed 'problems'?


I had all four of mine replaced under warranty about two years ago. I think there is a TSB from The Man's site (http://www.protegefaq.net/tsb/3rdgen.html)

[yashart_mp3]

I couldnt find a TSB on it....

[azeli73]

Thought there was. Well, anyway I just went to my dealer and simply complained. I know it worked for someone else here in AZ. So if you have a warranty still, use it!

[P-Funk!]

Back-to-Black could work as well. it should last significantly longer than just waxing it.

[qualityrockola]

Back-to-Black could work as well. it should last significantly longer than just waxing it.

ive used back to black....it worked for like 2 weeks, then needed reapplication. mine really is severe, it was splotchy and ugly, but it has faded enough now that it looks pretty even.

[dominoy2k1]

i think its called a belt molding.

[rednecks_r_us]

Thought there was. Well, anyway I just went to my dealer and simply complained. I know it worked for someone else here in AZ. So if you have a warranty still, use it!


That was me. I had 46K miles on the car and the dealership replaced them for me.

[P-Funk!]

hhhmh.
I would try Krylon Fusion[tm] - it helped my Durango and the Jeepers use it too with good results.

[pasadena_commut]

hhhmh.
I would try Krylon Fusion[tm] - it helped my Durango and the Jeepers use it too with good results.

That paint is for plastic. The parts in question feel like a very hard rubber. Will that paint work on rubber?

My P5 also has this problem:

http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123654380&highlight=window

[_Slotegé_]

Werd, I have the same problem I think I'm going to try this stuff and see how well it works....

http://www.autogeek.net/forblacbumtr.html

[TreFlip999]

Werd, I have the same problem I think I'm going to try this stuff and see how well it works....

http://www.autogeek.net/forblacbumtr.html
you may be my new hero..im sick of putting son of a gun or armor all on it just to make it look normal...shit irratates me

[pasadena_commut]

Werd, I have the same problem I think I'm going to try this stuff and see how well it works....

http://www.autogeek.net/forblacbumtr.html

Please let us know how it turns out.

[Flash5]

subbin

[Salmon_Rob]

subbidy

[_Slotegé_]

Please let us know how it turns out.Will do!

I guess I'll have to get around to buying some soon then.....lol

BTW I have been, putting Turtle Wax ICE on the trim and my tire's for a little while now and it work's pretty well.It just doesn't last as long as I'd like it to...

[bigj884]

Werd, I have the same problem I think I'm going to try this stuff and see how well it works....

http://www.autogeek.net/forblacbumtr.html


if you buy that stuff i hope you noticed this disclaimer in the writing on the page.

Please Note: Forever Black Bumper & Trim Dye is intended for porous, textured surfaces. Smooth plastic, vinyl, and rubber may not be able to absorb the dye and it will therefore streak.

[qualityrockola]

i fixed mine. they come off really easy. I just resurfaced them with a green scouring pad and steel wool, then polished them with some "back to black", armor all would work too. it was really really easy and i should have done it a long time ago. there is only one screw holding each one in. Ill keep you guys updated with how it holds up in the brutal california sun

[P-Funk!]

So you scrubbed off a surface hazing? Underneath it was good?

[qualityrockola]

So you scrubbed off a surface hazing? Underneath it was good?

yeah it is fine underneath. there was some minor pitting, but all in all it is way better now. i should have taken some before and after shots.

I think that it is important to scrub the whole length of the trim to keep it uniform. i wouldnt just scrub a small area, it would probably still look splotchy.

[pasadena_commut]

there is only one screw holding each one in.

Details please. Especially: where is that one screw?

[qualityrockola]

Details please. Especially: where is that one screw?


the screw for the front doors is inside the jamb on the very back of the door. The screw for the rear doors is in the jamb on the front of the door. once the screws are out you pull up the trim, carefully, straight up. If your fading is not too bad you could probably just use steel wool to clean off the oxidation. mine was bad, so i used an abraisive pad (probably equivalent to 200 grit paper) and then followed up with some fine steel wool to smooth any scratches. It is very important to not use a heavy sandpaper, you will never get the scratches out and it is not necessary. just think of it as giving the trim a heavy cleaning. Once i had smoothed it with the steel wool, i buffed it with a clean cloth and then put some "back to black" by mothers to polish it up. I think armor-all would work fine too. I figured i had nothing to lose by doing this and it worked well for me, but be careful, you dont want to end up with some nasty scratched trim.

[Be11ydawg]

I used Klasse Aill-in-One polish and they turned out great. The fading appears to be from oxidation and Klasse works great for that. Followed up with some sealant and they looked great.

[arcane73]

sub

[msp03.5]

My driver side door is doing this and it pisses me off when I look at it lol great info on here guys. I still would like to buy a new one though any one know how much they are and where we could buy from?

[pasadena_commut]

the screw for the front doors is inside the jamb on the very back of the door. The screw for the rear doors is in the jamb on the front of the door. once the screws are out you pull up the trim, carefully, straight up.

I worked on mine today - with mixed results. A few additions to these instructions:

1. The ones on the front doors extend under the side mirrors. Pull up and twist slightly (top of the plastic away from the car) and then slide the pieces backwards until they clear the mirror to remove completely.

2. The rear ones unfortunately have a set of those accursed plastic snaps. I broke a prong on one of mine by just pulling up. To free the other side I pulled up pretty far, slid in a narrow screwdriver, then pushed slightly on the outside prong to release it. The 2nd and 3rd pictures show where those prongs are on the strip, and where they plug into the car. Those fasteners are fragile, be really gentle with them (and they may still break anyway.)

3. The piece that holds the screw has a little tap that is supposed to go inside clip over the hole and into the inside of the car. That clip had broken off on one of mine when the screw was removed. The screw alone seemed to hold it ok though.

The problem with mine was pitting, not fading. It's hard to photograph but the first picture shows some of the pits. Note that both strips are equally pitted, it's just easier to see on the top one. I worked on one strip for 20 minutes straight with steel wool, a green pad, and finally some 1500 wet/dry sand paper. All of the mottling was gone, and some of the shallower pits, but most of the pits remained. Some of them were nearly a millimeter deep. I think paint may be a better solution than sanding for these pits. The strip material is definitely plastic, even though the pits look like they are in soft rubber.

The other three were just sanded with steel wool for 5 minutes and wet sanded with the 1500 sand paper for another minute or two. Then all 4 strips were treated with "Back to Black" and put back on the car. There's no obvious difference between them, so the extra sanding didn't help much. I think to remove the pits would take a LOT of sanding, with much coarser sand paper, and that would mean more sanding later to remove the scratches from the first sand paper.

How much are these things to replace???

[DeadGeneration]

I'll jump on this thread. I hate the idea knowing my car is gunna look like a honda once this problem gets worse. I seen josh's (original poster) and his is AWFUL compared to mine.

[Tasty]

I used Klasse Aill-in-One polish and they turned out great. The fading appears to be from oxidation and Klasse works great for that. Followed up with some sealant and they looked great.

Klasse AIO rocks. I absolutely love that stuff.

[Witchdoktor]

excellent thread. my routine is steel wool #0000 followed by trim cleaner (don't remember names but used different ones). comes out good but never like new.

might give klasse a shot

[xtrememps]

http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/index.cfm?action=getLocator&siteid=214264&chapter=ARH5416&appSectionid=2732&groupid=51892&subgroupid=3472&make=22&model=Protege&year=2003&catalogid=2

[DeadGeneration]

Mine are still fading. Any one done a permanent fix yet?

[thejetman]

NO NO NO!!! get a product called Meguires BACK TO BLACK from your local parts store....it will do the trick for about 4 bucks!

[rednecks_r_us]

Mine are starting to fade pretty badly now.

[DeadGeneration]

I have back to crap and don't like it one bit

[DeadGeneration]

Try soaking your hand in some potato grease and rubbing it on the sills, that's about the same equivalent.

[rednecks_r_us]

Try soaking your hand in some potato grease and rubbing it on the sills, that's about the same equivalent.

ROFL (lol)

[ProtoType5]

Turtle Wax Ice...for weekly/bi-weekly treatment...easy to use and it lasts a while...It's good for preventing, not so much for treating the problem

[L8R]

I think painting them would be best. I have been debating for a while what to do... Back to black works, but like mentioned, not too effective in the long run.

[xtrememps]

Or save yourself the hassle and buy new ones if they're really bad. They're $50 each from protegegarage.

[pasadena_commut]

Or save yourself the hassle and buy new ones if they're really bad. They're $50 each from protegegarage.

That's a pretty expensive fix, and it isn't going to last. Another four years and the new ones will look as bad as the old ones. On the other hand, a can of good flat black black plastic paint is what, $10? The main problem I see with paint is that to do it right the strips must be removed from the car, and the plastic clips on these strips are very fragile so doing that may break more of them.

[xtrememps]

If yours are pitted like mine then nothing will save them in the long run.