Okay, stupid enough item, but it bothers me nonetheless. On almost every '97 Expedition I look at, the black exterior window trim under the side windows is hopelessly faded. Does anyone know of a product to bring these pieces "back to black?" If not, does anyone happen to know the part numbers and/or cost of these parts from Ford and the steps necessary to replace them?

 

I remember a lengthy discussion about this topic on another forum a while back. People were really miffed at the looks of these trim pieces and offered several solutions ranging from replacement (pretty expensive) to thoroughly cleaning and rubbing in some sort of pure silicon to painting with flexible trim paint to replacing with Navigator parts."

Personally, I just live with the ugliness, although mine aren't too bad yet.

 

https://www.ford-trucks.com/dcforum/DCForumID66/4.html

 

Thanks for posting the link! The F150 site has temporarily disabled the search feature... Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of paint or treatment I can use on these faded window trims.

 

Here is a trick I stumbled onto a while back. I have tried every substance known to man to make these things look better and just could not find anything to work.

One day while working out of the back of the Expy I had a little on my hand from another project and noticed it looked pretty good on the rear wiper where I accidently touched it. I put two and two together and it worked great. Good Luck!

You have all seen those ugly grey powder coated pieces of crap F**D calls plastic under the windows. You can put any number of substances on them and they just get shinier but still look like crap!

Try this instead. Go to the hardware store and get a tube of genuine GE clear silicone sealer, not silicone II, just the plain stuff. Take a soapy rag and clean the daylights out of them.

Wait until dry and take a little bit of the clear silicone on the end of your finger and rub it as far as it will go. Really work it into the surface. When it will not go anymore then take a damp rag and wipe all the excess off.

Repeat this process until you have the whole thing done. When finished you will not believe the difference it will make. Those puppys will look show room new. I did mine about 3 months ago and they still look great.

Good Luck!

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That's something new. I had mine replaced by the dealer and so far they're looking great. The original ones were shot in less than 6 months. The new ones are going about 3 months and look like new! But for those that are out of warranty this sounds interesting!!!

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THe silicone worked for me, thanks. Just a few hints, don't do in direct light. To remove excess use a sheet or pillow cover, t-shirts don't work to well as the cotton and lint get caught up in the silicone.

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Take a look at the mouldings on the Lincoln Navigator. I put a set on my Expy and it looks sweet... I'd give you the part numbers but I'm sure they are not the same as the one's that would fit on yours.... Mine is a 2001

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tried the sealant as well. It can look good but its a real pain trying to get it all off (in fact I'm still trying to get it all off.)I did this on one side.

I did have better success with a can of spray silicone and a toothbrush. At first it seems like the molding will just keep sucking up the spray, but eventually it starts to darken up.

I did it a week ago and so far it looks good.

I tried some of the tire black spray on the side with the sealant. It gave it a good shine, but leaves a residue.

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Has anyone thought about a trip to a body shop to have them shot with a paint color of your choice with the "flex" additive ike they use on bumpers?
You could paint them up to the point of the hard crease where it turns up about a 1/2" to meet the window.
Just a thought.
Based upon this happening to everyone else, that will probably be the route I go with when the ones on my 01 X go, and the dealership won't replace them anymore.
Greg

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Maybe you could get some Duplicolor black paint and paint it yourself. I have used Castrol tire shine. It works excellent and dries to a shiny finish.

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have tried many things and have had the trim replaced 3 time by the dealer (we are really close due to all the issues that I have had with the truck).

Any way, I finally found a great product that really does the trick (and you can use it on other areas as well). Mother's make a great produt (I am sorry, I do not remember the exact name). However, it is shine gel. You can apply it to anything except paint and chrome. It works great! The best thing is that when used on the tires, if it rains or something, they still look great.

Only one downside. The do collect dust. BIG time. However, if you keep a rag in the truck, you can wipe them down and you are fine.

Have to look for the Mother Gel. I will check when I get home and see if I can get the exact name. Even comes with the applicator for the tires.

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Hope this helps

 

Anyone know how to remove these trim pieces? They'd be easier to work on off the truck. Also, what exactly are they made of? I have a friend who can powder coat stuff and I've thought about baking a black coat finish on the suckers if they have a metal layer in them that could be sanded to...

 

I found a good product for this by Mothers, it is called "Back to Black" you can pick it up at a parts store for around $6.00
Just apply either in the garage, or COOL shade. it works great for my 97 Exp, You just have to re-apply it about once a month.
It also works well on the running boards, bumper blacks, and any thing else black and plastic that you can find.