Roof trim question

[Portent 0]

Today I fitted my replacement roof trim and end caps. The old ones had not only become a dull grey but also brittle and had started to break up. Frankly they were letting the car down. So the new ones look fantastic in comparison. The trims come with a strip of putty or glue on the underside. This is covered by some plastic tape that you're clearly meant to peel off as you fit the strip. I deliberately didn't pull the tape off for the following reasons:

 

1) It was a little more fiddly that I expected to get it sitting right so I took my time and made several attempts until happy. Had I used the glue it would have made refitting it more tricky.

 

2) The old trim pulled off very easily so the old glue clearly wasn't effective anymore. The new strips would still be many times better even without the glue. They fit so tightly anyway that I can't see the glue helping in any way to prevent water ingress. The glue is only a very narrow strip on the very underside.

 

3) (the main reason) There are very few trims left in the country. If I ever decide to do a full respray (or anyone else does in the future) then it may not be possible to get the trims again. So I wanted them to be removable with least risk of damaging them in the future. Had I used the glue then the trims would be hard to remove and may break.

 

 

 

So my question...

 

Can anyone think of a good reason why I really should have pulled off the tape and used the glue? I have no intention of bodging the car so if the concensus is that I should have used the glue then I'll refit them with it.

[tim20vt 0]

i also fit a new set and did the same as you,i didnt use the tape,myn were very tight anyway but that mite be due to extra paint of a respray but i cant see them moving

[James. 9]

Probably a belt and braces solution. Can't see the trims falling out of their own accord, unless prompted at high speed ?

I'd be tempted to resist bonding them in also.

[VW_OwneR_85 2]

thanks for the tip, im going to be renewing mine soon i also have a bit of rust/paint split around the boot hinge so its going to need repairing and painting in the future, how much did you pay for the pair? iv seen some on ebay for around £145 i think?

[tim20vt 0]

i got them on ebay for around that price

[Portent 0]

Thanks for the opinions so far. I think I'll leave them as they are then.

 

thanks for the tip, im going to be renewing mine soon i also have a bit of rust/paint split around the boot hinge so its going to need repairing and painting in the future, how much did you pay for the pair? iv seen some on ebay for around £145 i think?

 

I got mine from the dealer for £136.42 which included both side trims and each of the end caps that sit over the hatch hinge. However I was advised that there were only a few of each left (and I think I got the last nearside cap). They were on special order and the dealer wasn't sure if they could would be re-stocked after those last few went.

 

A word of warning - the clips on the end caps (cpvering the hatch hinge) will break when you remove them. I can't see how they can be removed without it happening, although maybe it was just because mine had become so brittle. I put a little grease on the plastice clips when I put the new ones on so hopefully that may help if I need to remove them at some point.

 

 

How I Removed The Strips

 

Use a flat bladed tool (I used a screwdriver wrapped in tape and also put tape along the bodywork to prevent scratches) and prise them up from the end nearest the rear of the car. There is a metal pin which fits into the end. Prise the end off the pin. Then gently pull up the trim working from the back of the car to the front. When you reach the front just slide the last bit backwards. It is held in place by another pin but the trim slides against it rather than being pushed down on it.

 

 

How I Fitted The New Strips

 

It might help to warm the trim but I didn't.

 

Push the front of the trim into the channel. Then push it forward to slide into the pin in the gulley. I found this a little tricky as it sometimes seemed to have slid in correctly but I later found it had slid over the pin instead. So push down quite firmly while you slide it forward.

 

Then work from the front of the car to the back, pushing the trim into the gulley. It is a very tight fit and I found the best method was to push down the inner side first, then push the outer side after.

 

When you get a few inches away from the back of the trim I found (through trial and error) that you should push the end into the rear gulley pin before completing the last couple of inches. Then go back and complete that last few inches by again just pushing it down firmly. The reason for doing this is it makes it easier to get the rear into the pin. Otherwise it misses the pin by a few millimetres and wont sit right.

 

 

In Summary

 

To remove - Start at the rear of the car and work towards the front.

To re-fit - Start at the front of the car and work towards the back.

Edited June 18, 2011 by Portent