Trim looks like crap

[nhcowboy28]

How do you take off the door pieces? You just pull em off? No clips or double sided tape involved?

Thx in advance

 

[Ric 'Ochet]

How do you take off the door pieces? You just pull em off? No clips or double sided tape involved?

Thx in advance

 

[StingertimeNC]

Yes, just pull them off. They’re just squeezed in there. Start at the back of each door if I remember correctly. There’s a little piece of the trip that is folded around the rubber. Just kind of push the trim up and away from the door and you can sort of unhook it from the end. Then just pull being careful not to bend the trim.

 

[Sybaritic]

Yes, just pull them off. They’re just squeezed in there. Start at the back of each door if I remember correctly. There’s a little piece of the trip that is folded around the rubber. Just kind of push the trim up and away from the door and you can sort of unhook it from the end. Then just pull being careful not to bend the trim.

Ok cool, thanks very much for confirming.

 

[Diesel]

Just leased a brand NEW 2021 Kia Stinger GT-Line with the Sun and Sound Package a month ago. About 2 days ago I noticed the trim peeling on the right side of the hatch. The car is garage kept and is not in the sun for long periods of time. This should not be happening in a month honestly or even at all. People have been complaining about this since 2018. Kia should have fixed this problem by now. I have seen mixed reviews on what possible caused it but no for sure answers on why this has happened. If I replace the trim will this just happen again and again. If Kia wants to sell a Premium car at a high price why did they apply cheap parts that will consistently need to be replace which they pay for under warranty? It makes me wonder what else did they go cheap on? Also the dealerships detail crew screwed up and lifted the wipers up without raising the hood first and chipped the paint on the hood inside lip all the way down to the metal. If they repaint the hood with the exact same color(HI Chroma Red) will it match the rest of the car? I read some people saying that they had to have some spots repainted with that color and it didn't match the rest of their car. Really concern and honestly this has been a miserable experience with my new Stinger. I have owned 2 other KIA Optima's(2013 & 2019) and did not have an issue with them at all. I upgrade to a new 2021 Stinger and the trim looks like crap in a month. Someone please help me understand what is going on. Thanks, I look forward to everyone's input on the issue.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Just leased a brand NEW 2021 Kia Stinger GT-Line with the Sun and Sound Package a month ago. About 2 days ago I noticed the trim peeling on the right side of the hatch. The car is garage kept and is not in the sun for long periods of time. This should not be happening in a month honestly or even at all. People have been complaining about this since 2018. Kia should have fixed this problem by now. I have seen mixed reviews on what possible caused it but no for sure answers on why this has happened. If I replace the trim will this just happen again and again. If Kia wants to sell a Premium car at a high price why did they apply cheap parts that will consistently need to be replace which they pay for under warranty? It makes me wonder what else did they go cheap on? Also the dealerships detail crew screwed up and lifted the wipers up without raising the hood first and chipped the paint on the hood inside lip all the way down to the metal. If they repaint the hood with the exact same color(HI Chroma Red) will it match the rest of the car? I read some people saying that they had to have some spots repainted with that color and it didn't match the rest of their car. Really concern and honestly this has been a miserable experience with my new Stinger. I have owned 2 other KIA Optima's(2013 & 2019) and did not have an issue with them at all. I upgrade to a new 2021 Stinger and the trim looks like crap in a month. Someone please help me understand what is going on. Thanks, I look forward to everyone's input on the issue.

Yours looks more like a clear coat failure; that isn't weathering that's for sure. There is likely an easy fix for it, even if it involves replacement. Those who have had theirs replaced have not come back here and said it happened again; at least that I have seen. As for the hood chipped by the wiper arms: "It is so hard to find good help these days." And: "Morons. I have morons on my team." Not much consolation in that, huh. But of all the places to suffer paint chipping, the rear edge of the hood is the least objectionable: first of all, any touchup won't show except to you only because you know it's there; and second it is easy to touchup: a solid layer of paint in that chip will be easy to apply and won't contrast much if at all with the wider surface of the hood. Happy driving!

 

[Nasscar]

They will replace the trim under warranty so that should be ok. Can’t understand why some Stingers are having this problem while others aren’t. The same assembly line they’re on. Mine is 2 years old and still look new. Go figure. The bonnet damage could be repaired maybe without respraying the whole bonnet. Like Merlin said, it is hard to get good help nowadays. Kia should have designed the wipers to be idiot proof. Good luck with your repairs.

 

[Diesel]

Yours looks more like a clear coat failure; that isn't weathering that's for sure. There is likely an easy fix for it, even if it involves replacement. Those who have had theirs replaced have not come back here and said it happened again; at least that I have seen. As for the hood chipped by the wiper arms: "It is so hard to find good help these days." And: "Morons. I have morons on my team." Not much consolation in that, huh. But of all the places to suffer paint chipping, the rear edge of the hood is the least objectionable: first of all, any touchup won't show except to you only because you know it's there; and second it is easy to touchup: a solid layer of paint in that chip will be easy to apply and won't contrast much if at all with the wider surface of the hood. Happy driving!

I bring the car in on Tuesday. They are going to fix the chip, wiper covers and replace the trim. That makes me feel good that people have not come back after their trim was replaced to it happening to them again. I am still confused why this happened to the trim after having the car for a month? If it was a clear coat issue what could have caused the clear coat to come off like that?

 

[ChaneRZ]

I was wondering if there’s a carbon fiber trim for this…

 

[MerlintheMad]

If it was a clear coat issue what could have caused the clear coat to come off like that?

If we knew the answer to that we'd likely have a fix Kia wants to know. Clear coat on a surface that got contaminated in that batch? I'm just glad that quality in a Kia is almost all really good; so when an issue does crop up, the solution nearly always works.

 

[Random386]

I was wondering if there’s a carbon fiber trim for this…

Aftermarket it's possible. Wouldn't be too hard either for someone to make a mold and diy it if you have the resources.

 

[Keanu]

I had to go to two different dealers but the trim around the windows and the roof rails are being replaced under warranty.

 

[heyheyal]

Had mine in yesterday and notified the dealer. Said they have to find out if it’s covered under warranty. Said sometimes things like this are only 12k or 1 year. Nope I’ll be calling Kia if that’s the case. My rear most chrome pieces I can actually take my nail and scratch the “coating” right off. 2019 with 11600 miles. Also asked about the brakes and they said they need to find the “replacement” brake pads. Took in Thursday for 12k service, said I would receive a call end of day about the trim piece and brakes. Needless to say it’s now Saturday and no call.

 

[Keanu]

Had mine in yesterday and notified the dealer. Said they have to find out if it’s covered under warranty. Said sometimes things like this are only 12k or 1 year. Nope I’ll be calling Kia if that’s the case. My rear most chrome pieces I can actually take my nail and scratch the “coating” right off. 2019 with 11600 miles. Also asked about the brakes and they said they need to find the “replacement” brake pads. Took in Thursday for 12k service, said I would receive a call end of day about the trim piece and brakes. Needless to say it’s now Saturday and no call.

I feel you, I brought it up to my dealer at my 10k and 15k oil changes and were told both times neither were covered under warranty. For that and other reasons I went to a dealer 40 mins away and was told, 'this is a very common issue, we'll have this replaced under warranty".

In hindsight I should have pushed the first dealer more.

 

[MerlintheMad]

I've coasted over this whole thread again. The suggestions about wrapping the window trim pieces are not good advice. A local wrap shop refused to do mine, because the edges of the wrap won't satisfactorily be unexposed, and, "in six months the wrap will start to look worse than your problem now". They suggested replacement or painting.

I simply went over all six pieces, rather quickly as I am not a patient sort, and blended in the worst of the materializing spots and hazing (oddly, at the rear end of each window piece was the only place where the discoloration was starting). Once I got the worst of the discoloration blended to the whole piece, on each piece, I went over them with Meg's cleaner wax (I have the paste): I've done this three times now in the last few weeks, and I have to say that probably there isn't going to be a big enough issue with this to require replacement or painting: a layer of cleaner wax and polishing it up looks pretty dang good.

Warranty is only going to be for 36 months max, as this is the same kind of thing as paint.

 

[Rob M]

Maintaining Stainless Steel

Many believe that stainless steel is fully rust-proof, so it does not corrode easily. Stainless steel is an alloy that includes chromium and other elements, which provide some resistance against corrosion.

www.azom.com

 

[StingertimeNC]

Wrapping the door pieces is fine as the wrap goes all the way around leaving no edges exposed to the elements. You have to wrap with the pieces when they’re off of the car. It’s a pain but mine looks great. That being said, gloss black spray paint looks almost as good as the wrap and was so much easier. The trim around the trunk glass would be tough to wrap well. Spray paint for sure.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Wrapping the door pieces is fine as the wrap goes all the way around leaving no edges exposed to the elements. You have to wrap with the pieces when they’re off of the car. It’s a pain but mine looks great. That being said, gloss black spray paint looks almost as good as the wrap and was so much easier. The trim around the trunk glass would be tough to wrap well. Spray paint for sure.

Ah, you are saying to wrap around the rubber side strips, and over the plastic ends: apparently that is not how a "pro" would do it, at least according to the guys I talked to. I don't know enough about wrapping to say who is right on this one. But I'd trust what I was told and go for spraying them, if my preservation methods fail me.

 

[StingertimeNC]

No, just pull off the trim pieces, wrap them, then push them back in. you are only wrapping the door pieces, not the roof rails or the side rails around the trunk. the door trim pieces are just pushed into the rubber and come right out easily. you are just wrapping the aluminum. squeezing them back in between the rubber then fully encloses the wrapped edges.

 

[MerlintheMad]

No, just pull off the trim pieces, wrap them, then push them back in. you are only wrapping the door pieces, not the roof rails or the side rails around the trunk. the door trim pieces are just pushed into the rubber and come right out easily. you are just wrapping the aluminum. squeezing them back in between the rubber then fully encloses the wrapped edges.

Ah, my mistaken assumption was that (as with the drip rails) the chrome pieces had rubberized edges too. Wrapping is back on the table as an option. The guys I talked to just didn't want to do the job. Well, fine then.