Trim Painting

[JeffH]

I did exactly what n55luvr did;
"Funny you ask as I was just planning on using vinyl to cover the center strip. We have same color combo. My entire side moldings are pretty banged up but I was able to get them looking reasonable with OEM trim / bumper paint - UCA31 or pn 00258UCA3121 (btw our black code is 202 or 002580020221).

Anyway, couple days back, I pulled out my 3M sample kit and found that Matte Dark Gray was a very close fit. It's a tiny bit darker than the existing center trim strip but it matched nicely to the larger trim pieces."

I used the same color vinyl on my center sections after sanding lightly with 400 grit paper, it's been on a year or so and looks great. I bought a roll of the stuff from Montroy and had it shipped to my door. Can't remember how much it was but it was less than $50 and I have enough to do it again once or twice if I need to. My vehicle is River Rock Grey and it matches very well.

 

[Zando504]

View attachment 1163505View attachment 1163506View attachment 1163507

Mine were gettin rough so i popped em off and had em painted professionally. Popped back in with new clips and new 2 sided tape. Looks much betterView attachment 1163508

Looks Great! Did you have them painted to match the bumpers or silver to match the body. Cant really tell from the pics

 

[DuckLN]

Good question. On mine the bumpers are a little darker paint than the rest of the body. Furthermore there is not a paint code that I could find for the bumpers so I had a guy at AutoZone paint use a camera tool to scan the bumper and we painted the moldings that color. I like it.

 

[Lexus Land Cruiser]

Directed to this thread by JeffH.

I see mostly posts referencing LC trim, not LX. I have an LX with the moulding in rough shape, peeling clear coat, etc.

As you're probably aware, the LX moulding is larger, extending to the bottom of the doors, and wraps around to the tailgate. I was considering repainting or vinyl cover like JeffH had done, but the more I'm thinking about it, the more I'm thinking spray on Rust-Oleum bed liner would be preferred. Due to it's durability, minor prep and ease of application, I think it's a winner. HOWEVER... that's a lot of panel to spray in bed liner. Furthermore, I think it'd look ridiculous without treating the front and rear bumpers the same. They'll eventually be upgraded to BIOR/Dissent or the like, but the cash isn't there right now, so I'm stuck with the OEMs for a while.

Posted below are a few pics of my rig so you get an idea of the panels and it's color. Don't hate on the wheels. The pic was taken the day I bought from PO. Replacements are 2014 Tundra alloys that will be repainted satin/matte black with KO2s.

Thoughts, experience, tips or suggestions welcome!

 

[JeffH]

Yeah I forgot how big the trim is on the LX vs LC. Although the only part that looked bad on my LC was the middle "bumper" section that takes the brunt of a door opening against it. So it is very quick and easy to cover that with vinyl being only about an inch wide. Attached photo shows how the slight contrast looks on the River Rock Grey and M211 3M. Vehicle was dirty so take that into account.

 

[Lexus Land Cruiser]

Looks real good, JeffH.

I was at Lowes picking up supplies for my wheel and badge paint projects and scoped out the Rust-Oleum Bed Liner spray. Nearly pulled the trigger, but waiting for some feedback from those who've done bed liner on their side moulding trim, preferably on the LX. Anyone?

 

[bucfl]

I used it on my LC for speaker covers and trim. I also used it on my old Xterra and has lasted 6 yrs+, i sold it to a family member and it has some scuffs and needs touch up. But you cant tell if you dont look for it.

 

[Lexus Land Cruiser]

Thanks for the experience report, bucfl. Was this for the Rust-Oleum Bed Liner? What are your thoughts of using it for the entire side moulding/trim as pictured on the LX? Thoughts on treating bumpers the same? My fear is that it'd look tacky as opposed to subtle on the smaller trim of the LC.

 

[bucfl]

Yes it was the Rust-Oleum Bed Liner. I think it would look a bit tacky being it so wide. All i did on mine was the center trim that gets discolored not the entire width. Its hard to see in your pics what the problem areas are. It all looks okay to me...

Here is a pic of the xterra, not great but you can see a the color difference. The grey is the steel bumper, all the rest was done with the spray can. Trim too.

 

[Lexus Land Cruiser]

My apologies. It's difficult to picture the extent of the damage, but it's mostly just the clear coat peeling from the OEM paint.

The LX differs quite substantially from the LC where it concerns the side trim. Instead of the inlay that most here have had issue with, the LX has a thinner bit of chrome/aluminum looking stuff that hasn't caused issue as it appears to not be painted, but actual metal. The problem areas on the LX are the bits surrounding it, above and below, specifically where it meets with the rest of the vehicle.

Your opinion is appreciated with regards to the aesthetic of bed liner on such a wide piece of trim. Looks very good on your rig, however

 

[Lexus Land Cruiser]

Better yet, this has been done to an LC. Where you see black is the extent of the side moulding on the LX... Thoughts?

Removal of Side Moulding: Has anyone?

 

[Lexus Land Cruiser]

And this from 1LoudLX...

I really like what he did there, though he does have aftermarket front and rear bumpers. It may behoove me to wait until I get lower profile front and rears before attempting this as it looks far better with the aftermarket jobs.

 

[bucfl]

Try a can of clear coat first before doing anything drastic. If it's just some of your clear coat you could probably use some 800-1000 grit sandpaper and try on a small spot.

 

[Lexus Land Cruiser]

Try a can of clear coat first before doing anything drastic. If it's just some of your clear coat you could probably use some 800-1000 grit sandpaper and try on a small spot.

I was thinking of doing this before anything more drastic. If the sanding could only affect the clearcoat and not the underlying OEM pain, I'd be all for it. Truth be told, I have zero experience with refinishing automobile paint. I gather from your recommendation that the 800-1000 grit would be minimally invasive and possible to achieve good results without hosing it up?

 

[bucfl]

That might be a little too rough for clear coat. I would search youtube for some ideas...dont want to ruin your clear coat on my advice.

 

[Lexus Land Cruiser]

The clear is already pretty shot, hence my want to fix it. It's flaking off like fish scales where the trim meets the body. If I hose it up, there's always the bed liner contingency

 

[CharlieS]

Maybe get a free quote from a body shop. Guys who do this kind of work every day may have tricks/ideas?

 

[abuck99]

And this from 1LoudLX...

I really like what he did there, though he does have aftermarket front and rear bumpers. It may behoove me to wait until I get lower profile front and rears before attempting this as it looks far better with the aftermarket jobs.

I've seen some vinyl wraps that look really good on full body wraps and lower rocker applications similar to this rig. Color options and finishes (matte-gloss) are vast, durability very good ( better than dip) and removable if you wanted. Bedliner on lower rocker is functional-but IMO not very nice looking.

 

[n55luvr]

Bought the 3M vinyl a while back for the trim, this thread motivated me to finally apply it. Turned out decent. Way better than before.

 

[Lexus Land Cruiser]

Better pics to give y'all an idea of the issue I'm having with my LX...

As you can see, it's not the center trim. The larger metallic insert bit most with an LC have issue with is actually smaller and in great shape on my LX. The LXs insert is thinner, but entire moulding much larger. Essentially just the clear coat flaking on my moulding. Redoing the clear is probably my best bet if I can figure out how to accomplish refinishing without screwing up the underlying paint. Per bucfl suggests, I'll probably need to research further on YouTube.