Didn't see a DIY on these in Exterior Style and felt that others may be curious about installing these.
Lamin-X Protective Film, Door Cup Protectors DIY and Review
One of the the areas on any car that will get scratched 99% of the time is inside your door handle cups from your finger/jewelry/etc. It's almost inevitable so i wanted to prevent it. I purchased Lamin-X Protective Film, Door Cup Protectors through @CorSport and arrived in about 4-5 business days. Very happy about that.
Below is a pic of one minor scratch that i have in my drivers door cup, over time these accumulate.
The Lamin-X Protective Film, Door Cup Protectors kit contains: (for a coupe)
- 2 Lamin-x Door Cup Films
- Mini Spray Bottle
- Bag with instructions on back
(sedan package would presumably come with 4 films)
First things first, like the instructions say wash your door cups thoroughly. I personally have been waxing my car religiously trying to form a nice layer being a new car (door cups included) so i used dish detergent to clean my door cups. The dish detergent will remove the wax layer that most car soaps will try to leave on, you want all "contaminants" cleaned off where your going to apply the films.
HIGHLY recommend being inside a garage or area where little to no wind is present. I did not and my drivers side has small debris under the film that were inevitable in the environment i was working in. My passenger was fine but drivers isn't so lucky. May be ok but in time i will know and can easily redo a new film.
Below is my passenger door cup washed and dried.
Now in the picture above you can tell where the handle curves off the door (towards the camera) in the front and rear. It may be hard to tell but the front portion has a slightly bigger gap (top to bottom) than the rear portion. (Can add a pic with arrows to show what i mean if you don't follow) The Lamin-X cut-outs have a similar off set (seen below). The film below would match the passenger door seen above.
Now that we know which film will fit properly on which side we can start applying the film.
I started by spraying the door cup with the spray bottle supplied filled with straight watered as suggested in the instructions.
I then wet my fingers like the instructions suggest which allows any particles on your fingers to not stick to the backing/adhesive of the film. Clean hands is a must!
Grabbing the matched film to the passenger side i peeled off about 75% of the film and sprayed the backing with the spray bottle.
I grabbed the wet film and fully peeled it off the backing and finished soaking it in water with the spray bottle. I then carefully slid it down in the door cup. If it happens to stick at any point don't be afraid to peel it off and move it. Until the water evaporates the film wont fully stick. I will WARN you to be EASY when PULLING the film back to adjust/try to remove any debris that may ave floated behind the film during application. You can stretch the film out of shape. Not a huge deal but can be annoying if your a perfectionist like myself.
Below is a pic of the film softly applied as i try to find the proper fitment.
The instructions suggest to remove the bubbles and adhere the film by pressing the film from the center out with your finger. I agree completely as this is the best logic to remove bubbles on any decal you may be applying. Problem is knowing where your "center" really is.
I started from the top on one side and the bottom on the other and tried to align the curve of the film with the curve on the door. (You can kinda see it above) It took time and playing with the film to maneuver it in the spot i felt comfortable with.
TIP: If you peel the film back at ANY point, spray it with water water water! I can not say it enough, keep the backing of the film as wet as possible till your 100% happy with your location. These can be a pain to move at times when you don't have a sufficient amount of moisture.
TIP: If you find that all the edges get stuck to the door when your trying to move the film, use the edge of the paper that the film was attached to in order to get an edge that you can grab with your fingers. (ex. below) DON'T FORGET YOUR WATER! Not kidding
You will have to figure out the alignment and press half the film down (starting from the edge you aligned) to see if the opposite will line up. Peel up, spray, shift film, press to check alignment and repeat. No way will you get a one shot stick. As long as you keep the film backing wet you should be golden to adjust it for hours. (Below is a pic of me pressing the film up from where i attempted to align the film on the bottom initially.)
Below is a finished placement
The top and bottom curves are aligned as best as i feel i could get them. The instructions say the wrinkles and haziness will self fix over a 2 week span. The film is supposed to shrink and all moisture evaporate from behind the film. This will be known in 2 weeks as i just installed mine earlier today.
AND THAT'S IT! You've now added door cup protectors!
Any comments/questions/criticism welcome. Hope you enjoyed the DIY!
Lamin-X Protective Film, Door Cup Protectors DIY and Review
One of the the areas on any car that will get scratched 99% of the time is inside your door handle cups from your finger/jewelry/etc. It's almost inevitable so i wanted to prevent it. I purchased Lamin-X Protective Film, Door Cup Protectors through @CorSport and arrived in about 4-5 business days. Very happy about that.
Below is a pic of one minor scratch that i have in my drivers door cup, over time these accumulate.
The Lamin-X Protective Film, Door Cup Protectors kit contains: (for a coupe)
- 2 Lamin-x Door Cup Films
- Mini Spray Bottle
- Bag with instructions on back
(sedan package would presumably come with 4 films)
First things first, like the instructions say wash your door cups thoroughly. I personally have been waxing my car religiously trying to form a nice layer being a new car (door cups included) so i used dish detergent to clean my door cups. The dish detergent will remove the wax layer that most car soaps will try to leave on, you want all "contaminants" cleaned off where your going to apply the films.
HIGHLY recommend being inside a garage or area where little to no wind is present. I did not and my drivers side has small debris under the film that were inevitable in the environment i was working in. My passenger was fine but drivers isn't so lucky. May be ok but in time i will know and can easily redo a new film.
Below is my passenger door cup washed and dried.
Now in the picture above you can tell where the handle curves off the door (towards the camera) in the front and rear. It may be hard to tell but the front portion has a slightly bigger gap (top to bottom) than the rear portion. (Can add a pic with arrows to show what i mean if you don't follow) The Lamin-X cut-outs have a similar off set (seen below). The film below would match the passenger door seen above.
Now that we know which film will fit properly on which side we can start applying the film.
I started by spraying the door cup with the spray bottle supplied filled with straight watered as suggested in the instructions.
I then wet my fingers like the instructions suggest which allows any particles on your fingers to not stick to the backing/adhesive of the film. Clean hands is a must!
Grabbing the matched film to the passenger side i peeled off about 75% of the film and sprayed the backing with the spray bottle.
I grabbed the wet film and fully peeled it off the backing and finished soaking it in water with the spray bottle. I then carefully slid it down in the door cup. If it happens to stick at any point don't be afraid to peel it off and move it. Until the water evaporates the film wont fully stick. I will WARN you to be EASY when PULLING the film back to adjust/try to remove any debris that may ave floated behind the film during application. You can stretch the film out of shape. Not a huge deal but can be annoying if your a perfectionist like myself.
Below is a pic of the film softly applied as i try to find the proper fitment.
The instructions suggest to remove the bubbles and adhere the film by pressing the film from the center out with your finger. I agree completely as this is the best logic to remove bubbles on any decal you may be applying. Problem is knowing where your "center" really is.
I started from the top on one side and the bottom on the other and tried to align the curve of the film with the curve on the door. (You can kinda see it above) It took time and playing with the film to maneuver it in the spot i felt comfortable with.
TIP: If you peel the film back at ANY point, spray it with water water water! I can not say it enough, keep the backing of the film as wet as possible till your 100% happy with your location. These can be a pain to move at times when you don't have a sufficient amount of moisture.
TIP: If you find that all the edges get stuck to the door when your trying to move the film, use the edge of the paper that the film was attached to in order to get an edge that you can grab with your fingers. (ex. below) DON'T FORGET YOUR WATER! Not kidding
You will have to figure out the alignment and press half the film down (starting from the edge you aligned) to see if the opposite will line up. Peel up, spray, shift film, press to check alignment and repeat. No way will you get a one shot stick. As long as you keep the film backing wet you should be golden to adjust it for hours. (Below is a pic of me pressing the film up from where i attempted to align the film on the bottom initially.)
Below is a finished placement
The top and bottom curves are aligned as best as i feel i could get them. The instructions say the wrinkles and haziness will self fix over a 2 week span. The film is supposed to shrink and all moisture evaporate from behind the film. This will be known in 2 weeks as i just installed mine earlier today.
AND THAT'S IT! You've now added door cup protectors!
Any comments/questions/criticism welcome. Hope you enjoyed the DIY!
