Body door ding protection

[Zedyone_kenobi]

I see many Z's with the tacky (in my honest opinion) side molding to prevent a door ding. I see other with it off and the whole car looks much cleaner.

I was wondering if that side molding is held on with sticky 3M type of product, or is it riveted in and will require the holes to be filled.

[Arne]

Could be either way. Many of the older installations will have rivets, while the newer jobs may use tape.

[Oiluj]

Could be either way. Many of the older installations will have rivets, while the newer jobs may use tape.

Arne, (and others)

I know the 3M adhesive tape works well on wide body mouldings, but do you think it's strong enough to hold on the old-school, thin aluminum strips?

I want to keep the ding strips so I can use the car in an urban environment without getting hundreds of door dings...

I have the original, 1/2" wide rivet-on ding-strips with the vinyl insert that came on the car. I would probably need to use 3/8" wide tape so it doesn't show.

Here's a link to the type of moulding I'm talking about: http://www.customautotrim.com/products/moldings/rivet.htm

Julio

[Oiluj]

Correction: The aluminum molding is 5/8" wide, so I could use 1/2" tape.

[7277]

i never had luck with protecting my car against door dings with molding....my 1st gen 300zx (driver) is full of dinngs and the 300ZX HAS stock molding...it all depends on the shape and profile of the (moron's) door that is dinging you..best remedy: park FFFFAAARRR away from other cars..

[EScanlon]

Julio:

Yes, the 3M adhesive tape IS strong enough to hold the aluminum strip and the vinyl insert in place. The key is in ensuring the paint is free of oils, wax and dirt, and that the paint isn't prone to lifting.

Zedyone: As Arne pointed out, it depends on how the original dealer installed the strips. Some riveted it, others had it taped on.

It also might depend on the source of the original aluminum strip. IIRC you would buy the aluminum in lengths that you then cut to fit, and then either just used the pre-attached tape only or went ahead and drilled holes for the tape. Only rarely have I seen the aluminum channel mounted directly to the body without the tape. I'm not sure, but the channel may have been available without the pre-attached tape.

Sadly, as pointed out, using the moulding does not guarantee that you won't get nicked.

FWIW

E

[Oiluj]

Thanks for the feedback. Mine was riveted on, but the body shop has welded-up all the rivet holes to make it easier to generate a fair, straight surface.

I'd prefer to tape it on as opposed to drilling, etc.

I agree that the strips don't protect 100%, but they are better than none, especially in an urban environment where I can't always choose a "safer" spot to park. I'd estimate that the strips protect against 80% of the potential dings. At least that reflects my previous experience.

If the tape is that good, how about using it to hold on my BRE style rear spoiler? That would save two holes in the hatch... Think it's strong enough to handle the aerodynamic forces?

[EScanlon]

Possibly.

A lot depends on how much surface area the spoiler offers to tape to, and how well it fits onto the body. Along with that is how clean and smooth your surfaces are.

If there's only a thin edge for the tape to adhere to...well, you won't have as much strength to the bond...period. If you do have a lot of area to tape to, but you have to force the spoiler down to conform to the body surface, then you'll be introducing stress onto the adhesive before it has a good chance to set firmly.

You can buy the tape in various widths, check out the following link:

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Auto-Accessory-Attachment/Home/Prod/Info/

Tons of information there.

HTH

E

[26th-Z]

I got tired of door dings a long time ago and did two things that changed this whole way of life. First, I started parking my car very far away from the parking lot hord; in the most protected spot I could find. I was actually a prick about it a couple of times, telling people not to park in MY spot. I put a car cover on my car regularly. Second, I use a ding man about once a year to fix any dings I get. It costs me less than $25 per year. There is no way I would put ding molding on my Z. It looks horrible IMO.

[DeesZ]

Two of my Z's did not have the protectors, and the one I have now does. I do not like the things much, but have grown to accept them - at least until I get around to redoing the paint. I will say from personal experience that they do offer some protection, but it so much depends on the shape, height, weight, and speed of the 'other' door coming at you... I like 26th-Z's suggestions to avoid the damage in the first place. And, yes, I have seen the tape work very well for the sides, and as stated, surface preparation is a key to success.

[John Coffey]

Tie 9' of rope between two tires. Hang the tires over the car on each side. Repeat 4 times.

[DeesZ]

I'm working on an electromagnetic force field..... got one that takes 20,000 volts, and am working on adapting it to a 12V with a cigarette lighter adapter. No luck thus far, and the weight of the generator has popped the rear tires, so I just may do the rope & tire thing. Thanks, John Coffey - I wish I would have heard about that one before I got this far on the other thing!