I picked up a couple of "big" scratches on the right rear door and now see a bunch of "tiny" random scratches on the left front fender. I am thinking that if the side panels were (mostly) covered with flexible sheet magnets cut to shape I could avoid further scratches and maybe a ding. The material seems to be inexpensive on the internet. Why wouldn't this be a good idea? All advice is greatly appreciated.
Two thoughts come to mind... 1). I'm not sure such things would stay on at highway speeds. 2). Aren't most of the panels plastic? -Ken
It is a terrible idea because of the crap that'll get caught between the magnetic sheets and the car. I use magnetic signs on my car (and no, the doors are not plastic, but steel) and the instructions are quite clear about not leaving the sheets on permanently. Every time I take them off (after a few days to a week) there's plenty of crud and trapped water under there. I'd never leave anything like that on a car that I cared about. The other thing that comes to mind is that you're going to cut off your nose to spite your face. You want to put stuff all over your car that will look pretty bad - to avoid the bad-looking scratches? Bummer on your scratches, BTW!
I've used magnets for stick on car numbers when I race my Subaru in Autocross. I've had them blow off as slow as 60 mph, so I began using masking tape on the leading surfaces, which kinda defeats the magnet idea. Do you have the factory rub strip moldings? Unfortunately, dings and dents are part of life, as are uncaring drivers who swing doors.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cairo94507 @ May 30 2007, 08:55 AM) [snapback]452041[/snapback]</div> For some reason I'm taking more hits on the sides than on the hood but that is probably just a matter of time. No door guards. Thanks to all for the advice.
