[Apreche]

I have a 2006 Mazda 3 5-door. There's a strip of material that goes along the side of the the car. I opened the back door of the car one day, and heard a snap. I looked, and a piece of the strip had come unglued and got snapped off against the front door. I also notice that the rear end of the strip on the front door is a little bit unglued. I have most of the piece that broke off, but not all of it. Here are some pictures, so you can see what I'm talking about.

Is it worth it to bother fixing this? If so, how do I do it? Should I just apply some glue, get a replacement strip, or something else?

Here is the piece that broke off

Here is a close-up of where it broke off.

This is what it looks like if I stick it back where it belongs.

Here you can see the damage in relation to the rest of the car.

 

[sdemo45]

Most people on here remove those moldings. If theres no damage to the paint on the door skin, I'd recommend doing the same.

 

[Apreche]

I can pry the molding off easily enough, but then how do I remove all the glue?

 

[icspots]

goo gone or other bug & tar remover. If you do decide you want it replaced you can probably find one on the forums from someone who removed theirs.

 

[NCSU08MS3]

take 'em off best thing I ever did:

no point to them anyway, the top of the door sticks out too far for these to do much protecting anyway.

Phillip

 

[Apreche]

Is there somewhere I can get more specific instructions on how exactly to take them off without damaging the car? This isn't exactly my area of expertise.

 

[NCSU08MS3]

[quote author=apreche link=topic=139645.msg3010469#msg3010469 date=1237770681]
Is there somewhere I can get more specific instructions on how exactly to take them off without damaging the car? This isn't exactly my area of expertise.
[/quote]

really simple, pick a nice warm sunny day, if it's cold you can use a blow dryer to heat up the adhesive. First grab some fishing line (mine was still attached to the rod just pulled it far enough out to keep the rod from the car) slide it under the end of the molding saw back and forth until enough comes off that you can grip it with your fingers. Next Grab the molding and pull steady, firm and slow, most of the adhesive should stay attached to the molding any that stays on the car you can remove with goo gone or bug and tar remover.

Phillip

 

[dannySEE]

[quote author=NCSU08MS3 link=topic=139645.msg3010513#msg3010513 date=1237772360]
[quote author=apreche link=topic=139645.msg3010469#msg3010469 date=1237770681]
Is there somewhere I can get more specific instructions on how exactly to take them off without damaging the car? This isn't exactly my area of expertise.
[/quote]

really simple, pick a nice warm sunny day, if it's cold you can use a blow dryer to heat up the adhesive. First grab some fishing line (mine was still attached to the rod just pulled it far enough out to keep the rod from the car) slide it under the end of the molding saw back and forth until enough comes off that you can grip it with your fingers. Next Grab the molding and pull steady, firm and slow, most of the adhesive should stay attached to the molding any that stays on the car you can remove with goo gone or bug and tar remover.

Phillip
[/quote]

+1

VERY easy to do. Mine came off cleanly without any of the 3M tape on the car. I just did it on a whim too.

 

[Noisy Crow]

I'd be more worried about why it broke in the first place. Is the rear door opening too, letting the trim hit the back of the front door? If so, then the restraining bit that keeps the door from opening too far needs attention......

 

[Alec trevelyan]

Take it off, take it all off

 

[SuperTrooper]

[quote author=apreche link=topic=139645.msg3010469#msg3010469 date=1237770681]
Is there somewhere I can get more specific instructions on how exactly to take them off without damaging the car? This isn't exactly my area of expertise.
[/quote]

Here is a "How To" I used when I removed mine.
http://www.mazda3forums.com/index.php?topic=114780.0

 

[rhyick]

If you're using goo-gone it will probably strip your wax, so don't forget to reapply a coat after you remove those side moldings.

 

[Mercuryman76]

Yeah, pull those babies off. Just heat them up as mentioned and it will most likely peel right off. You can also use an old credit card or something instead of fishing line.