aaronc7

Removed the BSMs / door side moldings today my 2003 Z06. The removal itself went fine...followed some tips I read on here and used fishing line, heat gun and some 3M adhesive remover.

Did the driver side without any issues and was happy with the results. Time consuming for sure... but not too hard.

Kept on chugging along and did the passenger side. After I started removing most of the gunk it become obvious that something as amiss. It looks like that door had been previous repainted or something and there was a noticeable indent where the BSM was. Color is a good match... just not level.

Paint on one of the molding got cracked so I won't be putting them back on. Going to look into how I can make this look decent at least.

Any ideas or tips? I can get a close up shot tomorrow if needed.

Driver side



Passenger side

Kmcoldcars

You can try a gentle wet sand and buff but it is a longshot. I think at the least the whole door would need a wetsand and be clear coated.

Vetteman Jack

Man, that sucks. Hope you can get it fixed without having to do a repaint.

Oh 2 Fun

OUch!! Yes, take it to a good paint guy that can sand/buff it out or put 'em back.

sfc rick

Don't you just hate cheap body shops trying to save a few bucks? You most likely will need to have it wet sanded and cleared.

olbear1962

good luck with the repairs

CINNEMAN

Its hard to tell how deep the line is but if you have some experience with the process and take your time, and have the high speed machine you could give it a shot yourself, by wet sanding with 2k grit and using 3M Rubbing Compound #05973, it will remove 1200 and finer scratches, and finish it off with 3M Perfect-it Ultrafine machine polish #06068. i've used these for years on all colors with exceptional results. Each is about 35$ a bottle but its great stuff.

Lee DeRaud

Worst case, you bugger it up and it needs the door resprayed, which is pretty much where you are now.

usgecko

I had exactly the same experience. Luckily for me it was the first BSM I pulled off. Your picture looks identical to mine. If it is there's no chance of wet sanding it out. I ended up getting 3M double sided tape and sticking the damn thing back on because I reallydidn't want to fool with a respray.

old stingray

This is the only reason that keeps me from removing mine,I fear mine has had a repaint on one of the doors.IMO the C5 looks way better without them.

dcandel

Same here, except I do think a C5 looks better without them (my opinion).

3boystoys

If it was masked around your only options are:

1) Repaint door.
2) Put BSM's back on (not an option for you unless you repaint the BSM you cracked)
3) Live with it.

You'll never buff out what you have since the old original paint was BELOW the BSM, the new paint is on top, you'll always have an indentation and the new paint will start to fail where the 2 meet. Bite the bullet and paint the door.

aaronc7

Thanks guy. Looks like I will just live with it for the short term. Will talk to some paint shops and go from there.

3boystoys

You might luck out and find someone with red BSM's and you can tape them back on.

jer1807

I have a set of torch red BSM that I removed from my 99'. I removed them last year and would have to take a look at them but I think they are in very good condition. If you are close perhaps we could meet and you could take a look at them. I am mid-state Illinois.
Jerry

zdeckich

Man that sucks, i took off mine and seen the same thing. my paint guy told me its the adhesive that etch's the clear coat.

andrec10

Looks like after the repaint, the paint was not fully cured/dried before they out the BSM's back on.

Corvette_Ed

Your paint guy fed you a line of bull. Automotive-grade exterior adhesives are specifically designed NOT to harm the factory paint.

zdeckich

idk about that, he paints and restores show cars for a living and been doing it for 30+ years. ill take his word over yours. I can see how it can affect paint when it has been on for 10+ years

Chris Edwards

That doesn't look too bad. Wet sand with 2000 grit, then wipe clean. Then wet sand with 3000 grit, wipe clean. Keep the water/ dish soap solution CLEAN. Your clearcoat will turn slightly hazy, then polish with Meguiar's Polishing compound. You do not want to use a rubbing compound... too abrasive.

http://www.detailing.com/store/megui...und-16-oz.html

Use a microfiber towel for all polishing. You will need to do this 2-3 times before the haze is gone and it looks like a mirror finish.

I would try that process before doing anything crazy like re-clearing the door or anything like that.

Can't tell you how many times the above process has been used on my C5Z and other cars to remove scratches and rub marks. For deep scratches that have penetrated the paint and gone down to the fiberglass, you can use AC Delco touch-up paint and do the above wet sand/ polish process on the touch-up paint (once it has cured a couple days) to blend it in with the OE paint and you can get some surprisingly good results...

FWIW, I decided to leave my BSM's on and they have really grown on me.