Power door lock button trivia

trbkrb said:
I'm pretty sure it is due to the plates being removed and handled like above, or possibly just from years of use. Ford would not make them that way, and the new cars I've seen, did not have them. I searched for months in the salvage yards to find a set that was not damaged and had intact the plastic trim around the edge. I have a couple of other decent ones, but they have scratches in the paint.

For what it's worth, mine were all crackled-looking and nasty- I used a plastic putty knife and scraped all the old paint off (it was just flaking off) and then used Krylon's new plastic paint in flat black and they look great! The stickers with words on them I left on and painted over- at first look you don't see them, you have to look close to even know it's there.
 
just get replacemnet covers from 50resto..tada no more bump, I believe they are caused by the tight fit and heat expansion over time the metal thin plate on top looses adhesive power and buckels. My new ones looked great then the billet covers looked even better. Simple install for new plates and looks great..though no one notices except for stangers , everyone else just expects the switches to look new. Hey there's my new pet peve...non stangers who fail to notice the PITA detail work we have to do on these 15 year old cars to keep them looking good. I spend 20 hours preping and redying my entire interior and not one non stanger has ever noticed it. All you ever get is people who want you to pop the hood and either sit in the car and play with the shifter or ask to drive it. Ok not done griping yet...why the hell does every person who I have let drive the car (3 total) turn into a frigin head case behind the wheel, I'm pretty sure I didn't spend all this time on the car for you pound the snot out of it. Ok sorry about that I'm done now.
 
I think it is from people playing with them. When I got my first Mustang, the power windows on the passenger side did not work. The window only went up. I tried to pull the cover off thinking I could gain quick access to the contacts. Unfortunately I was wrong and ended up bending the plate when I tried to put it back on. My coupe has the same problem. My hatch does not.