Hi all I'm new here and wondering if anybody has a tip or trick to repairing 1997 SC2 window post trim ?
I gather it is a common problem but so far have not found anything online about how to correct it .
It kinda looks like it might be wrap material and I'm thinking some of the carbon fiber style wrap would look great (if it will work) as a replacement.
I have not actually done a full inspection of it myself yet other than noticing it has gone to hell looking like it has holes melted in it which is a real drag considering the rest of the car is a flawless 40k mile garage queen

 

Your queen's window post trim actually is metal underneath what I believe to be a hard composite material.
I know it is metal underneath because the top of one of mine has been slowly rusting for about 180K now. I've waxed 2x's year and wash now and then and they have retained their shine and structure.

As for repair -- I am as far from a body guy as there is, but it'd prob be easier to start with a physically intact one from the junkyard and paint it to match than to try to patch holes in the orig

 

Derf, looking at your signature, I see you've been traveling in some heavy Traffic.

 

Thanks for the reply Derf but considering how quickly my window trim decomposed after the Queen was dethroned from her garage reign. I suspect finding a cherry replacement in a salvage yard would be highly unlikely and even if I could find a set they too would rapidly fry in the Calif. sun.
So I'm still hoping for an alternative fix

 

Ah... I was wondering what accelerated their demise......

Try Washington State. Isn't it always raining there?

 

Yep...pretty much does!

 

the sun is my guess even though it it was fine back in Dec. when I bought the car it only took a few months of no longer being garaged to end up looking like it had been in the sun since day 1, I dread think how bad it's going to end up looking once the Summer Sun actually kicks in !

 

Must be a combo of heavy UV breaking down a chemically damaged clear coat (heavy acid rain?).
Those things are pre-made -- I have black gold metallic on the rest of my car (original stock paint) and they are simple black, Hey were not painted with the car and I severely doubt they have the same composition or amount of anything on them as the rest of the car's painted surface.

It's worth a try with donor ones -- maybe from another part of the country,,,,,,,if the donors look decent after being out in the elements 24/7 for years, it might just work out.

I have found the more toy mess with them, the faster that clear coat comes off--same w the mirrors. So I just lightly wax, lightly buff, and move on.
Yours may just have been defective out of the factory.

I'll try to dig for some when next I hit a yard, if yer interested. Also, keep an eye out for part outs. I'm THINKING 97-99 Sx2s will match, but you need to look it up on one of the parts sites.

As for getting it off, I'm willing to bet the inner trim panel, wine removed, exposes a few locking slots or screws that hold it in place, as the window seal is seemingly attached to it and therefore it must be held rigidly in place. Just a guess. I'll investigate next time I chase a rattle in my doors. Once in a while I miss a seating latch and they go rattle like hell at the bottom (the inner trim)

 

I got some high gloss black carbon fiber wrap material and used it to renew the surface of the window trim, it looks great and made for a cheap and Ez fix! Now I wanna get some more so I can do the Mirrors and door handles as well so that the window trims don't look like orphans lol

Thanks Guys for trying to help
Hopefully this thread will provide a viable fix for the next guy with similar problems