Body Side Molding Installation

[Young J Kwak]

Hi All!
Just installed the body side molding and took some pics / clips of vids during the process.
Of note, I have had prior experience as an automotive tech and have done these installs in the past. Nonetheless, this is a very easy job to do, and well worth it.
The body side moldings can prevent a significant amount of door dings - my honda pilot's body side moldings have many dents / scratches in it to prove the point.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
- warmer weather is favorable
- No rinse wash solution OR washing the car + microfiber to clean any grime
- isopropyl alcohol or alcohol pads (no, tennessee whiskey wont do the trick here)
- scotch tape / clear tape of some sort to hold up the templates
- a little patience and some good lighting

INSTRUCTIONS:
- clean the areas of the install to remove dust / grime
- apply some clear tape to the upper left and right corners of the template that comes with the kit
- on the Ends of the trim - remove the film over the double sided tape
- only remove a portion of the film over the center strips of double sided tape so you have a curly "pigs tail" hanging down
- align the body side molding to the template edge on the middle of the car (between the passenger and driver door)
- press the end down that you are starting with to get some adhesion
- you can now either align and press down the other side (far end)
OR
- you can press down the central portion and work your way down
- as you go down along the trim piece, pull at the "pigs tail" of loosened film covering
- start with the TOP part to get proper alignment along the templates
- remove the film from the bottom part while pressing firmly as you go along
- the instructions call for a "rubber roller", but firm finger pressure along all adhesive edges is sufficient

 

[Young J Kwak]

If anyone has any questions on how to do this, feel free to message me.

 

[Richard Kelly]

Does anyone have the Chrome Trim at the bottom of the door installed. Looking for insight as to how it looks and pictures if available.

 

[amy2421]

Thanks for posting! Great "work in progress" shots! It is exciting for me to see that sparkly white paint close up... I am still waiting for my Clarity to arrive and I've never seen the white in real life. It looks beautiful!

 

[mrgb5]

nice work, i got the same white clarity touring 3 weeks old, i am really enjoying it, i want to get that done
where and what is the price you got it, here in toronto, canada , these are listed for cad $328 + taxes with dealer

 

[Alantn]

Do you have link where to purchase? Are they custom to fit the Clarity and match color? Looks good and I'm all for.not getting door dinks

 

[Young J Kwak]

This is where I bought it from:

https://www.collegehillshonda.com/category/2018-clarity-accessories.html

Took about 25 minutes to do it. If it is your first time, maybe add a few more minutes as doing things like this yourself makes you a perfectionist.
At the dealer, they don't typically try to be "exact" in lining up the template to the body lines / door edge.
I wanted the top lines of the front and rear pieces to be exactly flush with each other - you won't always get this with dealer installs. The photos are slightly out of order as what is pictured for the close up is not flush - it was just to show how they come together using the templates.

 

[Young J Kwak]

Here is how it looks

 

[Alantn]

Beautiful. I just ordered, thank you. Mine is "Solar Silver Metallic".

 

[Young J Kwak]

Apologies to everyone, but I forgot to mention this in the initial post.
I purposely swapped the Front Lt and Front Rt pieces to get the swoop at the ends going upwards on both sides.

I personally didnt like the look of it as pictured here. Others will likely do it the regular way.

 

[Richard Kelly]

A little cheaper here....https://www.cheaperhondaparts.com/a...edan/plugin-clarity-phev-trim/variable-engine

On as site at Amazon there was a not that the body side molding could not be installed along with the door edge film. Has anyone seen that being a problem?

 

[bpratt]

A little cheaper here....https://www.cheaperhondaparts.com/a...edan/plugin-clarity-phev-trim/variable-engine

On as site at Amazon there was a not that the body side molding could not be installed along with the door edge film. Has anyone seen that being a problem?

My car has both and was installed by the dealer.

 

[Richard Kelly]

Thanks for letting me know. Can you tell if the body side molding goes over the door edge film, or does it stop short of the film?

 

[Young J Kwak]

It stops just before the door edge guards that I installed
Maybe like a 1cm or 1.3cm gap from door edge to the body side molding.

 

[Sandroad]

Here are the Honda instructions.

https://www.collegehillshonda.com/instructions/clarity/2018/bodysidemoldings.pdf

I wonder if anyone will get brave and try a contrasting color on their Clarity? I considered a light color on my red car, but opted to go with the red moldings.

To the question above about door edge film; the edge film is a little easier to install without the molding in the way, but the molding does not cover the area where the film fits.

 

[Young J Kwak]

I have seen people cars with different bodyside pieces before and it almost never looks ok unless it is something like a darker car with black trim pieces, or sometimes even chrome.

For this car, I would strongly suggest staying with the factory color of the car.

 

[su_A_ve]

Here are the Honda instructions.

https://www.collegehillshonda.com/instructions/clarity/2018/bodysidemoldings.pdf

I wonder if anyone will get brave and try a contrasting color on their Clarity? I considered a light color on my red car, but opted to go with the red moldings.

To the question above about door edge film; the edge film is a little easier to install without the molding in the way, but the molding does not cover the area where the film fits.

The instructions shows to mount the molding about 1/4" away from where you would otherwise if you have the door edge film. I guess if you would install the door edge film after, it could be an issue.

 

[bpratt]

Thanks for letting me know. Can you tell if the body side molding goes over the door edge film, or does it stop short of the film?

My car had the door edge film installed first because the body side molding had to be ordered. The dealer installed the body side molding just touching the door edge film. No gap at all.

 

[SkipperT]

Does anyone have the Chrome Trim at the bottom of the door installed. Looking for insight as to how it looks and pictures if available.

Hi Richard, not sure if you are still looking for pics, just LMK.
I have the lower chrome trim accents installed on my red Clarity.

-Skip

 

[Robert_Alabama]

Young J Kwak ... My sons put the side molding on my father-in-law's white touring Clarity today and on my Black one. Your instructions with photos were helpful. Just wanted to say Thank You. We were very happy with the new look.