I have bought some Skoda door sill protectors for my new Yeti.  Looking at the instructions I see that, using the double-sided tape that they are supplied pre-fitted with (ie one side of the tape already stuck on to the protector), they recommend only fitting them at temperatures above 15°C.  Doing a bit more research online it seems that 3M recommends a temperature range of 21°C-80°C.  Now, I live in Scotland, where the temperature only tickles its way in to the 70s Fahrenheit on a few days each year.  Today the sun is shining brightly, but the air temperature is 7°C.  With no access to a heated garage (or, indeed an unheated one) what's the best way to go about using VHB tape in such apparently unsuitable climatic conditions?

 

(I realise that this isn't a Yeti-specific question and probably shouldn't be in the Yeti section, but I'm not quite sure which section of the forum it does belong in,  Mods please feel free to move it.)

Use a hair dryer to warm up sills.
Sills must be VERY clean, use something like methylated spirits to wipe them down.

Thanks for the advice.  Good call on the hairdryer (if I can borrow the missus' without incurring her wrath - my own need for some things ceased long ago...)  Should be less damaging to the bodywork than the heat gun which was my first, rather scary, thought.

 

Cleaning is under control: turns out that the VHB cleaning wipes use isopropanol, of which I already have a good supply.

as  urrell  says .....its all about  heat with that tape .best if both the surface its being attached to is clean and warm and tape warm enough to feel tacky

I fitted my missus's protectors to the sills and boot lid in the middle of winter, just picked a dry day, used a wipe down with IPA to clean and a hairdryer to warm up the plastic and the sill. They are still there 18 months later so I'd say that's a success. 

 

If you **** up the placing then you'll never get the tape off intact - best to saw it off using dental floss and use new tape you can get from Amazon/Ebay.

 

Doesn't it say to wet everything with clean water? The sill protector I used advised cleaning everything scrupulously then wetting everything with water - both the sill and the film once the backing paper was removed then you can slide the protector into place before squeegeeing out the water and getting a perfect fit. Art was really getting everything clean and using copious amounts of water - helps if you add just 1 or 2 drops of washing up liquid to litre of water in a spray bottle then you can spray everything more easily. Film slid easily over the sill to get right fit then hold it and carefully squeegee out the water. I used a credit card wrapped in a bit of soft felt as the squeegee so could get in all the nooks and crannies.

Go slow and carefully and you should be fine. I would imagine fitting the film without the ability to manoeuvre a bit would be near as well impossible to fit it well.

55 minutes ago, Expatman said:

Doesn't it say to wet everything with clean water? The sill protector I used advised cleaning everything scrupulously then wetting everything with water - both the sill and the film once the backing paper was removed then you can slide the protector into place before squeegeeing out the water and getting a perfect fit. Art was really getting everything clean and using copious amounts of water - helps if you add just 1 or 2 drops of washing up liquid to litre of water in a spray bottle then you can spray everything more easily. Film slid easily over the sill to get right fit then hold it and carefully squeegee out the water. I used a credit card wrapped in a bit of soft felt as the squeegee so could get in all the nooks and crannies.

Go slow and carefully and you should be fine. I would imagine fitting the film without the ability to manoeuvre a bit would be near as well impossible to fit it well.

 

Hi Expatman, are you talking about the clear "helicopter" tape protection for the wheel arch/door, if so I believe you are correct, but the OP is talking about the stainless steel or aluminum decor plates/protectors, and I'm not sure but I don't believe the 3M VHB tapes like water until fully cured.

Edited 1 May, 20188 yr by TruckbusUK

2 hours ago, TruckbusUK said:

 

Hi Expatman, are you talking about the clear "helicopter" tape protection for the wheel arch/door, if so I believe you are correct, but the OP is talking about the stainless steel or aluminum decor plates/protectors, and I'm not sure but I don't believe the 3M VHB tapes like water until fully cured.

Okay, sorry! Yes I was describing fitting the Skoda rear sill protector film. 

1 hour ago, Expatman said:

Yes I was describing fitting the Skoda rear sill protector film. 

 

Wheel arch protection film, surely?  AFAIK Skoda don't do film protection for the sills - by which I mean these bits (photos are of my old Yeti):

 

 

 

(Blimey, just realised how grubby that car was when the garage picked it up in PX for my new one!)

The film fits on the top face of the painted plastic rear bumper and protects the paint from scratching when loading the boot. Chrome and black strip covers are also available but I prefer the naked look of the clean painted bumper. It is a Skoda part.

Edited 1 May, 20188 yr by Expatman

That's the rear bumper, though, not the passenger door sills.  Which is what I mentioned in my OP.  But at least we now understand each other, which is the main thing!

 

(As it happens, I also have a third party solid plastic protector for my new Yeti's rear bumper.  I don't trust helicopter tape enough to protect against the kind scraping damage that can arise from heaving heavy stuff in and out of the boot.  But that's probably just me.)

 

The positive news is that the forecast for this weekend indicates that we'll be getting temperature in double figures (°C) so I'm nervously optimistic about getting the work done then (especially since the missus will be working on the BH so I'll have the place to myself!)

This reminds me that I must fit my clear rear bumper protector this year as I left it too late last year! Bought it not long after I bought the car which was almost three years ago!

 

Bought it as I was transporting friends and their luggage to the airport.

 

I did put a minor scratch on the bumper with a shopping bag (the paint is so soft) but managed to polish most of it out.