I have a 00' S2000 and the trim piece around the shifter is scuffed up. I would like to remove it and either have it repainted or remove the paint altogether. I saw a pic of another S2K with the paint scratched off and it looked great.

Does anyone know how to remove the trim piece without breaking it?

How do you remove the existing finish?
Can someone also recommend a paint remover that won't tarnish the material underneath?

It looks like I can probably just scratch it off with a plastic brush or real fine sandpaper.

And is this a common problem and what have other owners done to fix this or make it look better?

Thanks.

 

I just did this last weekend to put my VAFC in the middle console, basically you can pull the whole console out, just pull at it for a second and it will come right off, take off the shift knob (it just unscrews) then when you get it off there will be a bunch of little connections on it and two little tabs, you can push the tabs in with a flat head screwdriver and push the leather from the shifter thru the little holes you will see what im talking about when you get it up, i think there are two little welds on the back of the piece where the plastic is molded you will have to break those to get that piece out but you will not be able to tell from the top and it doesnt make anymore noise than normal. hope this helps

Jeremiah

 

i have an MY01 and did this rather soon after getting it since i had a few clear scratches from someone's watch...

to polish it, you can just do it w/ the console in the car or if you'd like to remove it to work, you can use Rick's instructions for adding a console cover... it shows detailed instructions on how to pull the console apart.

once you've chosen where you want to do it, i used some rubbing alcohol and a kitchen sponge to get rid of the paint. beneath the paint is a nice chrome like finish. it took me about 45 minutes from start to finish (removing the console, polishing/removing the paint while watching TV, replacing the console).

 

This looks really good with an OEM Ti knob as the brake button, shift knob and trim match well. Most use rubbing alcohol to remove the paint, which is time consuming but safe to do in place. I removed the trim and successfully used Model paint thinner (Testor's). This was much quicker.

One tip. It's okay to break the plastic welds on back because there are numerous screws to secure the trim after re-installation. But be carefull pulling the trim piece away from the console piece. I broke a few of the many little pins that hold the shift boot edge in place.