Thanks to a recent
post by 93civEJ1 which stated that Mitsubishi was dealing with the issue of paint chips on the rear door jamb by offering 3M film protectors, I ordered the parts from my local dealer for the princely sum of $5.49 each:
5228A007 - Film, RR door protect, LWR LH
5228A008 - Film, RR door protect, LWR RH
Supposedly, Mitsubishi is now installing this film on Evos at the factory to prevent chipping of paint by debris thrown up by the front tires. If you have an 03 or early 04 Evo, you will need to purchase and install the film yourself.
Here is the part. It comes shrinkwrapped with a corrugated cardboard insert to prevent it from being folded and damaged in shipping:
The 3M film has a blue outer protective layer and a paper backing:
Prepare the surface of your rear door jamb by cleaning it thoroughly to remove all surface dirt.
Wet the surface of the door jamb with a solution of a cup or two of water mixed with a couple of drops of household dishwashing liquid. I used a sponge to slop it on. This will allow you to position the film fairly easily without introducing wrinkles. Peel the film off the paper backing:
Place the film on the door jamb so that half of it extends out towards the front of the car into the door opening and the other half extends out into the rear wheel well:
I used a nifty little tool from Speedgrahpics.net to smooth out the film on the jamb, being careful to squeeze out all the air bubbles. This is very important to do, as a trapped air bubble will look unsightly. You can use any semi-rigid plastic item you might have around the house, like a kitchen spatula, a ruler, or even just your fingers. Smooth it gently, attempting to move the air bubbles out to the edges:
Now that the exterior side is nice and smooth, slowly work the film over both edges of the door jamb with your fingers, moving from top to bottom. Again, you want to make sure that air bubbles are squeezed out before you proceed further:
Smooth out all three sides of the door jamb with your smoothing tool and keep working it until you are satisfied that it is wrinkle-free and there are no trapped air bubbles. Let it sit for a couple of minutes, then carefully lift the blue protective layer from the film and peel it back. Try to pull it back at nearly a 180 degree angle from the film itself, to prevent the inadvertent lifting of the film:
A final smoothing with your tool and you should be set. If you're not happy with the results, you can carefully peel the film off the car, rewet the door jamb, and start over again. You need to do this quickly, though, because once the water evaporates, the film will stick like crazy:
Voila! A protected door jamb:
Here my wingless Evo is now ready for battle in the urban landscape, knowing that my door jambs are at least protected from the dirt and grime sure to be encountered in the coming years.
Note that this is the same stuff that is sold as "Clear Bra" or "Invisible Paint Shield" and other such names. Seeing how so many Evos are getting dinged up, particularly on the hood, it might not be a bad investment for someone really concerned about their Evo's paint.
