94 Volvo 850 windshield and roof side strips are chipping

volvo_boy_88 · Post by **volvo_boy_88** » 21 Aug 2009, 00:32

The side strips on my Volvo that run from in between the windshield and the driver or passenger door to the back of the roof of the car are chipping and stripping. Underneath the strips it is regular metal. What do you recommend to do as an easy job to strip the whole side strip and either paint it or do something to make it look good again? Any recommendations? Let me know if you need to see any pictures and I will gladly post to show you what I am talking about.

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 21 Aug 2009, 01:45

I moved your post to the 850 forum so that it will get more appropriate attention.

We have all had the same problems and there are several different methods of dealing with it that range from electrical tape to bumper paint. My son's car is peeling like crazy and I chose the third option - ignore it.

Search the database for more in depth discussions on the subject. I'm not sure if it was in this database or on a other site but using ScotchBrite to clean the old crap off was brilliant no matter which way you go toward fixing it.

...Lee

Post by **biggytwo** » 21 Aug 2009, 05:35

Electrical tape worked fine on our wagon....it looks better than the pealing did and it lasts long. It is also easy to remove it if you do not like it. Just use a good brand and clean the strips before applying.

Post by **kaireland** » 21 Aug 2009, 07:46

I used a razor blade to get as much of the old tape off as possible. I then used Goo Gone Extreme to cleanup the residual glue. Any tape left was then sanded down with a steel wool pad from the paint isle.

After they were all clean I used Forever Black to give some life back to the rubber and blackout tape to cover the metal portion. I got the Forever Black and blackout tape from Summit Racing. They were the only place that I could find that carried both items.

I have a picture of the finished product on my PC at home. I will try and post a pick tonight.

Kevin

FCPEURO · Post by **FCPEURO** » 21 Aug 2009, 08:19

I am having this same issue on my 850. I was thinking of just painting them black but I was not sure if that was the best way to go. I would love to see the pictures that you have.

Post by **kaireland** » 21 Aug 2009, 08:22

Here are some pictures from after I got them cleaned off.

http://850turbo.blogspot.com/2009/08/dr ... epair.html

Post by **kaireland** » 21 Aug 2009, 13:38

Here is a picture of the finished product. I think it looks pretty good if I do say so myself.

Kevin

: Molding.jpg (148.81 KiB) Viewed 3052 times

C@lvin · Post by **C@lvin** » 21 Aug 2009, 13:42

I recently picked up some extra moldings for next to nothing at a local pick and pull because my S70 was flaking badly, but I really like the tape idea. I will try that when this set starts flaking off.

Thanks for the tips!!!!

Post by **jmyers** » 21 Aug 2009, 15:06

I'm in the process of doing mine also. Finished up the drivers side yesterday and will do passenger side this weekend.

The 'inside' lip is easier to tape because it actually wraps around and under the metal strip and there is a little spacing between the metal and the rubber strip. The 'outside' (or closest to the doors and windows) of the trim strip is harder to make look good because rubber meets the metal with no lip.

The completed strip did looks much better than it did when it was mostly all peeled off, but on close inspection the tape line isn't as straight as I would like. I'll be more careful in cutting off the old covering on the 2nd rail. I'll also probably end up re-doing the drivers side.

FWIW the dealer quoted me $150 each for the rails and $100 to install. The tape cost me $5.95.

I'll also try to post some pics next week.

volvomileage · Post by **volvomileage** » 21 Aug 2009, 16:49

a car painters trick is to prime the area before paint or use an adherance promotor...

some primers will adhere to anything notably selfetching primers once the surface is stripped sanded a bit cleaned and degreased and primed the final coat will stay for quite a while....some primers a purposed formulated to bond to aluminium..

it worked for me ...

cheers !