Usually you find you can peel the black off, I had this happen to my
850. Eventually the whole strip peeled, I then masked off the strip
and painted it with mat black engine paint. So far it has lasted about
nine months and looks good for another nine.

Usually you find you can peel the black off, I had this happen to my
850. Eventually the whole strip peeled, I then masked off the strip
and painted it with mat black engine paint. So far it has lasted about
nine months and looks good for another nine.

I've just peeled the black plastic off and left them natural aluminum
colored.  This looks ok on our silver-grey 850.

All in all I am not impressed that these failed in less than five years from
new.   The durability of many small things on our 850 has been much less
than I expected of Volvo.

John

FWIW, you can purchase replacement strips if you want to go that
route.  IIRC, I think I paid around $100 for one strip and end cap
(from a dealer).

IIRC, the forward end of the end cap (which is above the rear window)
slides into or grips around the aft end of the main strip.  The aft end of
the end cap is held in place with double sided tape.  The main strip is
held in place with clips.  I'm not aware of any special tools.  I removed
mine by removing the end cap, gently lifting up on the aft end of the main
strip, and working my way forward as I popped the strip up/out.

I can't remember if the clips were separate, part of the body, or part
of the strip.  If you are very gentle you can probably remove and
replace the strip without needing new clips or a new strip.  I've seen it
done during windshield replacements.  However, the coating is fragile
and when removing the strip you might flex it enough to crack/peel the
coating.  Not an issue in your case perhaps, but autobody repair people
and autodetailers beware.  Don't flex those strips or even think about
hitting them with a buffer..