Removing rear fascia?

[dirsynced]

I'm trying to remove our HL's rear fascia thats on a 2010 SE to get it painted to match the color of the vehicle, but as I was in the middle of getting it removed I noticted that there are two locking plastic snap clips on each side. The only way I see to remove these is by cutting them off is there an alternative method of getting them off so I can get the rear fascia painted where the tow hook is supposed to be?

thanks all!

[summerwind]

You can use needle nose pliers to work the clip out if you are removing the fascia from the rear bumper. The attached page shows the clip but if you do cut the tabs as described in step b you can't reinstall the fascia correctly.

Just compress the clip and work it out.

Rear Fascia

[dirsynced]

Originally Posted by summerwind

You can use needle nose pliers to work the clip out if you are removing the fascia from the rear bumper. The attached page shows the clip but if you do cut the tabs as described in step b you can't reinstall the fascia correctly.

Just compress the clip and work it out.

Rear Fascia

Great thanks for the information! I called around today and found a
reputable shop that would take it off for me and prep/paint it for $100 bucks. Three coats of paint and a clear.

B4


After:

[bobert1634]

Looks good. I used to have a Van that was painted silver and then a clear-coat over it. I had to take it in for a touch-up job and was WARNED ahead of time that silver was very difficult to match up. I had to sign off on the possibility that there might be a slight difference in shade. Yours looks nice.

[summerwind]

Nice clean look. I de-badged my lift gate as well (just left the 4WD on though)

Sounds like they did the job right.

I had the tow hitch fascia painted to match on 08 (see sig pic) and have not had any problems with chipping or cracking.

[Dman1]

Originally Posted by bobert1634

Looks good. I used to have a Van that was painted silver and then a clear-coat over it. I had to take it in for a touch-up job and was WARNED ahead of time that silver was very difficult to match up. I had to sign off on the possibility that there might be a slight difference in shade. Yours looks nice.

I hear you on the color matching. I had a 2005 Camry and I still have my 2005 Corolla, both silver. Both are Toyota's built in the same year, and both were slightly different in color. You would never know it otherwise, even when they were beside each other in the garage, it was hard to tell. You needed to have decent lighting to see it. Their color names were different, but it was still surprising that they were not the same color.

[dixon422]

Looks nice. Hopefully (probably), they added a flex agent to the primer and base coats so it won't crack over time.

Yes, metallic colors are tougher to match. Getting the same concentration of metal "shimmer" in each mix is almost just by luck, even for the manufacturer doing a repair.

[dirsynced]

Originally Posted by dixon422

Looks nice. Hopefully (probably), they added a flex agent to the primer and base coats so it won't crack over time.

Yes, metallic colors are tougher to match. Getting the same concentration of metal "shimmer" in each mix is almost just by luck, even for the manufacturer doing a repair.

Thanks for the comments all.

You know I honestly didn't ask i'll have to give them a ring tomorrow and find out. I know they sanded it down so everything is totally smoth and sprayed it I think the guy said three times.

They do also offer a lifetime warranty on the work as long as I own the car from any paint defects, so hopefully it will stand up.

[TrailDust]

Originally Posted by dixon422

Yes, metallic colors are tougher to match. Getting the same concentration of metal "shimmer" in each mix is almost just by luck, even for the manufacturer doing a repair.

That area of the vehicle, though, picks up the most road grime and dirt so if the paint does not match it'll be mostly unnoticeable. Thank goodness it's not a driver's door or something.