200q20v Digest, Vol 95, Issue 34

[George Sidman]

I just went through this drill to replace all the window trim on my '91 
Avant. All the upper trim is NLA.  I was able to get both front and rear 
lower door trims and the right side rear quarter window bottom trim 
through Sunset Audi in Portland. This stuff is not cheap. Those five 
pieces cost about $550, and that is with the great pricing Sunset gives 
out of state buyers. The left rear quarter trim is NLA.

The replacement is very straight forward. The door trim simply lifts 
straight up, you swap around the various parts and press it back in place.

For the part I could not get I removed the trim (it snaps off clips, 
some of which will be rusted out) and cleaned out all the trash caught 
inside. I de-rusted the clips with Ospho and painted them. I cut the 
rubber off the chrome strip and clipped it back on. Now the fun part.

You don't want to use silicon for this job. It is dimensionally too 
unstable. I used a 3M Marine Sealant 4000UV, available from West Marine 
or on line. It withstands any conditions, hot or cold, above or below 
the water line, bonds to glass and everything else; cures piles, hives, 
painter's itch, floating rib, cauliflower ear, keeps the baby warm in 
cold weather, cleans lace curtains and polishes white shoes; guaranteed 
to not rust, bust, explode or corrode.

Sorry.......   but this is great stuff.

Anyway, using the new trim from the opposite side, you make a pattern 
trowel that matches the profile out of a piece of rigid plastic, like a 
bondo paddle. Then you run a double tape line along the glass that 
matches the top of the rubber trim and you also double tape the outer 
edge of the chrome trim below. Paper off everything below and at the 
ends; if you get this stuff on the paint you'll be sorry.  Now for the 
gutsy part.

Lay a full bead along the top of the trim and run your pattern trowel 
down it and if you are quick and don't dawddle around you will get a 
beautiful straight black imitation of the opposite side.  Oh yeah, you 
will need two trowels, because the 3 inch section at the front needs a 
different profile. Move fast and don't try to redo it because you think 
it will look better; this stuff skins quickly, but cures in 24 hours. 
Pull the tape after about two hours.

I think the 3M solution look better and is far more waterproof than the 
OEM, and if I had it to do over I would have done both sides with 3M. 
Color-wise it is a perfect match for the OEM trim and it looks like it 
was meant to be.