[Mal]

Hi folks,
I have a 2011 i30 FD with all the black finish on the roof moldings cracking up and flaking off, leaving the stainless steel partially showing through. Looks really rough on a very clean white car !
I'm sure this is very common and researching this I have noted a company in the US markets a plastic fake 'carbon' cover with a 3M sticky tape backing.
Considering the high cost of replacing them with factory or cheaper parts, this looked a good alternative and wouldn't necessarily require them to be pulled off the car hopefully, as I've tried doing that and I didn't like forcing them much harder than I was and maybe damaging one !
Yes, removed they could be sanded, primed and sprayed I guess, but the above sounds a much easy way to go and considering our hot dry environment, apparently stainless doesn't paint well.       
Has anyone else tackled this and come up with the ideal cost effective solution I wonder ?
Any thoughts would be appreciated - Mal     

                 

[The Gonz]

I like your thinking. I  have a metallic pattern grey sheet of wrap to do my steering wheel insert, so I know where you're going. My vote is a thumbs up 

[Mal]

Thanks Gonz
I've just been to Clark Rubber Balcatta and they were good in providing some alternatives in a firm  thin dense foam black strip 'off the roll', either with or without a  sticky backing and both slightly different in nature. They are UV '5 star' resistant and I'm trialing a small  piece to see if it stays on the car ?
As this is just for aesthetics it may be an answer, but I still have a feeling someone out there has been down this road before and maybe come up with a better solution as per our US friends have.         
Hopefully some one will let us know their answer on the forum.
PS - the FD was never released in America but I wonder if any if their models has the same channel width and possible but less import length, as I would think it could be cut down.            
ebay store, Automotive Authority LLC has a large  range on offer, but I also wonder how they would travel in the post  to ozz ?