Roof Rack Paint ?

[Tgriff2227]

Hi all,

own an '02 Explorer XLT....was wandering if anyone here would help me out with a little problem.... the side bars of the roof rack have begun to peel due to mildew... my question is what kind of paint I should use if i were to do it my self...and what kind of preparation would need to be made before painting? OR if it would just be better to take it to the dealer or a body shop...TIA for help

 

[prerunner02]

if all you want to paint is the roof rack then i recommend, take it off the vehicle,sand the flaking paint areaswith no coarser then 320 grit, lightly scuff the plastic with 3m scuff pads(gray not red), clean with thinner, and paint with krylon fusion. it is designed to also adhere to plastic as well as metal.
But if you dont use it just take it off and lose some wind resistance.

 

[Timoteo]

My 02 has peeling racks also. I just took mine off, I haven't decided whether to strip and leave clear or repaint black. I think that surface prep is the key to getting the new paint to stick.
Ford issued a TSB on this, but I haven't read it yet. Anybody out there come across it yet and pass along the info?

 

[A1C_Snowman]

What about the side moundings behind the window's. Mine look like the clear coat is cracking up, and has come off in a few places. I'm going to take my rack off sometime this week and repaint it. Just got to find the time.

 

[asimp]

They look good when you paint it the color of the truck.....the key is in prepping the part for paint. But I took mine off...but several friends of mine have painted theirs to match their truck and it looks really good

 

[Timoteo]

Ford seems to still have a lot of trouble with paint, particularly trim. My vehicle paint is holding up ok, but the roof rack peeled and the "window" trim panels all have flaking clear coat. I've noticed most Explorer's here in CA have similar issues.

 

[grumpy]

I looked up those black plastic window trim panels on an online ford dealer site and they are over $50.00 each. There's 6 of them. Has anyone tried painting them?

 

[Douglas70]

I have the same issue in VA and see many others also dealing with this c/c peeling off

 

[prerunner02]

most people clean those with window cleaner when they are cleaning the windows, now you wouldnt clean your hood with windex, never wax it and expect the clear coat to last. treat those to some wax and the clear coat will last alot longer