Door sill plate covers: common defects and their signs.

1. Deformation.
   • The plate cover hinders door opening and closing.
   • The component displaced from the mounting seat.
2. Cracking.
   • Door sill plate cover lighting doesn’t turn on.
   • Noise and rattling is heard from the door sill during driving.
   • Damaging of car sill paintwork occurs.

How to replace door sill plate covers?

First, you need to estimate component condition visually. If the inner sill plate covers are not deformed or damaged, they can be cleaned from contamination with the help of special agents, and you can continue to use them. If dents and cracks are found, the plate covers should be replaced. Replacement procedure is simple, it can be performed by any car owner.

The replacement procedure depends on the component type, its location and the car model. Door sill plate covers may be plastic, or metal, chromed. Also there are plate covers in the form of polyurethane protective films which are notable for durability and installation simplicity.

Basically, the general procedure includes demounting of the defective plate cover, cleaning and degreasing of the door sills, and installation of a new component, according to vehicle technical documentation. Before plate cover replacement, read the manufacturer’s recommendations on its installation. If car design envisages original plastic covers, and installation of new ones should be performed on a metal base, then you should first demount the original plate covers.

When installing illuminated plate covers, pay attention to their power connectors which are to be unplugged before demounting of the defective part.