Tough Stuff Paint Protectors - Upper Door Guards
Manufactured by Tough Stuff Products
* Door Protectors Install Fender Protectors Install
Windshield Protector Install
Have you ever ran across a product and thought "why didn't I come up with that?" The guys over at Tough Stuff Products have come up with just that type of product. Peel and stick paint protection for your Jeep® Wrangler. According to their website, they are a "group of like-minded individuals who saw a need for some common-sense, high quality, reasonably priced products for the vehicle and firearm accessory markets". With that in mind, I ordered up a set of paint protectors for my doors and fenders. A couple of days passed and they were on the front porch with scuba's name written all over them.
The paint protectors themselves are die-cut from abrasion resistant, O.E.M. quality, U.V. stabilized (non-fading/yellowing) textured vinyl with permanent acrylic adhesive. One thing to remember here, these protectors are not "grip tape" like you might think they are... The protectors are offered in either a clear or black color and are removable if you ever wanted to take them off, but why would you want to do that?? Ok, now onto the install....
First and foremost, kudos to Tough Stuff Products for providing such a great set of instructions. They were highly detailed and easy to understand. With that said, I scanned down through the instructions and decided to give the set I bought for my doors a go.
On to the install...
The installation of the door protectors was very quick and easy. Actually, it took more time prepping the surface for the protectors then it did to install the protectors themselves. The preparation of the surface is a very important step, in that the paint protectors have to adhere to the body of the Jeep and any blemish can cause problems with bubbles and adhesion. The instructions say to use 70% alcohol for preperation and to wipe down all surfaces three times until no haze is viewable. I would recommend cleaning the surface area exactly like they mention, but I wouldnt "rub hard with a paper towel" as they say to do in the instructions. You could easily dull a paint job very quickly by doing so. I used 70% alcohol and a soft terry cloth towel for cleaning my doors,
With the surface of the upper doors cleaned and prepped, the installation was quick and painless. Tough Stuff Products makes it easy on you with the door protectors as you can line up the protector over the door lock. Use it as your guide to align the rest of the protector. Once you have it aligned, use masking tape or painters tape to "mark" where the protector will lay. I used little sections of tape as its much easier to move things around and remove once the install occurs. After taping all around the protector, do a quick double check to make sure you have everything where you want it. Begin by removing the back half (the section by the lock) of the tape that you had recently applied, making sure to leave the front have securly adhereed to the door. Gently lift the protector towards you and peel off the adhesive backing. Once you reach the center of the protector, either tear or cut the waxy paper (the backing) from the main protector. Starting from your tear/cut, carefully press the protector down on the surface of the door. Its a good idea to run your hand down the protector as you are applying it to the door itself. This just ensures that air bubbles will not be present beneath the protector (which we had no problem at all). Once the back half of the protector was installed, we removed the remaining tape and backing material and proceeded to apply the other end of the protector.
After the protector is in place, rub down the entire protector with a clean paper towel to ensure the adhesive is in full contact with the door. Take a minute or two and make sure you have all of the edges rubbed down well. If you have any air bubbles, this is when you will see them. If they do occur, try to work them towards the edge of the protector. If they will not disperse into smaller bubbles or move to the edge then use an exacto-knife and carefully slice a small slit in the bubble itself, then apply a small amount of pressure as you smooth them down. One thing to note is that the instructions state that you should not direct a pressure washer at an angle around the edges for 10-14 days after installation. This is very important and can mess up the the protectors adhesion if you do not follow the instuctions accordingly.
The door protectors come in either black or clear finishes. With installation being a breeze, and the clear instructions, this mod is very easy to tackle single handedly. I have been told that these have been on test vehicles for a couple of years and there has been no problems with the adhesive letting go or with the ever so dreaded fading factor. If you decide you would like to remove them for any reason, all you have to do is heat them up with a hairdryer and they will slowly peel off without damaging the paint beneath. All in all, this is an inexpensive and practical modification that Tough Stuff Products has so thankfully produced for all the Jeep® enthusiasts everywhere.
Submitted by: Scuba
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