Please refer to the short video below for step-by-step instruction, and don't forget to clean the trim, and your hands, before starting!
Installing the XPel Armor Baffle Trim
- Check the printed instruction sheet in your kit to identify each piece and where it goes. The kit covers both sides, and each side uses two pieces: a top section and a bottom section.
- Open the rear door to expose the close-out baffle trim behind the rear quarter.
- Wash your hands and clean the trim with isopropyl alcohol.
- Start with the top section. Peel the backing off that piece.
- Tuck the piece up against the top line of the trim and tap it into place there to give yourself an anchor point.
- Work down from that anchor. Follow the arc along the side edge, and keep the long straight edge consistent and straight as you lay the piece down. Steer the piece as needed until both edges line up.
- Squeegee the piece down. Do not skip this, or you will get air bubbles.
- Find the fold where the armor rolls over the edge and press it down, using your fingers to work it into the corners.
- Move to the lower section. Peel the backing off in one pass, keeping the piece from sticking to itself.
- Get down low and line the piece up with the bottom of the top section you just installed. Hold it in the middle while you position it.
- Keep the outer edge dead straight along its length; it rotates slightly near the bottom. When it is aligned, tap it into place. The bottom should line up with the bottom of the trim piece.
- Squeegee the piece toward the truck. This piece has a lot of flex, so use light pressure rather than pulling it around.
- If the alignment is off or a gap appears at an edge, peel the piece back, reposition it, and lay it down again. Avoid touching the very end of the piece any more than you have to, as repeated handling there will cause the adhesion to fail over time.
- Repeat for the other side.
Note: the top trim piece has a rubberized finish with soft edges. The armor does stick to it, but not as strongly as it does to the plain plastic of the lower piece. This area does not take any abuse, so it is not a problem, but it is worth knowing.
