How to renew rubber roof rail trim

B

Beelzebot

New member
I have a 2005 Civic, and the rooftop rubber strips have faded.
Over the years, the factory coating has worn away from weather and direct sunlight.
One method I`ve used to renew is to sand them, clean, and then wipe on a light coat of boiled linseed oil.
Can anyone think of a better way to make them look fresh again?
Diagram shows location highlighted in yellow.
roof moulding.jpg
 
Clean, when dry apply Solution Finish, then their topper clear. Good for a year or two. Option 2 is Valugard ETR,(valugard.net), there are a couple of TSB`s by such as Hyundai who used it on several thousand new vehicles under warranty. A video showing application is on the site. Hyundai`s outside certified test lab showed the ETR coated parts lasted up to 5 years. Was also applied by Mazda to 4,000 B2000 pickup`s, and warrantied by Mazda.

 
Did you price out new trim pieces? I had bought new ones for my and my girlfriend`s Mazda 3s when I installed the roof racks and they weren`t terribly expensive.
 
But how well does it work on rubber? On my car, the majority of the strip is rubber, with two small metal clips at each end to attach them to the roof. I`ve been sanding and reapplying the linseed oil for a few years, so there`s nothing left of the original surface coating.
 
I`ve been having trouble on the Honda parts sites finding that specific part. If it`s anything like the door window sill trim pieces, which were around $35, these new ones should be much more.
 
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