Car door jamb protectors safeguard your door sill from exposure to regular wear and tear. By acting as a defensive layer between your auto body and external elements, they ensure that you don’t have to put up with scuffs and scratches on your door sill.
Apart from protecting your car from frequent repaints and restoration jobs, this accessory goes a long way towards lowering down your maintenance costs. As a result, it not only comes with peace of mind but also brings financial security to the table.
But with so many options in the market, it can be difficult to find the right protector for your car. To help make the process a bit easier for you, here are 5 quick tips to find the best door jamb protector.
1. Check for Durable Material
Door jamb protectors are made with various materials. While some use heavy-duty rubber, others are made from paint protection film (PPF). Whereas, some are created using vinyl coating.
This variety gives you more options to make your selection. But it can also make it tricky to choose a protector that offers optimal safety against regular friction and scratches.
So which protector really lasts the test of extensive usage? The answer is not as black and white as you may think at first.
Both heavy-duty rubber and polyurethane (PU) PPF protectors stand out as offering ideal protection. In comparison, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) vinyl material misses that level of optimal safety by a small difference. It’s because rubber and PU materials can easily absorb shocks and scuffs, while PVC coatings can start showing signs of wear and tear after a few months of usage.
With that being said, there isn’t a stark difference between their performance. If you want excellent safety, then you should definitely go with a rubber or PPF protector. But if you don’t mind compromising a little, vinyl coating isn’t too bad either.
This brings us to the next point, which is all about your visual preference.
2. Prioritize Your Personal Aesthetic
Door jamb protectors are available in a variety of visual styles.
Rubber protectors are typically available in shades of black, while PPF usually comes in a clear coating.
Vinyl protectors, on the other hand, have different digital designs on them such as black-and-grey patterns. Some vinyl protectors even come with car brand names printed over them.
This is where your personal aesthetic comes in. If you want to install a protector that doesn’t even look like it’s on your car, PPF is your primary choice. The clear coating seamlessly sticks to your door sill and becomes a part of your auto body. Even as it protects your door jamb, it doesn’t stick out as an external material.
But if you want to use your door jamb protectors as design accents, turning to materials such as rubber and vinyl is the way to go. These protectors can act as accessories for your door sill and accentuate it whenever you open your door. Since some of them come with brand names or logos printed on them, they can act as additional design components of your car.
Keeping these points in mind helps you find protectors that go right in line with your personal aesthetic, and make sure that you don’t end up regretting your decision each time you get into your car.
3. Compare the Price of Different Options
Apart from durability and aesthetic, one of the most important points for finding the best door jamb protectors is the price. Here, you have several options to consider before you can make a decision.
By default, PPF protectors are priced a bit higher than rubber and vinyl protectors. They are also a bit difficult to install through a do-it-yourself (DIY) approach, which calls for professional intervention. When you need to remove or replace them, these protectors also require professional equipment and skills. This also adds to their overall installation, maintenance, and removal cost.
On the other hand, both rubber and vinyl protectors are easier to install. Most of them are even available in pre-cut segments, which allow you to simply pull-off their adhesive backing and put them onto your doorsill. While some of these protectors need professionals to remove them, that’s not always the case. This minimizes the need for professional services and their associated costs.
By considering these points, you can find protectors that not only safeguard your car from external elements, but also don’t cause you to break the bank.
4. Find the Perfect Fit
One of the most critical points of finding a good door jamb protector is to make sure that it fits on your car. Thankfully, there is more than one way of ensuring this with your door sill protector.
PPF protectors come in the form of a long strip that can be cut to become a custom fit for your car. No matter the types of bumps or dips on your door sill, PPF can seamlessly adjust to them. Since you are in control of the size adjustments, this makes sure that you don’t have to face any issues with the fit.
This also holds true for many rubber and vinyl protectors. While it’s a bit complex to have this material molded to fit all over your door sill, you can get the ideal fit against the most used area of the door jamb.
Going with rubber or vinyl door jambs also gives you the added ability to select pre-cut sets of protectors. These sets are usually available for the most popular brands of cars and developed to be the perfect fit for different models. Their installation process is quick and simple, and you don’t have to worry about cutting or adjusting them to fit them on your car.
5. Read Through Relevant Reviews
Once you have made up your mind about your ideal door jamb protector in terms of price, visuals, and installation, make sure to read through the reviews of products that fit your requirements.
You can find these reviews on third-party platforms to ensure their transparency. This tells you about the pros and cons of each product from different perspectives, which ensures that you are aware of what to expect with each item.
Thoroughly reading about the experiences of other customers ensures that you can set the good apart from the bad. It helps you stay away from products with warning signs, and allows you to find your way to something that is the ideal mix of performance, budget, and reliability.
Here, you should also make sure that the reviews you are reading come from verified buyers or industry experts. This ensures that you are not being misled by marketing gimmicks or even disgruntled customers who often try to bring a product down without justified reason.
By following these tips, you can choose the best door jamb that also fits all of your personal preferences. At the same time, it also ensures that you are staying away from any protectors that could drown your investment.