Well I finally decided to uninstall the body side mouldings from Little Fatty (as my wife calls the Prius). I had them installed by the dealer when I got the car, but after getting dinged within a month of getting the car I had been wanting to remove them. The mouldings look fine, not bad at all, but I have to admit I like the look of the car even better without. Just in case anyone else decides to remove them, here's how I did it: First, I washed the car and liberally sprayed some quick detailer on and all around the first moulding I was removing. That prevents the adhesive from sticking to anything else it might come into contact with, like fingers, and helps loosen it up a bit. All the mouldings have one end that's tapered. I started prying the moulding from that end because the least amount of adhesive would be at that point. My car (and I assume everyone else's) came with some kind of strap similar in weave and material to a seatbelt strap, but not as wide (can't remember what it's for, something to do with the spare tire?). I slid part of that strap under the tapered end and gently but very firmly pulled on it. The mouldings are stuck on very well, but once that initial bit of adhesive came away from the car, it was really easy to just pull on it and get the moulding to come completely off. I then took a hose and sprayed and gently rubbed away any loose grit or dirt that was around where the moulding used to be. Once it was mostly clean, I clayed the area to completely remove any leftover dirt and/or adhesive. Then I did the same to all the other mouldings. I was afraid the adhesive might have damaged the paint, or that dirt that got under the moulding might have scratched up the paint around that area, or that the paint might even look a different colour under the moulding after being covered for almost a year. Luckily it was all fine. You can't even tell the car used to have mouldings. Anyone else change their mind about the mouldings after they had them installed?
It can be a little dangerous to just pull them outward because the paint can come off. Another method is to use fishing line to saw the tape behind the moldings. Then you can either roll the remaining tape off with your fingers or you can get a special wheel for your elect screwdriver that buffs the tape off (avail at autobody supply stores).
Interesting. I don't intend to remove mine, but the aftermarket product installed by a body shop came with a vial of something that goes on where the tape will land. I was understanding that it was something that made the tape adhere better, and might even rough up the paint. P.S. The strap is to hold down your regular tire in the cargo area if you have to use the compact spare. The regular tire won't fit where the spare was.
did you use an adhesive remover to remove residual adhesive ? The fishing line works the best b/c it is stronger than dental floss
