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I want to remove and paint the plastic cowl cover on my 2005 GXP as it is faded. Is removing this cover difficult or does it just pop off after you remove the wiper arms?

I use Meguires back to black every now and then. Never tried painting it.

X2 on the Meguires

I had mine off for better access while chasing a body water leak. Removal is pretty straightforward. You will need a substantial two-jawed puller to remove the wipers. After ruining a cheap puller I bought a set of thee from Harbor Freight (Pittsburgh item 40966). A little penetrating oil on the shaft a few days prior to removal may help. Back off the retaining nut until it is almost off. Leaving it on will keep the tip of the puller centered on the shaft during removal. The windshield washer system passes through the cowl using two flimsy plastic fittings. Be careful removing the hoses to the wipers. You can then push the two plastic fittings through to the underside of the cowl. There are several plastic retainers holding the cowl in place. Pry up the center pin to loosen the retainer and then lift it out with the edge of a screwdriver. A few retainers are of the mushroom type and just have to be forced out.

After removal I used a good detergent to clean and degrease the cowl. I put on two good coats of Krylon flat black, waiting several hours between coats.

I just put it back on today and it looks great.

Good luck.

JaxGXP wrote:You will need a substantial two-jawed puller to remove the wipers.

http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... 9&p=329748

To avoid struggling and frustration you will need the puller to remove the wiper arms.
The aluminum wiper arm and the steel shaft are dissimilar metals in contact and will corrode and bond together over time.
Make it easy and have the puller available when you start this project.

You will be glad you did.

Thanks for all the help. One last thing. Does the hood need to be off? I ask because the hood had to come off on an Audi I have to get the cowl cover off.

Nope, hood stays on.

Don't paint it. Clean it with a quality APC and treat it with a good protectant. I can just see the threads starting on people painting their cowels red. Once one person does it, its bound to happen. Lol.

yourgrandma wrote:Don't paint it. Clean it with a quality APC and treat it with a good protectant. I can just see the threads starting on people painting their cowels red. Once one person does it, its bound to happen. Lol.

yourgrandma wrote:Don't paint it. Clean it with a quality APC and treat it with a good protectant. I can just see the threads starting on people painting their cowels red. Once one person does it, its bound to happen. Lol.

I don't think paint will look good long...

JaxGXP wrote:To avoid struggling and frustration you will need the puller to remove the wiper arms.
The aluminum wiper arm and the steel shaft are dissimilar metals in contact and will corrode and bond together over time.
Make it easy and have the puller available when you start this project.

You will be glad you did.

I still disagree with you. I've pulled apart dozens of these and never used a puller. Not saying that a puller doesn't work, its just not necessary.

harofreak00 wrote:

JaxGXP wrote:To avoid struggling and frustration you will need the puller to remove the wiper arms.
The aluminum wiper arm and the steel shaft are dissimilar metals in contact and will corrode and bond together over time.
Make it easy and have the puller available when you start this project.

You will be glad you did.

I still disagree with you. I've pulled apart dozens of these and never used a puller. Not saying that a puller doesn't work, its just not necessary.

I agree also, puller not necessary.

I am not so sure about painting the cowl, might be great, might look like poop...

Ive never used a puller on em. Pulled plenty off when I worked at the Ford dealer. Basically did what andrew said in the posted link. If I knew I was gonna work on something like that I went out removed the nuts and sprayed em when I got to work. A punch with a lil tap tap helped too. loosens up the initial corrosion.

Seem to have different opinions here. The current cowl is pretty faded. Im not sure the meguires will bring it back. Anyone know how much a new one is? My thought was using the duplicOlor plastic paint on it.

sextrosgxp wrote:Seem to have different opinions here. The current cowl is pretty faded. Im not sure the meguires will bring it back. Anyone know how much a new one is? My thought was using the duplicOlor plastic paint on it.

You can definitely try it, worst comes to worst you don't like the look and buy another one anyways. If I was that unhappy with it, I would absolutely try painting it first, I am just not so sure about a high gloss finish on it.

While a puller is never absolutely 100% necessary, it is in fact easy (should take 2 seconds to pop a wiper arm off with one), and two you're not subjecting the drive stud and wiper drive assembly to pressures that could bend something out of place/synchronization within the wiper drive assembly. In some instance, possible cracking of the windshdield itself (should the drive stud actually go through the windshield glass itself... yes I've seen this).

So NO, you don't need it, but like anything, the proper tool for the job makes life easier all the way around. I don't use a pair of channel locks on my oil pan bolts just because it "can" work! There's a 10mm socket that works better and more efficiently...

Try some trans fluid to bring the shine back. Clean rag, pour some out on rag, spread evenly.

Heck even engine oil. Back in the day, you know, when we all used our feet to power our cars, there were these things called "station wagons". Many of these "station wagons" had faux wood paneling on the side.

Anyway, I've known more than one person that used engine oil on said paneling. Really any oil/petroleum based product that repels water (which is what causes the whole issue in the first place), I guess would work. Not that I am recommending anyone go out and pour a quart of their favorite lubricant on their cowl, but just sayin'

I personally would use Mother's Back to Black like originally posted.

Hell, shoe shine probably works! lol

I was brought home in a Poncho station wagon. Grey, large, red interior, had a CB. I do miss that car, actually saw pics of it the other day lol.