side moldings dos and don'ts

When I bought mine the instruction said to install the molding 13" from the bottom of the front door and 13 3/4" from the rear. A friend on mine just ordered his and the instructions say 16" front nf 16 3'4 rear. When installed his look too high and too close to the door handle. I contacted the prius store and they said they'd check but I've not heard an answer as to which is right. They do the job as I've already got a ding on my molding and had to buy touch up paint to repair.

 

Yes, a straight line, but one that is either level or slightly raked.

Also keep in mind that the points between the bottom of the front door and rear door are not level.

If you do a 3/4" differential between the front and rear points of the moldings, the moldings will appear to be either level or slanting slightly upwards.

Personally, I like a full 1" differential between the front and rear points. That way the moldings appear either level or slanting slightly downward.

 

See this discussion where a couple of us describe our installation process. Here's the finished product:



Sorry, I can't remember how far from the door bottom to mount them, but the 13"+ dimensions sound right. Regardless, you can mount them where you'd like them.

There is an offset because of the difference in door dimensions, as Boo suggests. I don't think they'd look right without it, no matter how high or low they are. See post #11 in the thread linked above.

In my post #13 I describe using painter's tape to facilitate mounting. You can also use the tape to give you a visual clue to proper placement before actually installing.

 

For tips and photos, you may also want to check out the following thread, especially Rokeby's tips and photo, including his use of a 1" height differential as I had mentioned above. I think you'll see from his photo that the 1" height differential really looks good (the best IMO):

http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-m...essful-body-side-moldings-installation-4.html

Note that it isn't always easy to install the moldings in a straight line, even if you use painters tape. I think you should also consider using either rectangular magnets from the hardware store or building a wooden batten like Rokeby did to hold the moldings up in a straight line as you install them.

 

Here's a couple of tips I have:

Once you have your points of reference measured out, place small pieces of masking tape a few places along where your line will be, then stick down one end of your masking tape. Pull the tape outward from the car at an slight angle making the tape quite taught (almost to the point of breaking it). While maintaining tension on the tape, bring it into the side of the car, laying it over the small pieces of tape you had previously put down. This will ensure that your tape line is straight and true, with no sags.

I also suggest not peeling the entire backing from the 3M tape all at once. Instead, what I do is get the backing started and pull it upward away from the molding about an inch or so from the end. Then, stick down this exposed end and line up the rest of the molding with your tape line. Then carefully and slowly peel the adhesive backing up and along the length of the molding, sticking down the molding as you go. This will help you keep your line true, allowing you to tweak it as you go. On the contrary, if you peel the entire backing and try to flip the molding up, it is where it is. You also take the chance of contaminating the adhesive with your body oil.