[NickMcPimpson]

First off, I am 19 and this is the first car I have ever owned, so understandably I love the car and want to have some fun with it. I have quite a few things I want to do with it, but I would like some help/suggestions.

-Mine didn't come with cruise: I saw that you could just swap the center part of the steering wheel with one that has it and have the dealer program it to work; is this suggested and where could I get the steering wheel?

-The front quarter-panel trim pieces are ugly: I want to remove those or swap for ones that don't have them (since I would have to fill the three holes and do body work to keep the same fenders). Is there anyone with a vapor silver MK2 that would want to swap for the fenders WITH the trim pieces?

-Previous driver knocked out the fog-light cover: The drivers side fog-light cover (mine came with the junk plastic covers instead of the lights), should I buy a new cover even though i think the bumper is cracked there under the hole where the piece goes, or should I just wait to replace the whole bumper?

-Vibration problems inside: I also get slightly annoyed with the plastic interior pieces that audibly vibrate on occasion. The smooth plastic piece just below the speedo on the right side is one culprit that stops vibrating when I push on it and hold it there. The other piece seems to be coming from the passenger side door panel, but is obviously hard to isolate while driving. How can this be fixed?

-Trim pieces around the door and on side mirrors are starting to weather: the black is... well not black anymore, I was thinking of plastidipping them or something, thoughts?

-The rubber trim pieces that the windows roll up into are twisted and have kinda wrinkled, but none of them leak: should I replace these at some point, or is there a way to realign them?

That is all I got off the top of my head, would love to hear some other peoples experiences or suggestions, thanks!

 

[DaMiFo]

Congrats on the car! My first car as well is my current 2010 SES and I couldn't be hapier, even after 4 years with it.

How many miles are on yours? These cars like eating the upper engine mount which sends tons of vibration throughout the cabin. I had that replaced and that fixed all my vibration issues with the trim pieces. Honestly it's like a new car, I couldn't believe how amazing it was after I picked it up when it was done. So personally I'd try this before playing with the door panels.

For the exterior black plastic & rubber trim pieces, try Mother's Back-to-Black. As an alternative you can also try TurtleWax Ice. I've never tried the TurtleWax, but my buddy swears by it, and it does at least look nice. I use Mother's once per year on mine.

For parts, the best place is TascaParts . com. It's all new OEM parts and 90% of the time they're by far the cheapest.

For the window trim, are you talking about the thin solid rubber piece that comes from under the window on the top, around the edge, and onto the outside of the door right above the windows? If so, mine twisted too, I just went along carefully with a small screwdriver and pulled it out of the window slot on one of my doors.

Sorry I do no have answers for the other stuff.

 

[NickMcPimpson]

I am closing in on 200k, about 192,500 currently. I will check out the engine mounts and see if that will help me out. I will also try waxing the trim pieces with the back to black, if that doesn't work I can always find another solution. Thanks for all the feedback!

Yes that is the rubber piece I am referring to; Are you saying you took it off completely? did it leak afterwards?

 

[Nmarzoli04]

If your MM are original after that kinda mileage, they definitely could use replacing! I would check it out.

 

[mac.mogul]

My recommendation is against having any body work done on your fenders because fresh paint won't match 7 year old paint. Find newer fenders in the same color, or paint the trim pieces so they don't stand out so much.

Motor mounts have to be replaced. There isn't really a "well maybe they do I'll check it out next time I think about it" because after 7 years and 200k miles, they need replaced.

I also recommend you do NOT use Back to Black. It's a poor product. Use Adam's Super VRT or similar trim/plastic conditioning product. Back to Black uses low-grade oils and it evaporates quickly so you will be using it constantly to maintain the effect.

 

[NickMcPimpson]

Anyone have any problems with the "TIRE PRESSURE GAUGE MALFUNCTION" this light pops us every time I start the car since I got my new tires. All my tires are fine, and I keep tabs on the pressure; I think they might have broke the gauge when putting my tires on.

 

[09vistabluecoupe]

Did the MIL come on as soon as the tires were done? If so I'd wager they damaged one or more. I haven't had any problems with my TPMS in 6 years and multiple tire changes.

If you need help with the motor mounts or anything just let me know and I could give you a hand if you need.