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Out of all the different pieces and parts that make up your vehicle, some take up more of our attention than others. The engine and internal workings, for instance, are often top of mind as we tinker with them or pay for someone else to perform maintenance every so often. We also might think about the body, particularly when it gets scratched or scuffed. Some pieces of our cars we probably don’t think about very often are the pillar posts.
While pillar posts are small, they’re a crucial part of your vehicle, and one we would sorely miss if they were gone. So why not take some time to give them a little extra attention? After all, these pillars get banged up sometimes too, and need a little bit of care to keep looking their best. We think one of the best ways to dress up your pillar posts is with a vinyl wrap.
Never used pillar post wraps before? Not quite sure where to get started? Don’t worry. We’ll start at the beginning and walk you through the process.
Pillar posts are the small pieces of your car’s body that run up from the door to the roof, separating the windows from one another. These are critical support pillars that help connect the bottom half of the vehicle to the roof, and vice versa. Because the doors open and shut and don’t bear weight, these pillars are essential for holding the roof up. You might also refer to them as door pillars.
Pillar trim wraps are vinyl covers you can stick to the surface of your door pillars, transforming their appearance. Not only can they upgrade your style to make your door pillars a little more sleek and sophisticated, but they can also be excellent for covering up damage and making your vehicle appear newer than it is.
Many of us use our vehicles multiple times a day without ever giving a second thought to those narrow posts at the edge of our windows. If you’ve made it this far without thinking about them, you might wonder why you’d ever want to change them. As it turns out, however, there are plenty of good reasons.
All cars get a little banged up from time to time. Whether it’s from a genuine collision or just the kids horsing around and accidentally hitting the car with a baseball bat, it’s perfectly normal for vehicles to develop scars and dings over their lives. The advantage of vinyl wraps is that they give you an inexpensive way to cover up the damage. They might not be an option if the dent is significant, but for small divots or scratches in the paint, these wraps make an excellent and inexpensive way to get your car looking new again.
Most of us get tired of staring at the same scenery or the same room day after day. The same is true of our cars as well. After weeks, months or even years of driving your vehile, sometimes you want a change. Applying a vinyl wrap to your pillar posts is a great way to mix up your car’s look without actually going in for any expensive changes. Best of all? Once you get tired of your current wrap, it couldn’t be easier to dispose of it and swap it for a different look.
We don’t always choose the specific look we get in a car. Maybe you bought a car used and love everything about it but the chrome trim. Delete this unwanted trim by covering it up with a vinyl wrap. This way, you can utterly transform the car’s look while avoiding the trouble of making any significant or expensive changes.
Between covering up old damage, changing a bad look or just mixing things up by going for a new style, it’s easy to see there are plenty of reasons to re-style your pillar posts. But why go for a vinyl door pillar cover? Why not just choose a sturdier and more permanent solution by installing a full set of new trim?
There are many situations where installing new trim might be the right choice, but we think vinyl wraps still come out on top as the best solution. Here’s why.
Installing new trim isn’t a cheap endeavor. Not only is the trim itself expensive, but you’ll also need to pay the time and labor costs for the mechanic that installs it for you. Vinyl wraps have a far smaller price tag, and you can purchase them at a fraction of the cost of brand-new trim. On top of this, they’re easy to install, meaning you can do it yourself without enlisting the services of a mechanic.
Sometimes, the steady permanence of new trim is what you’re looking for. Other times, this permanence can be a burden. After all, you’ve spent money on it, and you’ll likely feel pressure to get your money’s worth out of it by keeping the same look for years on end. The benefit of vinyl is that it’s temporary. You can try one look for a few months, then decide you’re tired of it and try a new one. Because the vinyl is comparatively inexpensive, there’s no pressure to maintain a look you don’t love, and more freedom to experiment with new styles, colors and textures.
Installing brand-new trim on your car is a major operation and a potentially dangerous one. If the slightest thing goes wrong, you could easily harm many adjacent parts of your vehicle, all in the process of trying to change minute pieces of trim. Applying vinyl, on the other hand, is a non-invasive and entirely risk-free method. You can do it yourself with confidence, knowing it’s nearly impossible to damage the rest of your vehicle as you do so.
Vinyl wraps come in a variety of styles, depending on what you’re looking for. Some are specifically designed to fit a particular vehicle, while others are available in bulk and offer more of a DIY approach. Take a moment to review some of our most popular options, and decide which style sounds right for you.
These vinyl kits come pre-cut and designed to precisely fit the shape of an exact make and model. When ordering, you’ll need to provide your vehicle specifications to ensure the sizes fit exactly. Because we’ve already done the sizing and trimming for you, these trim kits make excellent choices for someone who might not have the experience or interest to do this work themselves. When you choose a trim kit, all you’ll need to do is apply the vinyl. We’ve already taken care of the rest for you.
As much as we try to have pre-designed wraps available for as many vehicle makes and models as possible, we can’t cover them all yet. Is your vehicle one that isn’t on our list? If so, don’t worry. There are still options available to you. We sell our Rwraps wrapping films by the foot, meaning you can measure out the amount you need in whatever color or texture you like.
For the very highest-quality film in the business, you’ll want to turn to our 3M wraps. Like the Rwraps film, you’ll buy this material in bulk, carefully measuring the amount you need and using it to design your custom pillar wraps. With an incredible range in terms of colors, textures and designs available, 3M Pillar Trim Wraps are the very best way to go if you’re looking for unbeatable quality.
Vinyl pillar wraps come in an incredible variety of different styles. No matter what your tastes are and what your vehicle looks like, we guarantee we’ll have something that sparks your interest and will look perfect on your car. While there are too many style options to list in full, we’ll draw your attention to just a few of the highlights you might be interested in.
Once you’ve decided why you’re interested in pillar trim and what style to purchase, it’s time for the next big step — the process of installing the vinyl. The process is easy enough, and by following these instructions, we think you should have no trouble with your DIY pillar post wrap installation.
Depending on your preferences, you may end up using more tools than the ones listed below. The bare minimum items you’ll need, however, are:
Unroll the sheet of vinyl you bought. You’ll immediately notice there are large creases down the vinyl. These are normal, and are known as “tunnels.” They happen because of the air release channels that run down the material as it unrolls and is separating from its liner. They’ll disappear as you apply the film to the car, and are no cause for concern.
It’s never a good idea to apply new trim to a dirty surface. Instead, prep your door pillars by using rubbing alcohol to scrub them down until they look clean and free from any debris. If any grease or dirt remain on the surface, it could prevent the vinyl from sticking as well as it otherwise would.
Take the measurements of your door pillars and transfer these to the vinyl, making rough cuts in the size and shape of your door pillars. Make these shapes at least three-quarters of an inch larger than needed on every side, as you’ll tuck this overhang around the corners of the post. Hold the film up to the posts to test your fit, and make more cuts if necessary until you determine you have the shape right.
Peel the top part of the backing away and begin applying the vinyl from the top. Leave the paper on the lower sections of the vinyl as you squeegee the top into place. Peel the paper away slowly as you work your way down the post, using the squeegee to stick the film firmly into place.
To feel extra confident the vinyl will stay put, it’s time to apply a little heat. Turn the hairdryer onto the vinyl, blasting it with hot air as you carefully squeegee the edges into place. This heat helps the film mold better around corners and also helps work out any bubbles that may have become trapped in the surface of the vinyl.
Once you’ve finished the heating process, congratulations. You’ve finished applying your vinyl, and have a snazzy new door pillar. Repeat this process with the rest of your pillars to finish the job.
Is it time to upgrade your pillar posts with a fresh look for a new season and a new you? Wishing you could cover up those ugly scrapes and scratches? Our vinyl door pillar wraps are the perfect way to do this. Choose from pre-cut, pre-sized styles today, where the only thing you’ll need to do is apply them, or purchase these films by the sheet so you can size them yourself.
Not quite sure what color or style is right for you and your vehicle? That’s alright — there are plenty to choose from. No matter what you’re looking for, we think you’ll find something here. Check out our full selection of colors, textures and patterns, then get busy shopping for your vehicle today.
Quality vinyl, install was easy, needed to be wider than it is but I made it work.
I bought and received the Black Gloss Trim for my Infiniti 2016 windows. I have to say that they are exactly what I needed. Although the package does not include any tools, I was able to do the work myself with no difficulties. Highly recommended. Marina
The piece that was supposed to be custom fit didn't match by about an 1/8" at the side towards the bottom. Somewhat disappointed but not totally.