It is not uncommon for the exterior auto trim on a car to become loose and hang down. When this happens the best strategy is to remove the trim before it falls off going down the road, clean the associated body panel and reattach the trim so that it is secure. This is a relatively easy process. The most time-intensive part of the job is scraping the old adhesive from the car and from the back side of the trim.
Lay the old trim on a flat surface face down. Lay a towel or tarp down first to protect the front side of the trim. Apply adhesive remover to the back side of the trim and scape off the old adhesive with a plastic putty knife. Continue applying the adhesive remover and scraping the trim until the old adhesive is completely gone.
Wipe the backside of the trim with denatured alcohol and a rag. This removes the last bits of adhesive residue.
Clean the old adhesive from the car where the trim was attached. Apply the adhesive remover to the car and scrape off the old adhesive with a plastic putty knife. Continue with the process until the old adhesive has been removed.
Wipe the surface with denatured alcohol and a rag to remove all adhesive residue from the car.
Apply the double-sided tape in the space where the trim fits. Start at one end and firmly press the tape in place with your fingers along the length of the car.
Peel the protective film off the front side of the double-sided tape. This exposes the sticky side of the tape.
Gently apply the auto trim to the tape. Start at one end and apply the trim across the length of the car. Once the trim is attached, go back over the trim with a clean rag. Firmly press the trim against the car using a back-and-forth motion.
