[quirkySquirt]

I misjudged clearance for my drivers door and ultimately scraped it a bit. >_< For future accidents, I've been looking into door edge trims and all of the auto parts stores near me carry the type with adhesive pre-applied which from what I've read don't last forever and when you do have to remove and reapply, can actually cause your paint to "bubble" or peel off bits of your clearcoat and paint as well.

I bought some with the pre-applied stuff anyway hoping to clean out the adhesive and it is hard to remove.

I found the below from Trim-Lok at Amazon and was wondering if anyone here has used it:

https://www.amazon.com/Trim-Lok-X10...DWI4GII/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1475812226&sr

Pros: no glue, no metal, smooth look. Cons: probably won't grip well over the door's interior lip (see attached pics).

There are other types with embedded metal for addition strength but was wondering if they put too much pressure on the paint. I found the below which functionally works, but looks terrible in pics due to the textured design:

https://www.amazon.com/Trim-Lok-Alu...1L38OXNW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1475816206&sr

Pros: no glue, fingers for holding past the door lip. Cons: ugly texture, metal may scratch.

Has anyone used the edge trimming with the metal backing and noticed any scratches to paint after removal? I aim to perhaps remove the edge trimming once every month to clean the area of any trapped water.

 

[quirkySquirt]

I went with the plain rubber one from Trim-Lok. Should get here in about another week and I'll follow up with how it performs. Another reason I went with black was to avoid exactly what Sean-a-Tron was afraid of: discoloration of the clear material. Here's hoping the Trim-Lok is of the same shade of black as the plastic on our Volt doors.

 

[quirkySquirt]

May I ask what brand of guards you used? Especially the ones on your Regal?

If they're the Cowles brand, than I'd probably be leery of using them based on reviews on Amazon. A few paint chips lifted and bubbling paint (not to mention the glue eventually failing) turned me off glue-based trim.

I also liked the option of removing the trims if I felt like it.

 

[quirkySquirt]

Finally installed them and they don't look that bad. They stay in place after multiple door closings no issue, but I haven't tried a commute with them yet at freeway speeds to test their grip with 60mph vibration. They do not make it past the inner lip and instead rest on it. You could pull the trim out with mild force but they don't fall off willy nilly from opening and closing the door.

They're a little bit more matte than I like (doesn't match the black plastic framing the windows), but they don't look too out of place.

Will report back after a week of commuting.

 

[quirkySquirt]

Trim is still going on strong through plenty of rainy days and even 2 high-pressure car washes! I forgot to remove them before the wash but they stayed on just fine. Multiple closings and openings have not loosened the trim edging as far as I can tell (used my fingers to push them in, nothing gave way). They're pricey, but have like 18' left of trim for future replacements or future cars.

 

[quirkySquirt]

Some minor issues with the Trim-Lok now that I've used it a bit, especially in colder weather. When closing the rear passenger doors, the clearance is not enough and the closing action pries the trim out a bit at the center of the door. Just gotta check every so often and just push the trim back in place. Not sure if the neoprene trim is starting to lose grip (dirt accumulation and/or cold temperatures solidifying the neoprene).