how could i take these off and make the door more sleek?

it looks like this now
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...tos/civic0.jpg

but i want it to look like this
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...otos/civic.jpg

thanks in advance

 

you can't take them off because they actually go into the molding of the body. you could simply paint over it. on my 05, i seem to have a strip or whatever there, but because it's the same color as the body, it's subtle...

 

so they don't even come off at all?

 

yes they come off. Some people "shave" the molding or just plug the holes with fliberglass/sheetmetal and paint over.

 

well thats what i want to do, so i can shave it down and paint over it? is it solid plastic or is there a gap between it and the door under neath

 

no no no no, you don't literally shave the molding pieces. Shaving is a term for removing or deleting something on a car. For example, if you remove the door handles and cover over the empty hole, it's called shaved door handles.

For the trim pieces you can....
-leave them on and paint them
-take them off, cover over the holes and paint the holes
-take them off, and fill the indent where they were and paint.

just search for "shaved molding" or trim.

 

danomatic93 has it right. If you want it to look like that, take them off, cover with metal, and repaint. Body shops do it all the time.
I've alsoseen it done with... You guessed it.... Bondo!

 

oh ok, sorry for being stupid

"take them off, and fill the indent where they were and paint"

yes that is what i want to do, is this something i could myself or should i take it to a body shop?
if i take it to a body shop, how much do they charge for that kind of work?

 

I would have a shop do it because body work is an ART, not easy. As far as pricing, it will vary from shop to shop. I'm guessing, if it's done right, it'll be about 400 bucks. That's guessing. It'll probably be a lot more. Just go and ask around!!

 

alright, thanks for the help guys