The clear plastic trim around my tonneau cover has yellowed from age and generally looks pretty bad. Washing it does not help.
Does anyone make a replacement for this.
Actually, is it really necessary to have one, what would be the harm of just taking it off?

 

Mine has none, and is also white. If you find one, buy two and get one to me! I'm replacing the top but the weatherstripping will have to wait. Forgot to add, mine has deteriated to a minor degree and this is after countless rain, buildup of gook (now a word) between the top and the tonneau needs periodic cleaning, though I suspect still needs attention with the plastic slipsheet.
The rubber parts in small spots and seems easy to get off with a mild abrasive cleaning.
BILL

 

GM still had them a few months ago, but it was close to $150.. There's a part number around the board somewhere. I plan on cutting my own out of some laminate when the paint is finished.

I'm not sure if the two small pieces closest to the door are available or not.

Kevin D.

 

I'd say nothing worse then some touch up paint can't handle. I've never been too distressed at the lack thereof. $150 is something I'd avoid, $25 is the most I'd want to pay for the benefit
BILL

 

Found the other thread. It was $150 list, but http://www.gmpartsdirect.com has it for $94.. I'll probably store the car with the top down until I can afford it. By the time you go through the hassle of finding a sutable replacement and then having it cut, it's probably worth getting the stock piece.

Kevin D.

From Lon:

 

Great info, thanks for the link and the PN. I still want to know if everyone thinks its necessary to have this on the car. My top really does not come into contact with the car where the protector is.....

 

Guys,

This is a part you need to have. Think about all the flexing moving your top does as you go down the road. Sure, the motion is not really noticible to you, but every time you hit a bump it moves. Every time you change the windforce on the top it moves... All the time it moves that last bow that rests on the tonneau cover is moving,sliding, etc. It would not take long for it to rub right through the clearcoat and paint down to primer and eventually to metal. Of course it will look bad long before that!

One word of caution that I got from my paint shop: Wait at least a week before you put this on. The reason is that for a good while even after your paint appears to be dry the solvents in the paint are still evaporating and escaping as gas. If you put this on too quickly after the paint job it might get bubbles under it and then you will be doing it all over again!

Speedy

 

its a 3M sheet... i forgot what its called, but i remember it was pretty pricy.... a small roll of it was in the $70 range...

 

You'll be sanding off your paint as you drive down the road from the abrasive dirt trapped between the rubber and paint. I suppose if you were religious about cleaning the rubber seal it would help cut down the wear. Of course why would you be driving the car with the top up anyway?

Lon

 

Sounds like a REAL "Top Down Solution" to the problem!

Speedy

 

Hell, mine was painted OVER two paint jobs ago. Car's going in for paint this summer (a cheapie hold-me-over paint job... Florida sun and gumbo-limbo tree sap have DEMOLISHED my paint job)... I've got the fun job of trying to get it all off beforehand.


Edited to mention my driving into my own damn fence may have had something to do with the deterioration of my current paint job as well....

 

I had my car repainted and I took it to a tint shop after a recommendation from a decal shop. They made it slightly smaller so it wasn't so obvious yet more than wide enough to protect the paint. Cost:75.00 installed.

 

Plus, it's better than buffing the paint out every six months at the point where the top seal contacts the tonneau cover. GM put it there for a reason, guys....

 

WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY FUTURE CAR?!


im sorry dave... you cant do that!

 

Well, I don't guess it's demolished, exactly.... an hour's worth of clay bar, three coats of cleaner wax and two of zaino have gotten back to barely acceptable. But the plastic trim is still buried under two layers of paint. And there's some nitro-stan on the pass. door/front bumper/rear quarter/trunk lid/rear bumper from the repairs I've done.

 

You've been watching too much Antiques Road Show. Running over a fence to try and distress the finish to make it appear older isn't the way to make the car more valuable. Distressing a pine table may work, but not for a car.

Lon

 

Has anyone taken off the old one--is the paint going to come off if you take off the old protector? Any tips on removal.

 

I haven't removed mine yet, but I have a suggestion. Use WD40. It is a great solvent for removing adhesive-backed items and won't harm the paint.

Lon

 

Thanks Lon

 

Of course all this said, I thought mine was doing the job just nicely. Until I noticed someone had painted over mine also! I started yanking and pulled half the repaint off with it!

Can't say that I noticed the paint worse where the seal rubbed or not, but considering they painted over it it probably wasn't the best paint job to begin with. I'm paying too much for my new paint job to risk it though.

Kevin D.

 

I still feel you can live w/o it for years, literally. My title states 1996 as the year I bought the car, it never had a protector, and yes, I clean the rubber too. I'll get pics that will show, though it still needs cleaning the paint is there and CERTAINLY no primer showing at all.
I think the problems have to show themselves, I've never noticed any vibration of the top itself and I need to drive with mine up for now, the tonneau is blocked until I fix the trunk lid position. When I get to the new top replacement repair, hopefully I can get this done with minimal hassle and new parts
Bill

 

I bought an adhesive remover in a 12 oz spray can from Retarded(Advance) Auto Parts. It works very well with removing stickers. I used it on the stripes above the ground effects.

 

Mine doesn't have it. I am religious about keeping the seals clean.

 

I've been buying solvants all week, last one cost me $12.70! UGH! They like to put 'em in one size fits all...that was my lunch money! hehe
Actually, not too funny, and more annoying. I will get pics after I clean mine up, maybe a before and after shot. I was prepping my doors for the 3M Formula stickers my car never had. Using paint prep recommended, It seemed to partially work, anyway.

I'm rarely impressed with a product I buy.
I appreciate the recommendations from real people and not salesman behind the counter, though I listen to them anyway
Bill