Joe Diver

While my experience is not the norm, I felt I should post it and possibly save someone else the time and trouble:

I decided to remove the BSM's...easy mod, no real cost. I used fishing line, a little oil, and they came off no problem. Then some time (2 hours) with my fingers and some 3M Adhesive Remover, and all the goo was gone. Well, everything looked beautiful, like nothing was ever there, except for the drivers side door. Nice little imprint, very noticeable, and oh so slight color variation. Okay...I rub, buff, polish...nope. Still there. Looks like my drivers door had some paint work done to it at some point, and they didn't remove the BSM before painting. Great. I took it to a few body shops, and even to a bud that's in the car business who has a "guy" who does this stuff...all way more expensive than I wanted for this mod. Time to put the BSM's back on and I'll have to live with it. So, I go to the local paint/body supply and buy a $25 roll of 3M adhesive, asking if I need anything else. No. Okay, go home and since I've never done this before, I read the directions...amazing? Seems I need 3M Adhesive Promoter for the BSM's...something about surface tension adhesion on modern plastics. (I read this on the 3M website) So off I go to find this...$30 for a box of individual packets...I now have way more than I'll ever need...It took me 3 hours of patient cleaning to get the back side of the BSM's clean of the old adhesive...then I applied the promoter, and then the new adhesive...being very careful to make it straight on the top and bottom, just below the lip, and trimmed nicely at the tips. Really good job I must say for a newb like m'self. I cleaned the old area on the car with isopropyl alcohol, per the directions, (still amazing) and carefully put the BSM's back on. You can't tell they were ever removed and I feel pretty confident that I did as good (or better maybe) a job as a body shop would have done. All in all, I spent $60 and about 8 hours of pretty tedious work, with sore fingers and a couple of blisters.

Lesson: If there is any way possible for you to know if your car has had paint work where the BSM's are, you may wish to reconsider this mod. I chose not to have it blended out because of the costs involved, as I have other things I want to do first, and the BSM's don't bother me "that" much.

BTW - as a reward for my efforts, I went for a little cruise. Since the weather is nice, I rolled down the windows...the drivers side anyway...the passenger side decided quite suddenly to not work. It just "clicks" and dims the lights a little....<sigh>, just when you think you're done...

Patches

I really feel for you 'cause I have been there so many times. You set about to do something you really want to do and, despite all your herculean efforts to do a first class job, you end up having to back out due to an unforseeable fly-in-the-oitment. It happens to all of us.

Sounds like you did a great job reinstalling them though so there is that satifaction of a job well done.

Best of luck with the window.

mutts2

Sorry to hear about this headache for you.....but just look at all the "quality time" you got to spend with your car.

Congrats on putting the BSM back to original.

IMXCITD

Wow...I feel for you! That sounds way to painful!!

MyOwn69

That's about the way my chores go - and it's usually about plumbing!!!!
They know me so well at the hardware store that after I've made my first stop for supplies in the morning they kindly remind me that they'll be there til 7 for me!!!

c3&c5 vets

not saying this would happen to yours, since it may have been painted, but i've read that after a while, the color variation disappears.

JACKAL0PE

Remind me to tell you about the EIGHT HOURS I spent chaning the battery!

I feel your pain!

DAVS Y2K

I bet your one of only a "very few" who can now say they have removed their BSM's to clean under them.

pewter99

I don't even wanna know

JACKAL0PE

I'll just say I invented a whole new set of words for GM side-terminal batteries. I ran out of regular ones.

DeeGee

I'm glad I like the BSMs! Good effort anyway.

HalfMoon

Hey, look at it this way, at least you can say you know for sure how clean your paint under your BSMs is.

IrishMac

Thanks for the info. That's why I am afraid to remove the BSM's from my '98, since I am not the original owner. Personally, I like them but we have been down that road way too many times.

Lex Luthor

I think the BSM look sharp anyways. My '98 didn't have them when I bought it. I would not have removed them even if it did come with the BSM's. It looks nice either way. Sorry about your mission though. I had the same deal when I installed my cove lights. I blew out both lights, get this, 4 TIMES after they were already installed and working. It took 3 weeks to figure out wtf I was doing wrong and 8 returned bulbs. Luckily discount auto parts didn't hassle me (but they always gave me a strange look though). I have other similar stories but I'm sure you've all heard them or been through them yourselves.

Yello95

Sory you had so much trouble with the BSM...I am glad I did not get BSM on my '04....

Joe Diver

Thanks for all the replies... I feel the love....I gave it a shot....

Lex...that is one wicked interior! No tellin what would happen if I tried that!

Shylor

Wow, that's a shame. But I wouldn't have removed BSM's from a car I didn't purchase new. It's also best to do it on a new car so you don't have paint fading. I used the 3M double sided tape on new emblems and didn't use any prep stuff. Been almost a year and they are still on.

markcz

The motor may just be 'stuck' due to infrequent use. Open the door, hold down the 'window down' button, then slam the door while still on the button, it just might start working.

Good luck

B-STOCK

Should have left them off the unaffected side.

sebringsilver97coupe

couldnt have happened to a nicer guy. hahahaha. just kidding. maybe someday people here will hear about the clicking noise from the engine.........

my mods usually go ok, although i have had a few go beserk in the past on other cars...