I'm in the process of replacing the top on my MY00, and this black trim has always bugged me about the appearance. Short of replacing it, and recommendations on products to clean it up? The trim on the doors at the window looks like this as well. It is the black trim right at the leading edge of where the top folds down into.

Thanks!

 

Being as you have the top out you should replace it now, I don't think it can be reconditioned to the point that will make you happy.

 

Honestly, I can't tell because the picture just doesn't do enough for me.

But as the previous member said you should replace it while the top is out, as you have to remove the soft top drains to pull it forward and out. Which can only be done with the top out.

Anyway, the picture makes it look like impurities in the rubber. Use a hair dryer to slightly warm the moulding, then use a foam applicator pad(one that's used for cutting/polishing) and apply a a trim restorer. The heat and the moisture from the trim restorer, mixed with the pourous foam applicator, makes it so the minerals almost get "scraped" out of the pours of the moulding. don't just apply the trim restorer, scrub the rubber with hardly any pressure. do a 10inch section at a time, 20-30 strokes of light pressurr should pull pretty much all the deposits out of the surface pours.

Once its clean, shin-etsu it

 

 

thanks for the replies, I appreciate them. This car was my father-in-law's daily driver for the past 18 years until a stroke last spring. It has never seen the inside of a garage until now, so there are plenty of items on the to-do list.

While I'm at it, anyone know where these two pieces belong? I'm pretty sure they are part of that assembly as well, because I can see the long piece across the back. These were just floating in the trunk, under the deck trim. Pliers for scale:



Thanks!

 

Appears to be a couple spare wiper blade inserts. Looks like something may be residing in the bulkhead.

 

Hey

those pieces go under the edge of the black trim, it is a tiny lip that locks i to the top rear edge of the rain channel. They aren't super important, I don't have a picture, but if your rain channel is out, you can find place they sit around here on the underside of the rear deck moulding