I have a 2008 CX-9 with plastic pieces that were painted with a silver finish. This finish has started to become very scratched, and in fact comes off quite easily. The trim pieces appear to simply snap on/off. I was thinking of trying to pull them off, sanding them down and repainting them.

Can anyone offer any advice, or things to watch out for?

Thank you.

 

Finally got around to painting the silver pieces on the 4 door panels.
What a difference!

Here are some tips:

1) The front door strips pull off very easily, without the need to remove the door panels. So, you might just want to do just the front, and forget the rear doors.

2) To get the rear door strips off, you need to completely remove the rear door panels, and then unscrew the strips from the back of the panel. If you try to pry them off, you will break the tabs on the silver strips. Too bad Mazda couldn't have used the same method as the front. I found this out the hard way.

3) To do the rear: Pry off the triangular plastic corner, which is held on with two plastic inserts. Then start prying off the door panel, starting from the bottom. When it is all loose, you can lift it up, pulling it out of the window slot. Speakers disconnect easily. Watch how the cables for door handle and lock are attached. Re-install in reverser order.

4) Purchase some extra circular door panel clips from the dealer. Some will break when you pull the door panel off.

5) Sanding the strips was simple, using 220 grit paper. I used a silver paint I found at the automotive store, specifically made for bumpers. I figured it might stick better to the plastic. There are also paints made for plastic lawn furniture that should work well, too. Here is your chance to customize your CX-9 with any colour you want.

6) I also finished mine with a clear coat, made for wheels, hoping that a tough finish might help prevent a repeat of the chipping and scratching.

Good luck.

 

Hi, did you speak to your Mazda Dealer regarding these door trims as they are a known common concern on your vehicle and modified trims are available under warranty for the first 3 years and maybe even 'good will' for vehicles out of warranty.
Hope this helps!

 

Interesting. I did call the dealership for a price on replacements (well over $100 each), before embarking on the repainting exercise. They never mentioned anything about a warranty replacement. However, vehicle is out of warranty, and imported from USA into Canada. I never felt much love from the dealership, anyway.

 

Hi, yeah I understand what you mean. I find most dealerships these days won't inform you if there is an issue with what your concern is about, let alone tell you there is a warranty fix.
They are more than willing to take your money tho!..

 

One thing I have found over the years when your removing panels try to let the car sit in the sun and warm up if the climate allows the tabs handle removal better if they are warm. The colder car the more the tabs break.