does anyone know how to remove the grey side trim plastic strips on the side of a volvo 850? if it matters the car is a 97. i would like to remove them to repaint them as they are beginning to look very weathered.

thanks

Klaus has the right idea. Remove the torx screw inside the plastic cap on the rear edge of the door. Cut the double sided tape at the front edge if it's not allready split from age. The strip is held in place with some plastic pins that fit into keyhole (old style keys) type slots. Forget which way you need to move the strip but you need to slide it either forward or backwards to line up the pins with the wide end of the slot in order to remove the strip. Good luck!!!

Sorry, I forgot the door strips slide forward. Must have gotten brain freeze this winter.

Klaus
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98 V70Rawd(101Kmi), 95 854T(85K mi), 75 164E(173K mi)

Daane--I have a 97 and took the trim off mine to have some paint work done. The little strip just ahead of the door strip you can pry off with your finger. You will bust the little plastic clips that hold it on. No way around that one. Go to your Volvo dealer and buy 2 or 4, depending on whether you take one off or both. The strip on the door is held on by five or six slotted plastic clips. You don't pry this strip off, though I did on a 96, thinking that it came off the same way the little front piece did. The holes the plastic clips fit in are slotted, and you take a hammer and a block of wood and tap from the back end forward about half an inch to release them, and the strip should pull off. Don't spray paint your anthracite gray trim. The paint will come off after a while, faster if you wash it frequently or use cleaning agents. There are a number of plastic cleaners out there that when applied will restore pretty much the anthracite gray look. Volvo sells one that is good.

When you pull off the two small front pieces you will have to buy new clips from your Volvo dealer at about fifty cents apiece. Take an old clip with you. Not all parts people are knowledgeable. Pop the old ones out with a screwdriver, but you will discover you can't just snap the new ones back in place with your thumb. You have to put the piece down on a counter, slip in one edge of the clip, and then press down on the other side with a broad screwdriver to make it snap into place. Make sure the clips go back in exactly the same position as the old ones so they will line up with the holes in the body. Dick

P.S. The clips that hold the small front trim on are different from the ones that hold the longer door trim pieces in place. In taking off the door trim piece I'm almost certain I tapped it from the back forward, but it's been a while. It might have been from the front back but I doubt it. Take the door pieces off before you go to Volvo to buy new ones for the front. You might have to buy a couple if they break when you pound the strip forward and then pull it off.

Interesting, Jenkins. My 1995 and a part from a 1997 are identical, both have plastic buttons which fit into the holes in the door.
They are easy to get off. Open the door. There is a small rubber gromet directly behind the end of the trim. Remove. I used a torx screwdriver coated with grease, so the screw wouldn't fall into the door panel and be lost forever. Then it is a matter of carefully prying the trim off the car without bending it. The small piece in front of the front door is just pried off.

If yours are painted at the factory, then they just might be attached by tape.

Klaus
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98 V70Rawd(101Kmi), 95 854T(85K mi), 75 164E(173K mi)

the side trim on your car is attached with double-sided adhesive tape. (on pre-1995 850s, the back of the trim has studs that go into slotted holes in the doors). i've found that 3M Release Agent works well for this purpose. i repainted my trim last year with SEM bumper coater spray. SEM makes about a dozen different shades of black - i found that their "Honda Black" was the best match. i left the trim in place and taped it off using 3M Safe-Release masking tape. Good luck

-doug