There is a black film of some sort that has been applied around the four side window frames on my S80. When I bought the car, the dealer told me it was a 3M product. That film, whatever it is, is now starting to wrinkle and warp and doesn't look that great anymore. It looks easy to apply/replace if I could figure out what that film is and where I can get it. Any one out there know what I am talking about and have any suggestions? Many thanks.

 

It is a factory applied decal. Not sure how hard it is to redo but you can buy it here. Let us know if you change it how hard it was. I know many people ask about it.

http://www.trademotion.com/partlocat...layCatalogid=0

 

I am master certified in collision repair, the high price of these decals, and if someone is not familar with how to apply them, can turn into a major regret, my advice is this, take a hair dryer and move the dryer back and forth close to the decal, dont hold it long in one area, keep pulling the decal off the frame, then find a paint friendly adhesive remover, 3m has one that I use, after the decal is gone, and the adhesive removed, mask off the frame area you want to color, use a light scuff pad to scuff the area, preclean and use a black satin spray can to color the area, light coats are best applyed while useing the hair dryer to speed up the paint cureing time, take your time and I think you will be pleased with the results, also you can buy a good bottle of wine with with the money you saved by not getting hosed by buying the decals. best regards, beefheart

 

Thanks for link for the decals, but what is on there now is not the stock decals. One of the original decals was in bad shape when I got the car and I watched one of the lot prep guys apply this unknown 3M material that looked great about 3 years ago but has weathered badly in the last 12 months...looks a lot like UV damage.

I may give the paint option a try. Sounds time consuming, but I am thinking the results may last a little longer and may look better than the original decal.

 

Took me forever to find this thread. I have the exact same problem. I had the decals replaced once under the 50k warranty. 15k miles later, they look worse than when I had them replaced.

Beefheart - Any specific paint recommended for the pain option? I am leaning that direction as a do it myself option. I am a former coatings contractor and have good paint skills. It seems the weather strip removal and the masking will be the hardest part.

 

ask the paint/parts place for a spray can of 'black satin trim", I have used wurth brand with great results, just take your time and dont get in a hurry, try to do the job in a shop or garage, use lots of paper and masking tape, I think you will be happy with the results, good luck, beefheart

 

I'm going to use a high temp paint as it gets in the triple didgets here. Stove Brite web site has a great color selection. Any one know a resonably priced sorce for the cracked rubber strips at the base of the side windows? I have a 2000 s80