Thank you for reading the PRINCE blog. This time we would like to show you a door molding replacement — both left and right sides — on the S2000 of our customer K.
A car worth keeping for life, refreshed a little at a time
K owns a number of different cars, but this S2000 is the one he intends to keep for good. It is being refreshed step by step, and this time we took care of the door moldings on the left and right.
The part you can’t see is often the one that has rusted
Built into the door molding is the “glass guide” — the rail that keeps the window glass running straight. It sits hidden inside the door and is never visible in everyday use, so hardly anyone gives it a thought.
Once it comes off, though, cars with a few years behind them are very often badly corroded here. On this one the rust had progressed far enough to lift the surface of the metal.
Left alone, the rust spreads to the door itself
What makes this worrying is that the rust does not stop at the glass guide. It works its way steadily into the door panel it sits against, and by the time you notice, the job has grown to include panel work and paint — and a far bigger bill.
Moldings are consumable parts, and they cost far less than bodywork. Replacing them before the rust spreads is the cheapest route in the long run.
Fitted with new parts
The new part is on the left, the one we removed on the right. Side by side, the difference in condition speaks for itself.
We take off the door trim and work from inside the door. The molding and glass guide are swapped for new parts, then reassembled while we check that the window glass travels smoothly.
Here it is after the replacement. With new moldings in place, the door line is tighter and the whole area looks much cleaner.
If you notice any of these, talk to us early
- The molding around the window has faded to a whitish colour
- The ends of the molding are curling up or lifting away
- The window glass moves stiffly, or makes an odd noise going up and down
If even one of these sounds familiar, we recommend having the inside of the door checked. It is not just the S2000 — the same symptoms are common on any sports car with some years behind it.
In closing
At PRINCE we take on refresh work for the S2000 and other sports cars. The places you assume are “probably still fine” are exactly the ones worth attending to early — it works out cheaper, and it keeps the car on the road for longer. If anything is on your mind, please feel free to get in touch.
Takumi