Graphic Kits and Decals

SAN DIEGO, CA, July 16, 2010 / — Custom Auto Trim and Graphics Inc. offers personal service with online convenience.

The Internet was still an unexplored frontier for most businesses in 1997, when a San Diego-based company that specializes in selling custom auto and truck accessories decided it was time to make the leap onto the high speed lane of the information superhighway.

After all, Custom Auto Trim and Graphics Inc. already had a 23-year track record of providing car and truck lovers with selection, quality, and service, Mike Briglia, the company’s president, pointed out. And that meant the company already had the experience, the knowledge and the reputation customers everywhere want from a dealer, he added, so the firm was ideally positioned to move into the national and international marketplace via the World Wide Web.

Now, Custom Auto Trim and Graphics Inc. is celebrating its thirteenth anniversary on the Internet with its webstore at www.customautotrim.com.

In those thirteen years online they have become one of America’s fastest growing online custom auto accessories companies. The growth, Briglia said, has been built on the same values that guided the business through its first two decades as a traditional land-based retailer.

“Our dealerships and other clients depend on us. They have been recommending their customers to us over the years because they rely on our vast resources, and they trust our knowledge in the industry,” he said. “They know that if their customer needs it, we will find it and take good care of them. We care about what we do here.”

Briglia said that continued focus on personal service has kept Custom Auto Trim attuned to the needs of each customer, even as its business has gone global.

“Our network of warehousers, distributors and manufacturers all have products stocked and ready to ship to our customers across the USA. We even ship internationally.

“With such a great networking system, our customers receive their products fast – usually within one to three working days,” he said.

Numerous customer testimonials to be found on Custom Auto Trim’s website (www.customautotrim.com) bear out that claim, while others cite the company’s exceptionally extensive inventory of top quality products as a major draw. Such auto and truck accessories as body kits , wood dash kits, auto graphics, and nerf bars are among Custom Auto Trim’s most popular products, Briglia said.

But a quick glance at the customautotrim.com website reveals selections ranging from carbon fiber wrap to hubcaps, or chrome rocker panels, truck graphic kits, body side molding and lambo door kits, euro tail lights, and even more than 2,000 car spoilers and wing applications, among many other items.

Briglia said Custom Auto Trim’s vast selection grows out of the company’s commitment to offer its customers both time-tested classics and tomorrow’s hot products. Since the company was founded, he said, it has made it a priority to stay on the leading edge of industry trends.

“We continually find new products that we think our customers would like. We find out about the latest and greatest auto accessories by networking with manufacturers, attending trade shows, meeting with our sales reps, car dealers and others in the industry,” he explained.

Although this year marks Custom Auto Trim’s thirteenth anniversary online, Briglia said the company traces its origins back to 1977, when “we began installing factory and aftermarket auto accessories for car dealerships in the Philadelphia area.

“With over 33 years in the automotive accessory business, we have the experience you need to make the right choice when it comes to purchasing an accessory for your car or truck,” he said.

Custom Auto Trim is an industry leader in sales of auto parts and accessories. For further information please contact us at 858-273-5700 or at www.customautotrim.com

Extreme Dimensions Body Kits

Extreme Dimensions is currently expanding its body kit product line, but they can’t create new body kits and ground effects without your help.  They are looking for the vehicles in the list shown below to bring in to their facility for prototyping.  If you let them use your car, they will make molds from your parts to create new carbon fiber and duraflex body kits. In turn they will give you a free body kit just for letting them make the molds. The car should not be your daily driver because you may have to leave it with them for a few weeks, and you should be located in Southern California.

For helping with the prototyping process, you will get a FREE BODY KIT or ground effects kit in exchange for your time.

If your car is on the list below, please contact GeoffreyB@ ExtremeDimensions.com. They are only looking for vehicles on this list at this time. If you are chosen you could get a free duraflex or carbon fiber body kit for that car!

Extreme Dimensions manufactures Duraflex body kits, urethane body kits, carbon fiber body kits, hoods, hood scoops, spoilers and wings.

Body Side Molding

There are lots of reasons to install body side molding on your car or truck. Some may want body side molding for protection, helping to avoid those nasty door dings we seem to get when we park at a shopping center. Others may want to install body side molding just for looks alone, seeking to upgrade the appearance of the outside of the vehicle.

In either case, once you have found the molding that you like it is important that the installation process goes smoothly, and that you get your molding installed perfectly straight. Otherwise having wavy moldings on the side of your vehicle will make your vehicle appear to be dented, or the panels appear misaligned.

So here’s what you need to do in order to install body side molding professionally. You will need some masking tape, rubbing alcohol, anvil pruning shears (garden type), a grease pencil, a ruler, and a couple of clean towels.

First, use rubbing alcohol to clean the area where we are going to place the molding. Do not skip this step. Even brand new vehicles need to be cleaned in the same way. You need to remove any waxes or oils that are on the surface. This is to ensure a proper bond between the adhesive and the vehicle. Wipe on a generous amount of rubbing alcohol with a clean towel, and use another clean towel to remove the residue left behind by the alcohol.

Next, locate a spot on the door of the vehicle (usually the highest point) and make a mark with a grease pencil. Use your masking tape to create a horizontal line in this area. Tack the masking tape at the front of the vehicle where you are installing the molding and roll off enough masking tape so you can reach the other end. Keep the masking tape taunt like you would a string or chalk line. Keeping the tape tight, tack the other end of the masking tape (at the same height as your grease pencil mark) at the back of the vehicle. You can use your ruler here to verify your measurement. Then, press down all masking tape and repeat on the other side of the vehicle.

Next, cut your body side molding to fit, and to install, remove the release liner backing from the adhesive and follow along your masking tape line to get your molding perfectly straight. Make sure you bevel your molding 45 degrees at the front of each door so not to interfere with the door jam areas.

Once cut and pressed onto the vehicle, take a clean rag in the palm of your hand and press the molding firmly onto the vehicle. Make sure you do this step twice so to ensure full contact with the vehicle.

Remove your masking tape and clean up any residue left behind.

Thats it! Once installed you will have protection from dents and dings as well as upgrading the appearance of the outside of the vehicle.

About the Author

Mike Briglia is the owner of Custom Auto Trim, an auto accessories company based out of San Diego CA. Find more information on body side molding at http://www.customautotrim.com/

Just released today is our New Carbon Creations F-1 Spec body kit for the Ferrari 360 Modena. The Modena carbon fiber body kits consist of an F-1 Spec carbon fiber front bumper, a pair of carbon fiber F-1 Spec side skirts, a carbon fiber F-1 Spec rear bumper, and a 2 piece F-1 Spec carbon fiber rear diffuser.

Ferrari 360 Modena Carbon Fiber F-1 Body Kit

With a list price of $5499.00, this full carbon fiber Ferrari Modena body kit is priced THOUSANDS of dollars less than the competition. 

Currently this body kit is sale priced at $4949.10. 

http://www.customautotrim.com/bodykits/extreme-dimensions/ferrari/360-modena/2000-2004/

Color Keyed Body Side Molding on a Toyota Camry

The best way to protect your car or truck from dents and door dings is by installing a professional grade body side molding. You can also protect other areas of the vehicle in the same way with wheel well molding and door edge guards.

Body side moldings are usually strips of rubber or vinyl that attach horizontally to the side of your vehicle. By installing them down the center of the door this rubber strip usually protects you from another door hitting yours. Usually the moulding will stick out farther than the body of the vehicle itself, so if someone swings their door into the side of your car it will hit the body side molding first. They usually come in black, chrome and there are some colors available as well.

Body side molding installs easily. Almost all car molding attaches with 3M automotive grade attachment tape, which is the same way that the car manufacturers use to attach factory body side molding. If installed properly the molding should never come loose. There are other areas of your car that should also be protected. These areas are the wheel well area and the door edge areas.

Wheel well molding attaches in the same manner with a 3M tape. These mouldings will trim the area of the wheel well with a thin vinyl bead that will protect this exposed area. You can also use this molding to cover up an existing dent in this area. Once applied over the dent or scratch you will never know the damage was there. This trick is used at the car dealers all of the time. Sometimes it used to just dress up the vehicle with a chrome or black trim.

Door edge guards protect just that – the edge of your car door. They also protect whatever you are hitting with your door. Because of the soft vinyl edge, if you were to open your car door into another car the likelihood of you damaging either car is minimal. The door edge guards will act as a shock absorber and help prevent any damage that would otherwise happened.

For most of us, buying a new car or truck is one of the largest investments that we will ever make in our lives. We take pride in what we drive. It doesn’t matter if we drive a Hyundai or a Porsche (okay maybe it does, but follow me here for a second). We like to drive in clean, shiny, dent free cars. Spending a few dollars on molding protection now will no doubt save you potentially hundreds of dollars in the future repairing and repainting your new car or truck.

Couture Luxe Widebody Kit for the 2006-2009 Dodge Charger!

Extreme Dimensions offers the best products and support in the business, and Custom Auto Trim is proud to be a master distributor for this product line. Give us a call at 1-800-232-6922 so we can find custom body kits for your vehicle!

These are important questions. A used car dealer may know the history of the vehicle, but most of the time the cars and trucks that you see on a local car dealer lot come from auctions and your dealer will not know the history. At least half of the time you trade in your vehicle it will end up at a dealer auction. And MOST of the time you turn in your leased vehicle it will end up at auction. So how are we supposed to know what happened to this vehicle that we are eying? What am I getting into here?

The first thing to do is to go to either end of the car and squat down at the corner, such as by the tail light, and look straight down the body of the car, down the body line starting with the quarter panel, down the doors, and right up the fender. Notice the shine or reflections that you are getting off of the paint? That is where you want to start. Are there sections shinier or flatter than others? Does everything line up? Are there any ripples at all? It should look like a nice mirror reflection. If the surfaces of each panel look different, this could be an indication of poorly done body work.

Next, feel the paint all the way around the car. All of the painted surfaces should feel the same. Feel the bumpers and the hood. These are common spots to repaint. Are there any spots on the car that are a little rougher than another? If so, then you have good reason to be suspicious.

If a car has a pinstripe or graphic kit, look along the edge of it to see if a body shop painted part of a body panel. One trick a painter will use to save some work is to only paint part of a panel (if they can get away with it) and only repaint a small area that was most significantly affected by body work. If that is the case, the painter will probably do his masking right next to a pinstripe and try to paint either above it or below it. He will use the stripe line as a stopping point for his paintwork. Feel the edges of the stripe. Do you feel a sharp edge? It’s probably been repainted then.

Finally, always look for hints of over spray or an old color that give away an undisclosed paint job. This requires checking door jambs, under the hood, in the trunk and under the gas cap door. Putting in a little extra time while shopping for your vehicle can save you a lot of time and money down the road.

Best of all, buy a used car from someone you trust, be it a dealer or an individual. And never, ever jump at a deal that seems too good to be true. It almost always is.

About the Author

Mike Briglia is the owner of Custom Auto Trim, specializing in body kits and car and truck graphics, and is based in San Diego CA. Find more information on auto accessories at http://www.customautotrim.com/

TIP SHACK

This month we got the question:

I’m interested in purchasing replacement molding, however I’ve seen some after market chrome side molding turn brown. What causes this, and what can be done to prevent it?

Thanks for your question. Body Side Molding can turn yellow for a couple of different reasons:

1. Product failure.—If the Molding product is not a high quality OEM approved product (like those that AUTOMEGA® carries), the clear protective film covering the chrome mylar can break down, causing a yellowing effect.
2. Product care.—All products that are exposed to the elements such as sun, rain, ice, and road dirt/salts need to be kept clean. If not, they can burn or deteriorate just from the weather itself.

Luckily, there are a couple things you can do to prevent this problem. Just like the paint on your car, if you never wash your car you probably do not expect to keep your car looking shiny and new. However if you wash your car every week or two it will definitely look better. Then, if you wax it a few times a year it will look even better still. This is because you are protecting the paint from all of the harsh elements outside. Molding, pinstriping, graphics and paint all fall within this same category. If you keep them clean and keep a light coat of wax on them you not only will make them all look better but you will extend the life of the products tremendously.

WEB NEWS

You’ve been asking for them and now they’re here—Direct Bolt-On Lambo Door Hinges. These come pre-drilled from the manufacturer to fit your specific vehicle. This makes getting this hot look easier than ever before. Is your vehicle not one of the almost thirty different makes and hundred models available pre-drilled? No, problem! AutoLoc’s Universal Lambo Door System fits all vehicles by allowing you to drill your own holes as needed. We even have new Shaved Door Handle Kits so you get that clean smooth look to go along with your lamborghini doors.

We know you’ve had your eye on them, and right now we’ve got all Wings West Body Kits at 20% off list price. Wings West products are made with Urethane, which is lighter than other commonly used materials, and designed to fit your vehicle perfectly. That means less hassle and cost in installation, a better look, and less time in the shop. Just select your make and model and we’ll hook you up with all the info you need to personalize your car or truck with one of these hot kits.

Looking to outfit your car with an AEROGEAR Body Kit? Now’s the time and AUTOMEGA® is definitely the place. We’ve got our entire selection of AEROGEAR down to 10% off list price. You’re not going to find them any lower, so head over to and see for yourself. And if that’s not quite what you had in mind, what about taking a peek at our Xenon Body Kits. They’re reduced right now to below Jobber pricing, so why resist?

Finally, right now we’re offering free shipping on several of our products: Wood Dash Kits, Nerf Bars (those shipped via UPS or FedEx only) and our entire line of graphics. Looking for pinstriping? A rear window flag graphic? Or maybe you’d like to create a whole new look with one of our graphic packages. Now’s the time to save on any or all of these products. No minimum order required, but this offer is only available for a limited time, so visit www.customautotrim.com to take advantage of this awesome deal.