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/

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.

So, did you get everything you asked for for the holidays? If so, lucky you! If not, let’s see what we can do to help you out. Just like all your other favorite stores, CustomAutoTrim.com has a wide variety of product deals this month and you can read more about them below in our Blog section. And while you’re at it, be sure to take advantage of our coupon for even more savings.

Elsewhere in this issue, we’ve got chances for you to learn a few things, win prizes, and even make some extra cash. So sit back, get comfy, and settle in to spend a few moments with us on your favorite subject and mine—cars.

TIP SHACK

This month, we got the question:

Hey Mike, my wheel wells and door edges are all dented and chipped from parking lot damage and I was wondering, is it too late for me to put door edge guards and wheel well molding on my car? Would it help at all?

It’s not too late at all! In fact it’s a great time to put wheel well molding and door edge guards on. We do this sort of trick all of the time when we are working on used car lots. We are able to cover up most of these small dents and chips with the new body side moldings, which accomplishes 2 things—you will hide those ugly chips and small dents from sight (yay!) and at the same time protect yourself from any additional parking lot damage in the future. And best of all, it’s MUCH cheaper than visiting your local body shop.

There are many easy to install accessories that can customize your car or truck without any major labor, sometimes in as little as just a few minutes. You can check out all of these products at http://CustomAutoTrim.com!

WEB NEWS

It may be cold outside, but we’ve got some white hot products for you on our website this month. Like a set of new wheel covers to dress up your vehicle. Whether you’re a Silver kind of guy, or a Chrome lovin’ gal, we’ve got hub caps to fit your fancy. Don’t know what size you need? No problem. Come on by the site and we’ll show you how to figure it out.

Maybe wheels aren’t your thing, but what really melts the ice for you is Nerf Bars. Great—Stainless Steel, Chrome, or Black, we’ve got them all for you. And did you know that these can be installed quickly and easily with absolutely no drilling. That’s right, so easy anyone can do it, and right now they’re priced to move, so why wait?

WRAPPING IT UP

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Just call our toll free support line at 1-800-232-6922. We’re standing by to help!

Alternatively, hit the reply button and I’ll get right back to you. We welcome general questions or queries, as well as comments and suggests. Thanks for your time!