[dassub]

Now that the weather finally heated up, I decided to try painting them back to normal using whatever spray paint looked close enough.

The scratches and blemishes were much worse and way more noticeable in person, than the camera shows. They were an absolute eye sore, so it was worth trying to paint them (and if the paint job was butchered, just replace them entirely).
The results were pretty much perfect. Turns out, if you have matte black pillars, the Krylon Dual flat black paint is an almost identical match in colour and texture. I found it at Walmart here in Canada for less than $10.

Since I literally just finished this tiny project this morning, I don't yet know how it will hold up over time.

Here are the steps:

1. Prep the car using painter's tape and newspaper for any over-spray. If you open the front door, you can tape along the middle rubber piece and then close the door to hide the rest. I realize you can take the pillars off, but that was too much effort for a quick job.

2. Spray! The spray paint ended up drying very quickly. In about an hour, I was able to get 4 coats on. Overkill, but I could still see the scratches after 2 coats. After the 3rd, the scratches were minimal, and after the 4th, completely gone.

3. Wait. The spray paint seems to dry extremely fast in nice weather, so I was able to de-prep the car after only hour of dry time.

4. Beer. Done!

[WilliamS]

Looks good, hope it holds up. As for the frozen car, man I hate the heat but I'd hate to wake up to that even more!

[steve_eclipse]

Looks really, really good. Great job my fellow Canadian!

Just looking at that picture of your frozen car, fuels me even more to buy a winter beater.

[Meeni]

The parts can be removed somewhat easily. Maybe less hassle than taping half the car. Looks good, considering the same, a tree fell on mine.

[cpie168]

Great job dude! Props to you!

[dassub]

Originally Posted by Meeni

The parts can be removed somewhat easily. Maybe less hassle than taping half the car. Looks good, considering the same, a tree fell on mine.

I watched a video on YouTube for removing them, and the rubber trim looked like it would be a hassle to get back in place. I figured this would take somewhat less time and effort. My backup plan, if the paint job came out bad, was to buy replacements and do it that way ($6 vs. $100, in stupid Canadian prices).

[dassub]

My thoughts after a week: It's survived a few really bad thunderstorms, and a car wash. Still looks great. One issue I've noticed is that the texture is more gritty than the stock B-pillars on the passenger side. I can tell when I close the door by it when getting out of the car. Other than the texture feel, I don't notice any difference.