Taking Rain Guards Off

[ImportracerAM]

Hi all,
Not sure if this is thread worthy but wanted to see if anyone has experience taking rain guards (not sure if the official name) off the windows/door trim. While they do serve a function, I dislike the way they look and ultimately don’t need them on my car. I gave them a light “jiggle” and they are definitely on there securely, not sure if 3M dual sided tape or what. I am a fan of brute force but not a fan of damaging the car.

Does anyone have a particular method for this procedure?

Thank you!

 

[arpypat]

Pretty sure it's just double-sided tape, but that stuff is pretty good nowadays! I'd suggest getting a blow dryer or heat gun to help loosen the adhesive while you pull on it.

 

[MadMage]

Heat gun and fishing wire. You might need a stand or second person to hold the heat gun. But then work the fishing line through to separate it from the car. Brute force or too much heat puts the paint at risk.

 

[flek]

I did this to my car recently. Hated the look and the rattling. Mine was secured with double sided tape AND metal brackets. See those dimples on them? I had to push those in / pop those rivets to separate the rainguard from the metal bracket that's looped into the rubber of the door sort of. Then you can remove the metal bracket carefully and afterward yank off the rain guards. And then buff out the marks left by the 3M tape. Yours may be secured on differently.

 

[casper]

Took mine off recently since one was loose. Used a hair dryer to warm up the adhesive and floss. Fishing line may work better, the floss kept breaking. Slow and steady.

Any leftover tape foam comes off surprisingly easy if you pull it off nearly parallel to the surface, kinda like removing a Command hook. (it should look kinda like taffy when you do it right).

 

[ImportracerAM]

That’s what I suspect too.

I did this to my car recently. Hated the look and the rattling. Mine was secured with double sided tape AND metal brackets. See those dimples on them? I had to push those in / pop those rivets to separate the rainguard from the metal bracket that's looped into the rubber of the door sort of. Then you can remove the metal bracket carefully and afterward yank off the rain guards. And then buff out the marks left by the 3M tape. Yours may be secured on differently.

This is what I am worried about (the extra mounting measures). I suspect it’s more than just double sided tape as it has those little rivets. I am assuming if you rip the rain guard off with sheer force that isn’t going to be a good thing with those potential mounting brackets.

 

[KensBlueGenX]

Those are the Honda Accessories ones. You have to pop the pins going into the brackets underneath them first. The work through the double-sided tape.

 

[ImportracerAM]

Those are the Honda Accessories ones. You have to pop the pins going into the brackets underneath them first. The work through the double-sided tape.

That is good to know. So I have to essentially pop these pins with some sort of (safe) pry tool first? Then free up the rest of the guard which should be just double sided tape. I assume there is no irreplaceable damage that could occur in this process?

 

[vtecr]

That little pin is attached to a metal bracket that locks it into the door channel. Remove those first and then just heat it up to soften the VHB tape. I like the look of these though. The cars look a bit weird without them.

 

[eob2000]

This is the fitting guide for them: https://www.coxmotorparts.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/08R04TGH000.pdf should give you a better idea of what you're looking at, the adhesive is VHB tape

 

[KensBlueGenX]

That is good to know. So I have to essentially pop these pins with some sort of (safe) pry tool first? Then free up the rest of the guard which should be just double sided tape. I assume there is no irreplaceable damage that could occur in this process?

Yes. Just use a nipper tool to gently pry the center portion up.

ISFA potential damage, hard to guess until they're off, however if you use a hair dryer (not a heat gun - too hot) to soften the tape adhesive it likely will all come off with no paint damage.