Miesmacher
Member Since: 21 Oct 2009
Location: Lucerne
Posts: 73
  
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| Doors and rear wheel arches - scratch protection? |
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Hi all,
it seems the end is nigh for our D3 after 7 years and 200'000km. My wife insists on a D4, but two things so far kept me from getting one:
- A new car costs money - but this is not why I write this post. (Some will already know that anyway.)
- During the last 7 years, our kids got used to merrily banging the rear doors against the garage wall when entering or leaving the car (and slightly less merrily against other cars occasionally) so the painted wheel arches will likely suffer a lot initially.
My door bangs against the wall at times, too - not merrily though.
So what would you recommend in this case? (Given that getting rid of the kids or resorting to corporeal punishment is no option.)
To me, it seems the options are as follows:
- Getting unpainted wheel arches and simply replace the painted ones.
That will cost an arm and a leg, likely, and from a posting by wiggs it seemed that it is a tedious thing to do with breaking clips etc...
As plastic disintegrates even when I only look at it, this seems difficult.
Comments welcome, though.
- Putting on some sort of protective cover seems a good idea, therefore - would also protect my door. The LR door protection would protect the front doors, but is of course useless for the back doors.
Is some cover or similar out there which is practical and not hideous?
Thanks for your opinions,
cheerio,
Thorsten
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 17th Feb 2013 11:49 am |
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wiggs
Member Since: 03 Sep 2006
Location: Manchester
Posts: 14372
 
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Wheel arches can be picked up for £60-£80 a set ... And I think I spend £20 odd pounds on clips
Take about 3/4 hr to change them all
Why not order it without painted arches G4 Gone ...but not forgotten
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| 17th Feb 2013 11:55 am |
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Miesmacher
Member Since: 21 Oct 2009
Location: Lucerne
Posts: 73
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Unnecessary quote removed
So you can simply take them away and re-mount - but you would have to use a fresh seit of clips? No more damage done? Well, I see an option here.
Ordering without painted arches - this is Switzerland, when I asked about this before I got blank stares. So I'm not confident about this (and then, my wife of course would LOVE the painted wheelarches).
Thanks!
Thorsten
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| 17th Feb 2013 12:20 pm |
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Grease Monkey
Member Since: 24 May 2009
Location: Essex
Posts: 134
 
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Hi Thorsten, I'm looking at this product, mainly for frontal area protection, but I note they also have kits for doors and wheel arches too.
http://www.paintshield.co.uk/catalogue.php...3329%7CLR4
Hope this helps,
GM
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| 17th Feb 2013 12:43 pm |
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wiggs
Member Since: 03 Sep 2006
Location: Manchester
Posts: 14372
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Only the arches on the rear doors were a problem .
The clips were different ( don't know if they had run out of normal ones when they built my car ?) ... They were harder plastic and a lot broke .
I replaced them with the same as the front clips ... Now they come off very easy again G4 Gone ...but not forgotten
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| 17th Feb 2013 12:57 pm |
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D4mation
Member Since: 29 Jul 2011
Location: Ruralshire
Posts: 593
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Just remind me what car parks you use in Lucerne so that I can avoid the risk of parking next to you  MY12 D4 HSE Ipanema Sand
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| 17th Feb 2013 3:36 pm |
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Miesmacher
Member Since: 21 Oct 2009
Location: Lucerne
Posts: 73
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I'd better tell you which car parks my wife uses... 
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| 18th Feb 2013 12:09 pm |
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bigcarpchaser
Member Since: 13 Oct 2007
Location: Camberley
Posts: 2270
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Fix some old carpet on the garage wall for starters or something spongy? Welcome "Lola" 
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| 18th Feb 2013 4:04 pm |
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Miesmacher
Member Since: 21 Oct 2009
Location: Lucerne
Posts: 73
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Carpets on the wall? Definitely. Looks like the D4 will remain outside the garage largely though, an even nicer car will get the garage space...
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| 22nd Feb 2013 8:57 am |
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