Rear Door Protectors

[nerdboy]

just took delivery of my new f sport. Absolutely love the car. One thing I noticed was that it came with big plastic protection stickers on the rear doors, not on the edge actually on the lower part of the doors. Not sure if they are clear or colour matched but in certain light they stand out. Just wondering if these are standard and if they can be safely removed..... or should I even?

[C Mclean]

They come as standard to protect the door panel from getting chipped from stones etc getting flung up. I've left mine on and plan to add some clear protective film to the lower parts of the rear wings as Lexus don't do mudflaps.

[Rabbers]

The problem I have with the protective films on the rear doors and fronts of the rear wheel arches is that over time,

despite the car being regularly and carefully washed, the edges of the film gather dirt to the point where they become

clearly outlined against a light paint colour such as my Arctic Pearl. I have tried to remove the dirt with undiluted

shampoo, all-purpose fluid, polish and tar/resin remover, but none of these work. Advice on anything else I could

try would be much appreciated.

Personally, I would be reluctant to have the films removed since it is clear that they fulfil their purpose, as evidenced

by horizontal streaking on their surfaces after the car has been on wet and dirty roads, and this could well mean that

the need for protection is advisable at those specific points because of the car's aerodynamics.

Not to be recommended IMO are the pieces of film I had fitted under the front door-handles to protect against

fingernail scratches. Not only have they acquired dirty edges over time but also an equally irritating tendency to

bubble and lift in wet conditions. Maybe this is because they are a poorly customized fit, or maybe simply because

they were not fitted properly, and as a matter of fact I recall the head of the body-shop of the Lexus dealer who

fitted them muttering about how awkward it had been to get them into position. Whatever the case, I am thinking

of having them removed.