Plastic trim rubbing off paint

@mac1usa This is a great idea because most folks do not know of the issue until it gets bad enough to see. By this time they are out of warranty.

I just happened to be reading about on other topic and someone mentioned it. Then I searched for more information. It would be a service to have it more visible for the community.

I second the motion.

 

i went to the dealer yesterday to ask about a seal, since i've been reading a lot about this discrepancy. the one available now has the part number 35030. there was one is stock and for $4 and change, i bought it. i have a 2016 and although i don't see the seal like my 3rd gen had, it does have a substantial gap all around it so nothing is rubbing.

 

This the seal they were going to put in 2021 ORP yesterday. That is until the new garnish we looked at had burrs on each edge which were worse than my garnish from the factory. This seal is so small it tucks in a track if you will of the garnish. Honestly I don’t see how this provides much protection from rubbings


I am still absorbing they knicked the paint removing the garnish. They were honest and kind and apologetic and offere repaint hatch but gosh I am thinking of trying some touch up. I hate to repaint whole hatch with 1,000 miles. My garnish scratch had not rusted.

Can anyone on this forum get a sticky or better yet know of a Toyota contact that can try to help us? It sure would be nice to know of an official fix instead of everyone trying different things

 

the one i got at the dealer yesterday is 35030. perhaps the one i have is thicker than the one you have, unless toyota has 2 different seals.

 

Might depend on what model also. Is yours an ORP?

 

2016 sr5. that garnish is the same throughout without the smart key. i asked the parts guy and he said there is only one seal available.

 

Gotcha mine was for 21 ORP with a smart key.

I took a screen shot from eBay of yours ending in 030 but I would be hard pressed to say it looks thicker than the 020 but that’s just me looking at two photos

 

Look into Dr. Colorchip. Might be a good solution in your case. I’ve not used it but it gets good reviews. It’s like a paint chip fill-in DIY process. There are YouTube videos of it.

I agree- I wouldn’t want a full repaint. Too many pieces to remove and reinstall. Might not go back together like from the factory? Dunno.

 

@ColoradoTJ

Colorado TJ is there a way we could make this thread a sticky for all those impacted by this garnish issue? There sure are a lot of us and it could help a lot of people if someone identified a proper repair.

 

Thank you so much! Appreciate that Colorado TJ

 

Only 4500 miles and the clear coat on mine is starting to rub off.

 

I hope people will post more photos so people know what to look for and where. If I could get to the point where I am ready to change the tailgate speakers I would photo the whole process, whatever I do, but my 4R projects are all stalled temporarily.

 

New poster, I've dealt with this problem multiple times unfortunately. Had hatch repainted by dealer, replaced the gasket, added PPF underneath, spaced out the trim piece, I've done it all. I've probably taken off the garnish 6 times by now . A few comments/lessons learned: the OEM gasket when installed correctly (you can install it a few ways, its just a thin piece of rubber) doesn't stick out past the edge of the plastic trim piece, it essentially sits flush. It doesn't do much to protect the paint. I've installed it a few ways, the OEM way as mentioned doesn't offer much protection from rubbing. I've also shifted it a bit further up? Hard to explain, but the gasket has a small lip on it (sort of shaped like an L) and put it on in a way that basically wraps the plastic edge of the trim piece. This works, but since it is so thin and has notches cut out where it makes turns around the upper portion after a summer of heat/car washes/etc. it began to separate at the corners where it wraps around the curved top portion which annoyed me (OCD kicked in). In the end what I ended up doing was installing the gasket in the OEM manner (again, not much protection for plastic on paint) and a thin neoprene strip along the panels lines. Washers were used on the 2 outside bolts as well to space the trim piece out a bit to accommodate the added thickness of the neoprene "gasket". If anyone needs pictures of anything let me know. I took quite a few as the process was laughable after the 3rd or so time having to remove and attempt new fixes to a problem with a brand new vehicle.

 

This is great first post! Welcome and thanks for the advice. Do you have two gaskets then one in the inside track of garnish) and one on paint itself? Also May I ask what size washer you used? Is is stainless steel washer? I would love to see all the pics of the process. Thanks for your detailed post and welcome

 

@MGM-Runner

Thank you for sharing your experience. I would love to see your photos to better understand what you got to work. Did you cut your own neoprene? Neoprene absorbs water, I wonder if this can cause issues down the road. I wonder if an additional rubber gasket could be used.

 

@pullingin I think don’t quote me neoprene is waterproof. Sort of like neoprene fishing waders almost like a rubber material?

 

I can send some more photos after work. I forget what I used, it was essentially a rubber tape. I believe it's made by Scotch, rubber mastic tape used as a moisture seal/pad for electrical connections. Yes I cut my own, it comes in a roll. You can pretty much pick whatever you want, all you need is an adhesive side to stick to the vehicle, thin enough to cut/shape to the contours of the panel.

 

Yes I have the OEM gasket on the inside of the garnish and then the rubber tape on the paint itself so if the panel does rub its plastic on rubber not plastic on paint. I'll have to get you washer measurements when I get home. They were hard rubber washers not stainless. I don't think you'd want a metal washer in the bolt locations as then you'd have another issue with metal rubbing on the paint of the vehicle. I'll post some more pictures later this evening.

 

Here's what the rubber piece looks like around the trim. An easy way to apply it where you need it is to use a dry erase marker and tracer around the garnish when it is on the vehicle, apply the rubber where you want it after you take off the garnish, then reinstall the garnish.



Here's what the OEM rubber gasket looks like when its installed correctly. This is the part number 76819-35020 and 35030. I've ordered both, they both look the exact same to me so I'm not sure what the difference between the 2 is if there even is one.



Here's the OEM gasket installed viewed from the side. The paint usually gets scraped on the vehicle at the corner, and as you can see here the gasket does nothing to protect it in that area. Also note that there are 2 washers on the bolt shown, I ended up going with 1.



Here's the washers used. I added (1EA) washer to the 2 outside bolts on the left and right side of the garnish. The washer is 1/8" thick with a 5/8" hole, and its a hard rubber so it doesn't scratch the paint.



Here's a picture of another fix that may work for some people too. This is just spacing it out with the washers mentioned above at the 2 outside bolts and applying PPF film to the vehicle around the perimeter of the garnish. You can see that there is no longer any contact with the paint. Once bolted up there's very little play in the corners of the garnish when you push on the edges as well. It looks like its scraped at the edges but that's just the PPF edges, there's no scratches and nothing touching the paint as this was taken after the hatch was repainted.




Picture of where the PPF is applied.

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. Let me know if you guys have any questions/other ideas.

 

Here's the rubber I used.

 

Best post on this forum! Thank you!!!!

 

@MGM-Runner

Thank you so much for this detailed post and explanation. This is helpful just wish I saw this prior to Monday when I took mine to dealer.

Is the Scotch 2228 tape what you put on the paint itself along the perimeter of where the garnish goes. Sorry if this is dumb question. Did you just cut it to fit? If I am understanding correctly?

Thanks again I think you are going to help a lot of us out.

How long time and or mileage wise has this fix held up for you?

You’re helping a lot of us on this forum

 

Yeah I just cut the strip in half so it wasn’t 1” wide and was easier to contour around the curves. It’s applied directly to the paint along the perimeter of the garnish. In reality I think most people could solve the issue just by spacing out the sides like I mentioned with washers and applying ppf to the paint just in case. The rubber is just an added step.

regarding longevity, not sure I can be of much help. It seems like it’ll last a while. I just applied it a couple weeks ago and the car only has 10k miles on it. I have a work truck so I usually only drive the 4Runner on weekends.

 

That makes sense. It’s funny because now I see why I got the original pinch in that corner heck there nothing but plastic on paint in the corner.

My dealer put on clear door edge guard on the paint perimeter and then on those sides of garnish. I don’t think that will hold up like yours though is much better.

To me the extra seal you made seems logical but I am not handy or mechanically inclined

When you got the hatch repainted how did that come out? Anything we should be on the look out for in that regard. Can’t believe I may need a repaint at 1k miles.

 

Paint came out fine, no issues or noticeable differences in color. The car was pretty much new though, and MGM is probably easier to match than other shades I’d imagine. It was all under warranty. They were not aware of the issue being common but their painters and paint shop manager were. I walked the lot and 90% of the 4Runners had paint flaking at the corners of the trim piece or scratching/etching at minimum.

 

Thanks again! This is seriously some good information and photos.

 

I just had another thought (OCD) here about cars and finishes. I wonder if the seal that is used around the hood scoop of the ORP and Pros would be another good option around the rear garnish. I have no idea how it’s installed but it looks like it might be around the right size? Just thinking to myself.

 

That should be a permanent solution. 65 mil is 1.65mm so it has got some thickness to it. It is mostly protected from the weather and the material is designed for exterior use including weatherstripping. Probably every bit as good as OEM material. I imagine that it also could be applied to the plastic garnish instead of to the paint, but I'll have to take a look when I get mine apart. I think I'll buy some of the 2228. Just make sure water doesn't get trapped. I'll have to make arrangements for that, possibly ventilation holes at the bottom if there aren't any there already.

Scotch® Rubber Mastic Tape 2228 is a 65-mil thick, premium grade, highly conformable self-fusing rubber electrical insulating and sealing tape consisting of an ethylene propylene rubber (EPR) backing coated with an aggressive, temperature-stable mastic adhesive on a liner. Designed for electrical insulating and moisture sealing, intended for both indoor and weather exposed outdoor applications including resistance to UV exposure.

Ethylene propylene rubber (EPR) is a type of synthetic elastomer. EPR is used in electrical cable insulation, and in many flexible rubber goods such as hoses or weatherstripping.

 

Possibly, depends on how long it is. I replaced my hood scoop a few years back as well and the gasket is made up of 4 small pieces if I remember correctly. If you're talking about attaching it to the garnish itself the back side is oddly shaped, it has a small lip on it and is sloped. If you're talking about attaching it to the vehicle, will it work? Possibly. At the end of the day what are you doing? You're attaching a piece of rubber to the vehicle. Except now your attaching an expensive OEM piece of rubber that may not be long enough.

I don't think there's one correct answer how to fix the issue, until Toyota deems it necessary to create a solution. It's up to whoever decides to remove the garnish and fix the issue to a point where they feel is acceptable to their standards. The first step (and for some reason, the hardest for most folks) is to remove the garnish yourself and see what you can come up with. I'm not sure why everyone is so terrified to remove this piece, after you do it once it literally takes less than 5 minutes to do it again if you decide to go different routes. All you need is a trim removal tool and a 10mm.