Phew........ that was a long process..... but I finally did it...the moldings on my Vivid P5 are Gone..... And it looks KICK ***!!!!!! they peeled right off, no problem but the adhesive was a SOB... took me about 5 hours.... Just thought I'd let everyone know, also just be sure when using the 3m adhesive remover not to use your fingernail to scrape up the glue, I ended up with 2 TINY scratches from my fingernail... the 3m adhesive remover seemed to soften the paint. I will be adding pict's later this evening or tomorrow!!!

 

pic's

 

Okay now what about other doors tapping your doors. I though the side moulding was a protection against that.

Personally I think they do not look too bad plus if they protect my paint I'm all for it. I already have two scratches which I am sure are from other idiots in parking lots but I guess you can't be protected from every type of door. I even try and pick my spot next to a nice looking or newer car since I figure the owner would be as careful as I would be.

 

Hey!

I removed my door moldings this weekend! I have a silver P5 and plan on lowering it shortly.

I had a GSR and it had moldings then bought a Type R and it didn't. Looked clean.

I used a heat gun to take my moldings off. It took about 15 minutes all around to take the moldings off.

It took near two hours to take all the damn adhesive off. I used a product called "dissolve it" and "goo gone". What I did is sprayed the **** out of the adhesive with both. Wiped it. Did it again, then used a heat gun while the adhesive was a little wet. I used a rag to turn the adhesive into little pieces that fell to the ground once heated a bit.

The car looks soooooooooooo much cleaner now.

- Brian

 

i lost my moldings at the high pressure car wash, and now i got the adhesive marks and they are pissing me off, and it's too damn cold to work on them....

 

They'll regreat it in a year when they're doors are full of dents. Seriously, it's there for a reason. Having had many Mazda's in my family, I've learned they dent EXTREMELY easily. I'll take any protection I can get.

 

Please post some pics

 

I am a Paintless Dent Tech at a Mazda dealer. I see Proteges all day long with dents along the body line (through the door handle) and they still have the door mouldings on. That being said I have taken them off 3 employees p5's including mine and one of them got a dent in his door which would have been prevented if he had left them on. Oh well. Still looks better with them off.

 

All:

Regarding dents or no dents. I have owned many cars:

90 Geo Storm
93 Camaro
95 Eclipse GSX
97 Civic EX
99 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP
99 Integra GS-R Sedan
01 Integra Type-R

and now my P5...

I have also owned as our family car:

95 Golf
99 Integra TL
2000 MPV (still have)

At least in Illinois, the only thing that matters whether I had the sport cars or sport-compact turned sporty or plain old cars, it is the way I take care of them...

In otherwords, I watch where I park, do a walk around each time I enter/exit the car, etc.

No matter what, if someone hates you or the car, they will scratch it, kick it, dent it, etc. or a rock hits it, etc.

I have learned to enjoy the car for my enthusiast pleasure the best possible way to my satisfaction the way I want it. If it gets a dent, I get it repaired. To date, my Mazda and my ole' 01 R were the only cars without dents. Why? I learned my lesson in the past...

For crying out loud, let each person on this board appreciate the car for what it is and don't worry about another's, worry about your own, we live in America damn it and I am just ranting because I am sick and tired of all this 'friggin' opinionated bullshit. Hell, I've owned a car with over $40K spent into it, and a car with under $20K spent into it, treated both equally and though they are very different, they are both treated with class, respect, and style.

- Brian

P.S. A recent picture...(snow tires with stealies and hubcaps)

 

"So fresh and so clean!"

 

People always bring up this bit about its supposed to protect the doors. For those of you that believe this, do you actually believe that every car out there that might leave a ding in your door is gonna match up perfectly with the side molding?!

I mean please...I'd be surprised if 15% of the cars our there would hit your door in the molding. The best way to avoid door dings is to park way out in the back of the parking lot where no body else parks. Then it doesn't matter if you have the molding or not.

 

I hope you dont think like that all the time. Its better to be safe than sorry. Take condoms for instance, its not 100% safe, but its better than not wearing one at all.

Hey, I respect your opinion. I believe anyone has the right to do what they want to their car. I think it looks nice, but I wouldnt do it.

 

Haha...good point. I think the odds of getting someone pregnant without a condom are higher than the odds of getting a door ding without side molding....LOL.

 

LOL. And in this day and age, the odds of getting an STD are greater!

 

I like to protege's without it Thank god my MP3 didn't have them or I would have taken them off myself, but if you prefer them on than thats cool (p.s. no door digs yet and I have had mine 1yr and 8 mnths) just my 2 cents.