Car Door Guards—A Beginner’s Guide

Chips and dents on your car door may be minor damage, but they have the ability to be extremely annoying, especially if they’re the ones welcoming you every time you get in your car. The bad news is they can happen easily anytime, anywhere—whether you’re traveling on the road, parked in a mall, or even tucked safely away in your garage. For this reason, it behooves you to invest in car door guards.

What are car door guards?

The simplest answer to the question above is this: car door guards protect your door edges from chips and dents. When you attach this accessory to your car door, it acts as a barrier between your car door and anything that could damage it. Since it’s padded, your car door will never get chipped, scratched or dented again.

Of course, this requires that you open your car door in a conservative manner. Open it recklessly, and not even the priciest car door guard will do you any good.

How do car door guards work?

Car door guards function by lining the edge of your car door that often hits hard surfaces when you open it, thereby taking the brunt of the impact. While these products can vary in size, shape, appearance and in the manner that they are attached, they generally function the same way, and can be easily removed as needed. These products can be magnetic, rubber-molded, or come with adhesive, but once properly attached, car door guards act as your first line of defense against tree trunks, metal posts, concrete walls, or even other vehicles.

That said, not all car door guards are created equal, so it’s important that you confirm the quality of the product you’re buying. It can also help to buy one that goes with your car’s color for a complementary look. Then again, you can always purchase one that stands out if you want to call attention to it, such as the example below.