Paint / roof molding advice
 

So the roof moldings on my 2003 Edge have both come off, and so its time to do the replacement. I have two options in replacement parts. The first is a set on eBay that already comes in the proper color (Vermillion Red) for $80. The other set is on Amazon for $32, but it comes in a base black with the idea you paint yourself.

I have shot some different types of paint before (so not quite a rookie), and right now my gut feeling is to get the cheaper set and a rattle can of Dupli-Color and just DIY for under $50. But I keep coming back to the idea that maybe the already painted set on eBay could possibly be worth the roughly $30 price difference (especially if its clear coated), unless there is a big difference in quality of the replacement part overall.

Anyone with some experience replacing the roof moldings have strong opinions either way? Really wondering if these options come down to something other than $30 worth of my time prepping and painting.

Thanks in advance!

I replaced the roof molding of my ranger but didn't have to color match. Ultimately it's going to depend on what you want to pay and what end product you want. If you can spend the $80 bucks and only have to swap them out, you might as well go for the pre painted ones. If you can't then go cheaper.

Also if you live in an apartment complex, spray painting your parts may be a pain in the butt since you have to worry about over spray.

You will need to get a set of plastic trim removal parts, pliers, a long extension for your ratchet as well. Those plastic trim anchors can be a real pain to pull and the bolts holding the trim to the cab are small and having extra reach may help.

This video gives a good guide for it, but you may want to be sure to put some removable thread lock on the nut securing the seatbelt to the cab to be sure it doesn't get loose.