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Hi friends,
I did a few searches and didn't find anyone discussing this (though I'm not sure what the precise name is of this part is). I was testing my new power washer this weekend as we had some unseasonably nice weather here in the Chi and I noticed some build up of crap and leaves in the spots at the corners of the trunk, nearest to the rear window. Pics below.
I'm surprised it took me a few months to notice this as I'm a bit fanatical about this crap and what it can lead to.
The trim appears to be in place with some double sided tape, so I will be removing mine this spring along with checking / fishing all door drains, etc. Has anyone done this? Also, it appears to be a functional drain - does anyone know the exit point? I'd like to make sure it isn't clogged in the least.
Pics were taken after I removed the larger of the leaves / crap, but you can still see some dirt buildup.
Well I did this this weekend and lo and behold, a rust breeding nightmare.
I'm going to dremel the stock plastic into a part to just cover the tail light housing/opening. Stock, this is a bad design. I'd prefer just the painted metal as a "chute" with a less blocked drain near the bumper. Using a sealant on the metal, this won't be a problem.
If anyone is interested, I'll post the mod. What a bonehead design.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who hates the build up of dirt, grime, and excess water. It's just another item to deal with when detailing, but it gets pretty annoying. But by removing the plastic trim, I wonder if it has any effect on detailing after water and gunk used to build up in that area.
Thanks for posting the pics, I've noticed debris building up under mine as well. Just to confirm: It's just double-sided tape holding the piece on?
Double sided tape, two clips, and 2-3 "latches" for lack of a better word. watch closely when you're bending it or it will break. I already found a few spots of surface rust on mine. Thankfully I caught it (hell, it's a 7 year old car).
With these off, the water flow is just so much better. I also prefer the look - it reminds me of the 70s look.
I will be dremeling the plastic in the next two weeks (once I get a dremel and practice a bit lol), will post pics when I've completed it.
Double sided tape, two clips, and 2-3 "latches" for lack of a better word. watch closely when you're bending it or it will break. I already found a few spots of surface rust on mine. Thankfully I caught it (hell, it's a 7 year old car).
With these off, the water flow is just so much better. I also prefer the look - it reminds me of the 70s look.
I will be dremeling the plastic in the next two weeks (once I get a dremel and practice a bit lol), will post pics when I've completed it.
can i ask what you were planning to do with the dremel and plastic?
can i ask what you were planning to do with the dremel and plastic?
Certainly. Wish I had a better pic for ya but I'm doing this via my phone and this is the best I've got.
There's two pieces of black plastic, top and bottom. Top one - bye bye. Bottom is a reverse "P" shape with the bottom part covering a hole that leads to the tail light. This is circled in the pic.
I'm going to dremel this part so it fits only in the circle below. It'll still have two plastic bolts and a top "latch" to hold it in. It's almost like it was designed for this mod (as it's built to cover the hole, in any case). I'm definitely doing it, it's just plastic. I'll probably seal it with grey silicone too, just to be safe. Adding and removing this stuff takes minutes.
I hate built up dirt/leaves. If I didn't do this I'd always think of it. The pic is after a cleaning but before I removed the double sided tape.
I noticed the same when I first washed my car, some pine needles were sticking out between the top and bottom trim.
I just removed the top piece and trimmed the tabs off of the bottom piece, then just sealed the top gap with Toyota FIPG.
Here's the dremel piece I used for a solid cut and here's the result. Ain't any prettier, but I'm happy. If you go this route, go slowly and you'll achieve better results than I.
12-29-14, 07:34 AM
Rear Trunk Trim / Drain / Crap Collector
