the black trim along the bottom of my passenger side window has this strange etching over the entire length of it. it looks like some chemical was spilled on the window and it ran down and ate into the trim. is it possible to get rid of this? i was thinking about trying some of that plastic polish stuff, but im not sure if its plastic or some kind of hard rubber and i dont want to make it worse. thanks

 

my friend had the same problem he taped everything off used like 1000grit and smoothed it out then scuffed it a lil painted them with some nice *** paint that was supposed to work...it looked for for about two months...

i guess now hes looking to just buy new rubber from the dealer..gl

 

Can you get a picture of more of the area? Less close up detail is fine, i just cant really tell where this is or what type of plastic it is because i cant see the rest of the car.. im assuming thats the outside of the car?

 

Id replace it

 

its the molding that seals the bottom of the window. it seems like some kind of rubber.

i could just buy a new one, but id rather fix it myself and save $50. i'm definitely not going to try to paint it, i just wondered if theres some kind of polish or something to rub it out.

 

No it's cracking from sun exposure. You can sand it down and paint it. But other than that, there is no fixing it. It's easier to just buy new ones.

 

confirmation on this? it really looks like drips though.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by namax &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">confirmation on this? it really looks like drips though.</TD></TR></TABLE>
It's sun damage

You can sand it with 1000grit like someone said, but your best bet is to just replace it.

 

you can buy new ones of those window moldings?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Markb16a &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">you can buy new ones of those window moldings?</TD></TR></TABLE>
If you can find them. Go tot he Junkyard.. I've saw a few that looked brand new.

 

See, from that picture its easier, first one made it look like 3 or 4 inches tall and i was trying to imagine what it was...

Yeah, other people are right, its sun damage, but it may be a combination of someone using alcohol cleaner and then letting it dry in the sun, that would kill the rubber. Best bet is to replace it, other options may be some of that plastic restoring stuff, anything thats slightly abbrasive and has oils that refresh rubber should take it off... it doesnt look too bad, just dried out and cracked....

My old civic used to look like that when i got it, then eventually it all peeled off and was metal underneath. I dont think yours is like that, but if it is, just be careful you dont start taking the material off when youre rubbing it.