How to remove roof line trim strip on duetto

I need to get some welding done just behind the nearside door pillar extending along just above the door on a 2000 Duetto. There is a black plastic trim strip which extends the length of the vehicle which I need to remove to prevent damage from the welding. I tried removing a few of the obvious screws, but tugging at the strip seems to have no effect. I am wondering if it is glued along the bottom as well. Pic (offside rather than the nearside one which is covered in duck tape as weather protection) of the offending  strip:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Anyone had to remove this and know the secret?

Cheers,
Dave

A/S used several different fixing techniques on these, and some were I believe bonded on, but that looks very similar to the ones on my 1999 Flair, which was also Transit-based. That was fixed in place with stainless steel stand-offs, with plastic screws through the trim and into the stand-off.

If so, you should be able to see the stainless fixings with a torch, as there should be a small gap at both top and bottom of the trim.

This is speculation, but what may have happened is that a previous owner has bodged it back in place with sealant after one or more of the stand-offs have come unstuck from the roof (which, if my Flair was anything to go by, happens easily).

Roopert wrote:A/S used several different fixing techniques on these, and some were I believe bonded on, but that looks very similar to the ones on my 1999 Flair, which was also Transit-based. That was fixed in place with stainless steel stand-offs, with plastic screws through the trim and into the stand-off.

If so, you should be able to see the stainless fixings with a torch, as there should be a small gap at both top and bottom of the trim.

This is speculation, but what may have happened is that a previous owner has bodged it back in place with sealant after one or more of the stand-offs have come unstuck from the roof (which, if my Flair was anything to go by, happens easily).

Thanks for the info - will have a look when it stops being windy and wet!

Cheers,
Dave

My Trident (20022) also has the same fixing system with the stainless stand-offs and plastic screws through the trim. Will be interested in how you get on as I also have some rust starting at the front seam. Also I have lost one of the plastic screws, can't source a spare through A/S so would be interested to know if anyone has a source for these.

As far as I'm aware (it's a long time since I had to fix mine) the bolts are just standard metric nylon bolts - simply take one out, measure the diameter, round that figure up to the nearest mm and do a search online. I'm fairly sure that mine were originally cheese-head shaped and the ones I used were intended to fix number plates, so they weren't quite the same head shape, but it wasn't noticeable. I used them mainly because they are easy to get in black.

Here's an example (based on an assumed M6 bolt, though I may be remembering the diameter wrong):

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Thanks for your help Roopert. The one I lost went down the windscreen drain channel never to be seen again and the others are all a bit burred so some new ones will look a lot smarter!

I had a good look at the trim strip today as the van goes to be welded tomorrow. The strip is attached with stainless steel pillars and plastic screws as others have mentioned, but the lower edge is also glued to the roofline gutter. I cannot work out what the glue is but a bit of gentle prising with a screwdriver enabled me to free the first 14" of the trim and it will flex a bit so it will be clear of the welding.

It seems to be a lot more firmly attached toward the middle and rear of the van so removing the whole strip would be very hard and likely to break it. Not sure what the glue is, but it seems to have been applied with a adhesive gun as a long thin 'sausage'. I guess its some sort of outdoor 'no-more-nails' glue rather than epoxy.

Dave

Is it possible that it's a PU adhesive/sealant like Sikaflex? If some of the stainless pillars have come unstuck from the roof I can understand why someone might have bodged on some sealant, but it's not (IMO) a very clever thing to do. If you seal up the gap at the bottom then any leaves and crud that drop in the top just stay in there, and it can build up into a horrible damp mess. The original setup was better because it allowed any excess crud to just fall out of the gap at the bottom.

May be worth trying a heat gun?

If so, with great care... If the trim is like the ones on my van, they are formed with heat and vacuum in a mould, so if you heat them they might lose their shape!