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Anyone use door handle scratch protector films?

10K views 29 replies 8 participants last post by  jeff191 
#1 ·
I saw a friend use one of those scratch protector transparent films behind the door handle, so when you grab the handle you won’t scratch the door behind the handle.

Anyone use these for Volvo? Any recommendations?
 
#3 ·
I have them as part of my PPF package since my car is white and didn't want to get that grey look from scratches like my wife's car. Love them but they show dirt on edges bc car is white.

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Same thing here and same complaint with dirt on the edges of PPF on a white vehicle. I'll never own white again.
 
#4 ·
You don't need a very thick film for that; 8 mil clear should be more than sufficient. Any thicker and the installation will be more challenging. For that specific application (i.e. given the small area covered and that it doesn't need to face direct impact of road debris), you can pretty much buy most available brands (3M Scotchgard, Xpel, Lamin-X, SunTek, etc.). Note that some clear films come in matte in addition to gloss. For this application, both should be ok.

DIY is possible, with a bit of learning/experimentation: https://forums.swedespeed.com/showthread.php?527874-DIY-clear-paint-amp-headlight-film
 
#5 ·
I have PPF behind the door handles, installed myself when I did rest of car. Not too difficult since the curve isn't bad and the pieces are small. On previous cars, that area always got scratched pretty heavily even though I've had keyless entry on cars for years. Just my hand caused a lot of scratches and swirl marks.
 
#6 ·
A buddy of mine applied his PPF and I guess didn't prep it properly and it bubbled pretty quickly. He had it removed and paid someone else to do it. Prep and patience goes a long way!
 
#7 ·
Warming the film does a lot of wonders too. I either use hair dryer (heat gun can be too hot and risk melting the material) or let it sit inside the engine bay compartment while prepping the car's panels (e.g. last minute cleaning touch up and applying blue tape for alignment references).
 
#8 · (Edited)
I PPF'd the entire car (am OCD) and the door pocket was part of the door PPF. If you do just the pocket itself it'll be much much easier! Use a hair dryer like satrya says (I agree a heat gun can be too much) and you can go pro :)
Scotchgard Pro PPF was used and I'd recommend it, it was so easy to apply and (re)work. No hair dryer was used to do the door pocket, just plenty of patience and experience, having made mistakes earlier on hard to see places [emoji14]

The pics show the various stages so there was some PPF removal involved.
 
#15 ·
Yes I have had door cups done on several cars with PPF, including my S60 and XC90. I wish I had done the door handles on my XC90....this winter I caught a rock right on the bottom edge of the driver's door handle, which left 2 small chips...that I have to look at and cringe every time I open the door to get in the car. :mad:
 
#16 ·
It is sometimes surprising which body panels far beyond the front area can get road debris impact. Sadly, that means covering the whole vehicle (minus the windows, as the clear films aren't rated for windows) with clear film.
 
#17 ·
My Porsche GT3 is nearly completely covered in PPF. In the end the XC90 is utility vehicle that I bought to use. So wear and tear is expected including paint chips, but as a car guy it's always hard to accept.

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#30 ·
A clearcoat thick enough to do the work of PPF probably wouldn't be any more durable. I've had several custom paint jobs on cars and the clear on those was about as thick as possible - multiple layers as part of the color was in the clear. It will still chip as clear is hard and doesn't have the elasticity of a PPF.

I believe Infiniti actually started using self healing clear coats on their models a few years back. But it causes other problems such as it's susceptible to swirls and haze since the clear is very soft.
 
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