Trying to remove the small (black) plastic piece that makes up the lower door sill. The piece is about 24" long and appears to snap on.
Is this just a simple pull/pry removal, or will I end up breaking the thing? I'd like to give it a quick spray of satin black paint, and thought it would be easier with the piece OFF the car.
The pieces are about $23 a piece. The clips are about $0.60 a piece.
The sill has a c-channel on the bottom. The clips slide onto the C-channel from either end. Then the piece is snapped into place.
So, one option is to see if you can slide it in either direction (towards the front or towards the rear) to get a start. Otherwise, when I removed mine to replace them with new ones, it took quite a bit of force to lift them up. More than likely you will snap something, hopefully just a clip.
I believe #7 is the right clip. I assumed you were talking about removing #6:
The point of getting it slide is to get at least one clip off so that you can more easily release it.
It's possible to crack the C-channel on the sill but it's more likely the top of the clip will give first and they're relatively cheap to replace.
You could try to work a long, thin standard screwdriver under one end and pry up right at the clip. Three clips on each side according to RealOEM.com (six total). Part #51-47-8-399-492
I have the best results (have removed several and never broken so much as a single clip) by grabbing the piece about 3-4 inches in from each end, and sharply pulling it straight up. I do not recommend lifting one end before the other, lift both ends (somewhat) evenly and with authority.
I've done this recently, cleaning up some stereo installation damage...
I may simply try to mask off the surrounding area, and lightly spray the piece satin black. It is only about 20" long..and several wide. May be the best way to go (for me).
Best,
Scotty
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