My 2016 G550 roof rail molding is peeling paint. Anybody has experience replacing them? I've searched and found no information regarding them.

 

I have heard about this problem but I haven’t seen it. If my 2016 G starts having the same problem I would take the car to a reputable body shop and have them paint the gutter guards. I don’t think it would cost that much.

 

My 2016 G63 roof molding is also peeling - any solutions ??? I’d love to just replace it but I can’t find any “ how to” videos

 

Are they black and peeling or body color?

 

Black - I learned from a dealer that MB does not sell trim touch up paint - any ideas ?

 

If you're good with DIY, I have used Rustoleum Satin black with good results on an old 911. However, this molding is readily available and probably not to hard or expensive to just replace it

 

Thanks - it can be replaced -700$ or so for the drip molding then labor so…. I will try your idea - thanks again

 

I recently purchased a 2018 G550 and the drip rails were also chipping/corroded, especially along the back. Looks like they were replaced when it was only a year-ish old according to the service history, and I just replaced them again. Dealership quoted $1,485 for parts ($760) and labor to do it.

 

That's a known and very common issue on these. The factory finish fails. The parts are expensive and it's a recurring problem. You might look into aftermarket options or a different finish next time to try and break the cycle.

 

I’ve replaced several sections of other body molding on the truck - very easy but the drip molding around the roof looks a little fiddy- anyone have experience replacing this stuff? 760$ for parts - I really don’t want to mess it up

 

I found this when I was looking at doing it myself: Gutter Trim - G-Wagen Owners Association

The 3 clips do come off fairly easily by just prying down the bottom edge and then rotating the clip up once that's free. I actually was able to remove the two rear sections easily when I was looking at having them refinished before I just opted to have the dealership deal with the whole thing.

 

I have a 2016 G63 and have this issue. The gutter had been wrapped by the previous owner to cover it, but the wrap was failing and so I removed it. The car is Obsidian Black Metallic but the rail is flat black. I plan to do this myself, as there are a few other rust spots on the body and I'm saving my $$ to pay a professional to deal with those where the paint will need to be matched (a little bit around the windshield and at the rear hatch hinge) I plan to do the repair in place on the vehicle by taping it off, sanding, and then painting. Since it is just aesthetic, removing the rail is just going to be a PITA and will add the complexity of drilling, possible bending of clamps etc. As long as I control my over spray I see this as a low risk repair, especially when the Mercedes repair is not really a fix at all. Would love to hear if anyone else has done this, or thoughts on if you see removing it from the car first a necessity.

 

Anyone actually get the trim off themselves? Looking for tips. Stuck on the vertical molding at the windshield. Keep seeing people talking about rivets?

 

I took it to the shop - trim was 700$ I didn’t want to &:;$;$ it up

 

Haven't pulled mine yet. There are no visible rivets as someone mentioned.

 

It was actually quite easy in the end. The vertical part that meets at the top of the windshield is just glued on. Ran a heat gun up and down the vertical parts where it’s obvious the glue is on the inside of the door jam and the windshield facing. Start at the top and start pulling outward.
Made my own trim tool out of some plastic generic trim tools. Pry upwards to remove the trim pieces.
To put the new piece on it has to be crimped.
i’m sure there’s a special tool for this, but I accomplished it with my pinch pliers, some tape around one side and a plastic block to put against the face of the molding.
Work slowly from one side to the other. I made two passes out of it.
[img alt="The glue is just on the pinch weld, and at the front where the molding meets the face of the windshield. I believe it’s there so air does not get under it on the highway. I used 3M window adhesive (get it at O’Reillys) to put this back together. Be sparing with it and put it on The molding first then install.
There was also a little bit of glue where the long drip rail molding meets the top of this piece. You’ll notice it when you uninstall."]https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbworld.org-vbulletin/2000x1504/img_0970_6e1f46837e8772b893e6a1aaa4f1c7245a1efdde. jpeg[/img]
The glue is just on the pinch weld, and at the front where the molding meets the face of the windshield. I believe it’s there so air does not get under it on the highway. I used 3M window adhesive (get it at O’Reillys) to put this back together. Be sparing with it and put it on The molding first then install. There was also a little bit of glue where the long drip rail molding meets the top of this piece. You’ll notice it when you uninstall.

Using a heat gun on the outside of the molding worked for breaking the molding free from the glue. You’ll hear a physical pop when it happens.
[img alt="This was a plastic trim tool that I cut the end off of and put a notch in. Essentially you need something that looks like a big bottle opener.
There are three small little molding caps that go on the three intersections near the back. I use this to remove those as well."]https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbworld.org-vbulletin/2000x1504/img_0975_7c5d6d1b2016dc9e7c870ed0b63b5e4cecb12d86. jpeg[/img]
This was a plastic trim tool that I cut the end off of and put a notch in. Essentially you need something that looks like a big bottle opener. There are three small little molding caps that go on the three intersections near the back. I use this to remove those as well.

Pull up like a bottle cap. Start on one end and work slowly making two passes. This will ensure the old one comes off easily without scratching anything.

You’ll notice the inside of the molding has a little flap that is meant to be squeezed onto the drip rail. I accomplished this with some pinch pliers and this plastic block. I started at one side and pinched it snug but not tight. Worked my way all the way down crimping every inch and a half or so. Worked my way back with a little bit tighter crimp closer together. When you’re done the rail should be firm and not jiggle or move around.

I wrapped tape around the side of the pliers that was coming close to the paint. This helps with more protection.

As you can see there’s no dings in the new molding. The plastic works good to distribute the load. One of the plastic molding tools probably would’ve worked fine for this. I used a plastic vise insert.



QUOTE=95_993;9227825]Haven't pulled mine yet. There are no visible rivets as someone mentioned.[/QUOTE]

 

Great step by step...much appreciated. Did you reuse the vertical pieces or did they need replacing after prying off?

 

Seems like maybe some of my pictures aren’t coming through. Here’s a shot of the inside edge where I used the plastic tool to get started.

It is reusable, start at the top and work your way down. Use the heat gun to heat up where you see the glue. Use a plastic pry tool to wiggle the plastic. You can hear an audible pop when the glue separates from the plastic. prying here on the inside edge where the metal is folded worked for me. The folded metal is strong enough to withstand the plastic pry tool.

 

Excellent pics and very helpful. Appreciate you posting this. Had checked across 3 forums and no one ever noted they were "glued" on.

 

It’s possible they weren’t glued on from the factory. This is a 2014 model so they may have been off before. if they were off before it would’ve been done by the dealer, so it leads me to believe either it’s Factory or the dealership knows to do that after they take them off the first time. Either way I’m following suit. In the write up I said use window sealant to put them back on. I believe that this is actually a two-part epoxy. 3M make two-part epoxy for automotive molding. It seems like it’s almost just like JB weld. There was no luck removing the glue from the vehicle surface, the piece I broke off took paint with it. All I did was use a razor blade to shave it down some.