Ever since experiencing my first door ding, I have always been something of a car door ding guru. Back in the 1980’s when I was in high school there were not many options available. There were a few magnetic car door protectors on the market, but none of them were any good. These door guards had magnetic strips glued to the backside and they were rough on the paint finish. I have tried every other car door protector since, and in this blog I will give you my thoughts and opinions.

There are various kinds of car door guards and car door protectors available. Some door guards are the stick-on type, which may include car door moldings or car door guards, both OEM and aftermarket. The stick-on car door guards are the most popular because you attach them only once and then forget they are there. These color matched rubber car door protectors are usually the color of the vehicle, so they blend nicely and look like part of the vehicle. This is my favorite car door guard and my best pick overall. You can also get matching car door edge guards. These car door protectors are sold for $4 per foot, plus installation. Another car door guard I tried was a suction cup car door protector. This car door protector had a three suction cups attached to a rubber mat body. Looked great, but it would not stay on for long– whatever I tried it would fall off after a few minutes. Additionally, there was no security feature, so it could be easily stolen off the vehicle. After turning my back for 5 minutes the car door guard was on the floor. The last category of car door protection I tested included several magnetic style car door protectors. Magnetic car door protectors are great because they will easily grab onto the vehicle’s steel panels. The problem with magnetic car door guards is that exposed magnets can scratch the delicate finish of your car. Even nylon magnets can scratch, especially if they accidentally slide or move on the surface. Some companies have realized the problems with exposed magnets and wrapped the magnets with fabric or a nylon covering. Good idea in theory, but the problem is that these materials often make the product more slippery and more prone to slide or move. I thought magnetic door guards were totally out of the picture, until I tried door shox. The door shox magnets are covered with an anti slip silicone/rubber with circular ribs to reduce the contact surface area. The magnets are cleverly located at three points so the product is flexible. Overall, I am happy with this car door protector…Cheers.