Toyota doesn't believe in door side mouldings anymore?

Has anybody noticed that the new Toyota models no longer have door side
mouldings to protect against door dings? Look at Camry, Avalon, Rav4,
FJ Cruiser. Even with side mouldings cars take a beating from careless
inconsiderate people in parking lots. Without them I can only imagine.
What is Toyota thinking??? Is this a cost cutting move or is it a
case of "style over function" trying to make the car looks as nice as
possible in the showroom without caring what happens to it once its
sold. Either way, it's a dumb move. I hope this trend doesn't catch
on with other carmakers.

Although I would prefer door moldings, with repair outlets like Dent Wizard
and the flexible metal and paint used in todays cars, fixing a ding is not
as big a deal as it used to be. And moldings can cause problems if they let
go or are dented themselves.


<sfoy@attbi.com> wrote in message
news:1163178823.198022.237540@h54g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
> Has anybody noticed that the new Toyota models no longer have door side
> mouldings to protect against door dings? Look at Camry, Avalon, Rav4,
> FJ Cruiser. Even with side mouldings cars take a beating from careless
> inconsiderate people in parking lots. Without them I can only imagine.
> What is Toyota thinking??? Is this a cost cutting move or is it a
> case of "style over function" trying to make the car looks as nice as
> possible in the showroom without caring what happens to it once its
> sold. Either way, it's a dumb move. I hope this trend doesn't catch
> on with other carmakers.
>[/color]

<sfoy@attbi.com> wrote in message
news:1163178823.198022.237540@h54g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
> Has anybody noticed that the new Toyota models no longer have door side
> mouldings to protect against door dings? Look at Camry, Avalon, Rav4,
> FJ Cruiser. Even with side mouldings cars take a beating from careless
> inconsiderate people in parking lots. Without them I can only imagine.
> What is Toyota thinking??? Is this a cost cutting move or is it a
> case of "style over function" trying to make the car looks as nice as
> possible in the showroom without caring what happens to it once its
> sold. Either way, it's a dumb move. I hope this trend doesn't catch
> on with other carmakers.
>[/color]

Maybe it's because door molding only protects against things that hit the
molding. With the preponderance of SUVs & pickup trucks in this country,
doors are at too many different heights to predict where they'll hit your
car.

Side molding do not protect one from dings. What cause the digs are the
parts of others doors that do not touch where the molding are located, like
the dog leg portion of read doors. Open one of the doors on one of you
other vehicles and see for yourself it even comes close to where you molding
might be.


mike


<sfoy@attbi.com> wrote in message
news:1163178823.198022.237540@h54g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
> Has anybody noticed that the new Toyota models no longer have door side
> mouldings to protect against door dings? Look at Camry, Avalon, Rav4,
> FJ Cruiser. Even with side mouldings cars take a beating from careless
> inconsiderate people in parking lots. Without them I can only imagine.
> What is Toyota thinking??? Is this a cost cutting move or is it a
> case of "style over function" trying to make the car looks as nice as
> possible in the showroom without caring what happens to it once its
> sold. Either way, it's a dumb move. I hope this trend doesn't catch
> on with other carmakers.
>[/color]

In article <1163178823.198022.237540@h54g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>,
<sfoy@attbi.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
> Has anybody noticed that the new Toyota models no longer have door side
> mouldings to protect against door dings? Look at Camry, Avalon, Rav4,
> FJ Cruiser. Even with side mouldings cars take a beating from careless
> inconsiderate people in parking lots. Without them I can only imagine.
> What is Toyota thinking??? Is this a cost cutting move or is it a
> case of "style over function" trying to make the car looks as nice as
> possible in the showroom without caring what happens to it once its
> sold. Either way, it's a dumb move. I hope this trend doesn't catch
> on with other carmakers.
>[/color]
Perhaps those with closer ties to Toyota can confirm what my omniscient
<g> dealer told me. The mouldings tend to be horizontal, whereas the
airflow along the side panels is not. By interfering with the flow the
mouldings add to air resistance.

I pass that along with some skepticism about the magnitude of the
effect.

--
Lady Purse-Wader
YahooUK disallows hyphens

On 10 Nov 2006 09:13:43 -0800, [email]sfoy@attbi.com[/email] wrote:
[color=blue]
>Has anybody noticed that the new Toyota models no longer have door side
>mouldings to protect against door dings? Look at Camry, Avalon, Rav4,
>FJ Cruiser. Even with side mouldings cars take a beating from careless
>inconsiderate people in parking lots. Without them I can only imagine.
> What is Toyota thinking??? Is this a cost cutting move or is it a
>case of "style over function" trying to make the car looks as nice as
>possible in the showroom without caring what happens to it once its
>sold. Either way, it's a dumb move. I hope this trend doesn't catch
>on with other carmakers.[/color]

My '92 Corolla Wagon has body side moldings and I park as far away
from a store.


I suggest you adopt my method of dent control. Your doctor will be
happy, too...


--

Scott in Florida

"Masked" <Masked@mm.m> wrote in message
news:101120061251535550%Masked@mm.m...[color=blue]
> In article <1163178823.198022.237540@h54g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>,
> <sfoy@attbi.com> wrote:[/color]
[color=blue]
> Perhaps those with closer ties to Toyota can confirm what my omniscient
> <g> dealer told me. The mouldings tend to be horizontal, whereas the
> airflow along the side panels is not. By interfering with the flow the
> mouldings add to air resistance.
>
> I pass that along with some skepticism about the magnitude of the
> effect.
>
> --
> Lady Purse-Wader
> YahooUK disallows hyphens[/color]

Your dealer's excuse sounds just like something a dealer would say. I
recall when Plymouths had huge, oversize fishtails on the rear end, and the
claim was that they aided in horizontal stability at highway speed. Then
some aeronautical engineer stated with some formulas that this effect of
horizontal stability would indeed start to kick in....at approximately 170
mph. (only 70 mph or so more than a Plymouth could ever attain.)

<sfoy@attbi.com> wrote in message
news:1163178823.198022.237540@h54g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
> Has anybody noticed that the new Toyota models no longer have door side
> mouldings to protect against door dings? Look at Camry, Avalon, Rav4,
> FJ Cruiser. Even with side mouldings cars take a beating from careless
> inconsiderate people in parking lots. Without them I can only imagine.
> What is Toyota thinking??? Is this a cost cutting move or is it a
> case of "style over function" trying to make the car looks as nice as
> possible in the showroom without caring what happens to it once its
> sold. Either way, it's a dumb move. I hope this trend doesn't catch
> on with other carmakers.[/color]

If all side moldings on all vehicles were at a uniform height, or even if
all vehicles' outermost points of their doors (that is phrased really
poorly, but can't think of a better way to say it!) were at the same height,
side moldings would work, & prevent a bunch of dings. But how may other
car/SUV/truck/van doors would hit exactly where the side molding is on my
car? IMO, it seems like a great idea at first, until one realizes that the
all of the various moldings just don't match up with each other.

Cathy
[color=blue]
>[/color]

[email]sfoy@attbi.com[/email] wrote:[color=blue]
> Has anybody noticed that the new Toyota models no longer have door side
> mouldings to protect against door dings?[/color]

Has anyone noticed that very few vehicles have them? Look at the '07
Tahoe, most Nissans, Volvos, etc...


Functional or not, side moldings are a slave to style.

Is everybody a Toyota apologist here? No, door mouldings don't have to
line up to be effective. When a door is swung against the side of
another car, you only need 1 car's moulding to make contact to avoid a
damaging ding. The key is to avoid metal against metal. If a car has
a door moulding at its widest point then (theoritically) it should
prevent it from damaging another car. Now that I think about, the
moulding protects other doors from dings just as much as it protects
its own door. I just went to an auto show and was disappointed by the
lack of door mouldings on Toyotas. But I was also disappointed with
Toyota in general. Maybe I was expecting too much but I just wasn't
impressed by their vehicles. I kind of liked the Highlander (which has
mouldings!), but that was it.

<sfoy@attbi.com> wrote in message
news:1163187151.931542.37140@f16g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
> Is everybody a Toyota apologist here? No, door mouldings don't have to
> line up to be effective. When a door is swung against the side of
> another car, you only need 1 car's moulding to make contact to avoid a
> damaging ding. The key is to avoid metal against metal. If a car has
> a door moulding at its widest point then (theoritically) it should
> prevent it from damaging another car. Now that I think about, the
> moulding protects other doors from dings just as much as it protects
> its own door. I just went to an auto show and was disappointed by the
> lack of door mouldings on Toyotas. But I was also disappointed with
> Toyota in general. Maybe I was expecting too much but I just wasn't
> impressed by their vehicles. I kind of liked the Highlander (which has
> mouldings!), but that was it.
>[/color]

The widest point of the door of the adjacent vehicle is VERY often enough to
miss your molding completely. Otherwise, cars with molding wouldn't have
dings in their doors.

In article <1163178823.198022.237540@h54g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>
[email]sfoy@attbi.com[/email] writes:
[color=blue]
> Has anybody noticed that the new Toyota models no longer have
> door side mouldings to protect against door dings? [...][/color]

The Prius (UK T4 model) has them as an option. I opted, having a
long experience of how they improve (NB "improve" -- nothing will
save you from totally reckless creeps) the odds of dodging bashes
from other cars' doors in carparks. My car still gives good mpg.

Study the options, not the just vanilla spec.
--
Andrew Stephenson

<sfoy@attbi.com> wrote in message
news:1163178823.198022.237540@h54g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
> Has anybody noticed that the new Toyota models no longer have door side
> mouldings to protect against door dings? Look at Camry, Avalon, Rav4,
> FJ Cruiser. Even with side mouldings cars take a beating from careless
> inconsiderate people in parking lots. Without them I can only imagine.
> What is Toyota thinking??? Is this a cost cutting move or is it a
> case of "style over function" trying to make the car looks as nice as
> possible in the showroom without caring what happens to it once its
> sold. Either way, it's a dumb move. I hope this trend doesn't catch
> on with other carmakers.
>[/color]

Style and reduction of the coefficient of drag are the reasons.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

Buy a Saturn with plastic doors.


<sfoy@attbi.com> wrote in message
news:1163178823.198022.237540@h54g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
> Has anybody noticed that the new Toyota models no longer have door side
> mouldings to protect against door dings? Look at Camry, Avalon, Rav4,
> FJ Cruiser. Even with side mouldings cars take a beating from careless
> inconsiderate people in parking lots. Without them I can only imagine.
> What is Toyota thinking??? Is this a cost cutting move or is it a
> case of "style over function" trying to make the car looks as nice as
> possible in the showroom without caring what happens to it once its
> sold. Either way, it's a dumb move. I hope this trend doesn't catch
> on with other carmakers.
>[/color]

[email]sfoy@attbi.com[/email] wrote:[color=blue]
> Has anybody noticed that the new Toyota models no longer have door side
> mouldings to protect against door dings? Look at Camry, Avalon, Rav4,
> FJ Cruiser. Even with side mouldings cars take a beating from careless
> inconsiderate people in parking lots. Without them I can only imagine.
> What is Toyota thinking??? Is this a cost cutting move or is it a
> case of "style over function" trying to make the car looks as nice as
> possible in the showroom without caring what happens to it once its
> sold. Either way, it's a dumb move. I hope this trend doesn't catch
> on with other carmakers.
>[/color]


ive got a scion xA, and it doesnt have the strips either. however, its
available color-matched as a JDM import, for some rediculous price.