JDM B-Pillar garnish installed!
 

Hey guys,

Well, after over 3 months, I finally received my pillar garnish from Japan. I got these from mazdaparts.com and although they took a while to get here, Matt did keep me in the loop through email. So, thanks to those guys for the good service.

I know there are some other pics of these floating around here, but in case anyone missed them or just wants another view of them, I'm posting a couple more pics. They are one of the coolest exterior accessories I've ever added to any car. The only strange thing I found about them was that they didn't seem to be exactly the same width as the pillars themselves. So, if I lined them up with the left edge, you'd see about an 1/8" of pillar underneath on the right. So, I kinda just compromised and centered them. Doesn't really matter though, because everything's black and it's hard to see where the garnish ends anyway. The important thing is to just make sure the top and bottom edges line up, which they do. Hard to believe that such a small addition makes such a big difference in the appearance. Enjoy!

MUST GET TINT !i!!

Oh yeah, absolutely. They'll look even better once the windows are a little darker. I'll be getting them tinted soon... don't worry too much. ;)

oh yeah, I like the pillars as well haha

I ordered mine last week from mazdaparts as well. Hopefully it doesn't take 3 months to get.

Seems like it's the luck of the draw. I read that someone got theirs in as little as 3 weeks. So, I guess it's just a matter of when that next shipment is coming. Not sure if mazdaparts.com orders stuff in large batches from Japan, or what.

I saw this for a 189$ why is it so much more than the other one with "RX-8" on it? ($60ish)? I like I a lot better but for that price I'll gat an AEM intake or something.

this is the jdm shit. haha. the other one that says rx-8 is not. I got that one cuz I didn't wanna spend almost 200 just for b-pillars. they do look great Olorin2

Does it look just as good as the JDM shine wise and fit?

yup same shine, same size. only difference is the lettering.

This looks good but - I like the one with the RX-8 logo more. A lot cheaper too :)

^^^ Agreed... In fact mine will be here monday, I got the ones with the RX-8 logo.

Olorin2.. That does look nice....

Thanks for the compliments guys. I almost went with the standard RX-8 pillar garnish, but I just wanted something a little different, or a little less common I guess.
Plus, Tamas, these have a little RX-8 logo inside the rotary symbol, so you get the best of both worlds, so to speak. :)

Anyone have any tips or is there anything tricky about installing these?

I ordered mine directly from japanparts.com on 06/02 and received them TODAY! Only 1 week from Japan......I must have got lucky!

Thanks.

just make sure u clean the vinyl on the car before you put the applique on.

also, install it from the top down (easier) but make sure u push it all down evenly or you will get air bubbles stuck behind it. peel the top section first just enough to plant the top on, and then as you push going down, continue to pull back the tape.

good luck.

Yes, this technique worked well for me too. Also, don't press on the appliques too hard, or else you'll put a dent in them!

Looks good Olorin2... thanks for posting the pics... makes me want them more :aroused:

Did you install them like a standard decal: spraying water on the car first, applying decal, moving to center, then letting it dry? Or just peel and stick?

Installed the JDM (RX-8 logo) garnishes yesterday. VERY SIMPLE.
Here's what I did:
1) Used Meguiars EXTRA cleaner and thouroughly cleaned the b-pillar.
2) Peel off approx 1 inch of backing from the top of the garnish.
3) carefully lined up the garnish on the top of the b-pillar and lightly press the garnish on the b-pillar. Work from the top to bottom.
4) Slowly peel a couple inches (of backing) at a time and press as you go.
5) Once the garnish is on, use a towel/rag/etc. and from the top down, firmly rub/press the garnish on.

Mine turned out flawless and looks great. I really think this is a great addition. Although the JDM garnishes are a bit pricy (I paid $158 shipped), I think they are the 'best looking/classiest' garnishes that I looked at.

Alan

I was washing the car the other day and noticed my garnish looked kinda hazy. Upon closer inspection, it looks like the haze is under the clear plastic! Damn I was pissed. Not sure if air somehow got inside, or if the inside was affected by heat, or what. It's still glossy, and you can't tell except while up close... but I'm very particular about this kind of stuff and when you pay $150 for two plastic strips, you expect them to hold up. Oh, and it is the same on both sides.

Anyone else have this happen to theirs?

I just got mine a couple of weeks ago. Can you post pics?

Still at work right now, but I'll try to snap some pics when I get home. I imagine it's going to be tough to capture the haziness in a picture, but I'll give it a try.

I have the non-JDM ones (with the RX-8 logo) for about a year and a half, and they are in perfect shape, no trace of anything like you described.
However my car is parked in the garage when I'm at home and generally speaking it doesn't spend much time out in the hot sun, so maybe this makes some difference.

i have the USDM one's as well and they're in perfect shape. but it is always garaged.

looks hot and it shouldve came stock with the 8

In New Zealand we get the same ones as they have in Japan. The good news is they are really easy and quick to get, bad news is they are almost as expensive about $135 U.S

I bought them anyway. I like the little rotor symbol it reminds me of the 70's RX coupes! I have factory tint which sets them off nicely. I want to get the front tinted slightly so it will get a pillarless look in certain light.

Just received and installed the RX-8 appliques from Rosenthal Mazda. The instructions said to clean and spray the B-pillar with a 50/50 isopropyl alcohol solution. I found the trick was to really soak the B-pillar with the solution before installing. That way the applique is easily positionable during the process. After you are sure it is exactly where you want it, press on to remove any excess solution. Seems to have worked just fine. The price for these was right also. About a third the price of some of the others available. And in the words of the incomparable Fernando Llamas "They rook mahvelous, dahling!"

Zoom, Zoom!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y25...x/IMGP1621.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y25...x/IMGP1622.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y25...x/IMGP1624.jpg

I have this exact same problem with the JDM garnishes, and it's pretty bad. It looks as though wax had gotten on it or something, and/or a ton of handprints got stuck to it. No amount of wiping gets it off, this haze seems permanent. Really disappointing and very annoying because it's very noticeable at a glance even from a distance and really messes up the look.

Use a plastic cleaner like Meguirs Plastix to clean them. Mine did the same thing and they look almost as good as new now. You might want to start using 303 protectant too. This will prevent UV danage to the appliques.

wow... you got a pic? this does seem to be only a problem for the JDM pillars.

anyone have the mazdaspeed carbon pillar?