Hello. Thought I'd write a guide for changing the plastic door trims, as I couldn't find one. The Haynes manual lists this as a book-into-vauxhall-job, but it's easy.
Do any of your door trims look like this?
Then you need to hot-foot it to vauxhall and get a new trim. I wrote this guide whilst changing my offside rear door trim, I guess the others are the same.
The trim is bonded to the door across the top and bottom lengths by self-adhesive foam strips, and a press fit plastic jiggy at the front and back. See the photo of the new strip near the bottom for reference!
First, you need some crude decorating tools like this:
Use the big flat one first to cut the bottom adhesive:
I started at the front with the front corner jabbed in and kind of jimmied it upwards until it cut through the width of the tool. Then move it back one width and repeat, until you've cut the entire bottom length free. Try not to get it at too much of an angle or you'll scratch the paint, but it generally stands up to it. Just keep the tool off the visible surface (you can always patch up the bit under the trim if you get too aggressive!)
Once the bottom is free, cut the top one off:
Same goes, keep the tool off the visible body work but don't go in at such an angle that digs the tip into the paint underneath the strip. Take your time to feel what's going on, you will understand when you start doing it.
Now check both top and bottom are free by alternately lifting the top then bottom away from the door, swivelling the strip on it's plastic mounts.
Now, the trim is mounted on plastic bungs that press-clip into a hole at each end of the door. The trim slides off these bungs rearwards, so the easiest thing I found to do is pull the center of the strip away from the door so that the frontward end slides rearwards out of it's clip. Ease it back and fore a few times and it will go, I promise!
Now, You can push the strip rearwards and it will come off the back one too:
Then your left with the crappy adhesive gunk and two plastic bung-like clips:
Now, dig the clippy tabs in with a screw driver and remove the plastic bungs, and set about getting that old adhesive off! (This took me ages. I found a bit of thick perspex and my finger nails worked well without scratching the paint. Also, I nicked some degreasing adhesive remover off the RAC man that was changing my windscreen at the time, but meths work just as well)
Now it's all clean, get the new strip out of the bag. Yes, 45 bucks is alot for a bit of plastic and chromed metal!
Here you can see the kind of clip they use
Give the surface a good wipe over with some meths, then peel the plastic off the new strip and jam it on there.
The plastic clip-ma-jigs line it up for you and the adehesive seemed to just suck on to the door.
Job's a good 'un!
Now you can open your door all the way!
