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My tailgate trim was falling apart last year. It took two annual visits to get it right.
I fixed the four plastic stand-offs with a combo of the repair kit from FCP Grotn and JB Weld. (Last year).
I also used JB Weld to reinforce the ABS plastic in several areas:
- Some of the cicular holes for the trim clips had broken off at the bottom. Apply a layer of JB in the small recess and once dry, drill through it into tailgate from bottom edge, use sheetmetal screw to secure.
- Many people have drilled through the gate trim carpet into the tailgate as the PO's mechanic had. I reinforced these holes w/ JB on the inside of the trim panel, as some had begun to crack. Paint screw heads with carpet-matching model enamel.
- A horizontal crack had formed from the third brake light whiplashing every time the door was slammed. This is from the clips NOT holding, combined with the extra screws HOLDING.
This year, while trying to figure out while my rear wiper was occasionally slow, I had to take the trim out again, and learned two new lessons.
The horizontal crack had re-opened, because those damned clips had not seated completely right in the metal slots, and eventually let the upper edge "whiplash" again.
(This trim was originally designed simply to cover the wiper bushing, not to carry the mass of the brake light and trim.)
To repair, I used fiberglass cloth and resin, cutting small strips of glass that fit in between the stiffener ribs in the ABS. I also reinforced areas that had not cracked with strips of glass. (Rough up the ABS with sandpaper and crosshatch with a razor knife).
OK - here's the BIG TIP:
(I highly recommend having an assistant for the installation process).
DONT try to slide the trim panel back on with the clips already in the trim! Re-installing in this way with the aftermarket clips gave me a pretty lame result - at least one of the four crucial clips would spin and seat badly, or miss the metal seat altogether.
Instead, take the clips out of the trim and put them securely in the tailgate. If you are using the aftermarket clips especially, you will notice they are flimsy little pieces of crap.
Now they're not going to turn or miss the slots!
When you observe how much force is required to get them in the seats, it will be no mystery why they are so hard to install the other way (use silicone on the metal if needed to avoid deforming the plastic).
Lift the trim panel up into place, align the holes with your fingertips onto the spades from the clips. Check alignment and push or gently hit with the heel of your hand, forcing the oval holes onto the spades.
Best installation I ever achieved! The trim is tight and even at the base of the glass, and ALL FOUR of the clips are straight and seated!
Notes:
1. Repairing the trim IS a lot of work, but why spend over $200 on the same POS that will similarly break in short order?
2. If your stand-offs are severely broken, the repair kit alone may not fix them - prepare to use some 'glass or JB to re-fab them. My tailgate was already repaired by PO's mechanic.
3. Try to maintain a relatively constant thickness of material where the oval hole is, similar to the original ABS. Thick globs will keep the spade from seating right.
4. The thin metal sheet from the kit alone may not generate any "holding friction" with the clip spades where they go through the oval hole.
5. The spades will invariably turn or fall out of such an oval, or the sheet metal will rip out - it is that thin! -aftermarket- (Try Volvo part, perhaps.)
6. Mind where you drill and screw with the stand-off repair screws that they dont interfere with the spades from the trim clips.
7. Maybe this is obvious to more savvy Brick owners, but I couldn't figure it out the first year, even after reading the FAQ. I figured: "The clip slides out of the tailgate, it must slide in, right?"
8. Take the time to make this part better than original, cuz original aint that great.
Link to FAQ tailgate trim:
http://www.brickboard.com/FAQ/700-900/InteriorTrimandPanels.htm#745945WagonTrimPanelRemovalandAccess
Hope this helps, thanks to ALL the BBers. God bless! -Bob
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