Side Moldings Add Protection And Good Looks

Just installed my new side moldings from MetroTPN.com

Looks good! Did you install them yourself or have them professionally installed? If professionally installed, what was the cost? How long did it take to receive the side moldings once you ordered them? Just ordered a set last week for our new 2008 Prius.

Ah... I hadn't seen a photo of them on a red Prius yet. Looks good. I've been on the fence about getting them for a while, but the only ding I have from a parking lot is on a spot that side-moldings wouldn't have protected.

Mom, I've done in on three Prii and my wife's HyCam. Really easy, definitely do it yourself. Helpful to have two people, though.

rpm

Unexpectedly warm today . installed mouldings. great product. Packeaged with care. Better than most OEM.

Are these the same that you can order from Prius chat?

Yes they are. And a benefit of ordering from PriusChat is that it helps support this forum.

I know this is going to sound moronic but I am not a DIYer whatsoever. What type of place would I bring the moldings to have them installed?

The places with the most experience would typically be body shops. They would also typically be the cheapest.

You can ask your dealer too, but dealers can be very expensive. My dealer wanted to charge me ~$300 to install them. But I think I've also read some people say that their dealer charged them a reasonable sum like $50.

I hate door moldings and think they make a vehicle look terrible. They only help if the other vehicle that opens their door into yours is the same height. Otherwise they are useless and you will still get door dings.

Wow - those do look good! I hope they have them in Tideland green.

Excellent product ordered through this site ($122. with free shipping) that I installed on my Prius several months ago with great satisfaction. No problem at all to install myself. Instructions are quite clear, and I can't imagine why anyone would go to a body shop. Just used masking tape to mark the spot as they instruct, and used the measurements they provide. It took less than 15 minutes to do both sides.

The trick is not to measure with a flexible tape from the bottom of the door, but to measure from the ground with a simple wooden yard stick, after allowing for the added distance from the ground to the bottom of the door.

With a rigid stick from the ground, you avoid trying to measure on the curved door surface which is much more iffy. As long as the tires are properly inflated, there is no chance of an error measuring from the ground.

Using painter's tape can be problematic as well. The 3M adhesive on the back of the molding is very sticky. Once one part of the molding has been stuck on, it's hard to do-over. If you're off a degree (even though to your eye, you're lined up with the tape) while starting to unpeel and press down on the molding, that one degree error will be much more noticeable when you're done. In this regard, 2 more tips may be useful:

-- Get flat, thick, rectangular magnets from a hardware store. Use the magnets to align the molding with the painter's tape and to hold the molding up while you're slowly peeling and sticking.

-- Have a 2nd person with a good eye stand back 10 feet from the car while you're slowly peeling and sticking. This 10 feet back perspective is much more likely to catch slight alignment errors.

Here is how to be sure the molding doesn't get stuck in a misaligned position while working alone. (You don't need another person to watch.)

1. Use the yardstick to place the masking tape in place with the lower edge of the masking tape at the level where you want the upper edge of the molding. Ordinary masking tape can be repositioned repeatedly until you have it perfectly placed. Step back and see how it looks.

2. Do the back door first, as the molding is shorter and easier to work with while you gain experience. Be sure that you position the back door molding so that the front end is at the edge of the door so there won't be a gap after both pieces are applied. The absence of a gap is what makes it look professional. The bevel on the front edge of the back piece of molding is what permits you to place the molding almost up to the edge of the back door. To see how close you can go, just hold the molding in place before you remove the tape backing and open the back door to see if it clears.

3. Peel off the backing from about one third of the piece of molding. Hold the molding against the lower edge of the masking tape perpendicular to the door surface with the 3M tape facing down. At this point only the edge of the 3M tape is in contact with the door and it will only stick slightly and you can reposition it.

4. NOW with the molding firmly butted up against the masking tape, simply 'fold' the molding downward so the 3M tape starts to stick to the door. If you have the portion with exposed 3M tape aligned properly against the masking tape, once this is stuck the rest of the rigid molding must follow the line you have established. Peel off the rest of the backing and stick down the molding.

If you mess it up, don't worry for a moment. Just peel off the used 3M tape from the molding, and discard it. You can buy another roll of tape at Home Depot or PEP Boys. They sell exactly the same 3M product, it's inexpensive, and you can start all over again. They may not have a roll of tape as wide as the original tape on the molding. Buy tape that is half as wide and just lay down two strips side by side on the back of the molding. You can trim accordingly at the beveled ends.

Good Luck!

Anyone have any more pics of their Prius with body side moldings?

There are 3 pictures of my Magnetic Gray with body side mouldings and bumper guard strips in the last post (#150) of this page:

http://priuschat.com/forums/ca-san-...sfbay-group-say-hello-here-15.html#post460797

Thanks so much! I think I actually like it better w/o them ... unsure though. I appreciate your help!