The cargo net hook is removable. Is there any larger hook that could take its place in order to hold shopping bags etc? My last car had big honkin' hooks on both sides of the trunk.



Also, what is the purpose of this clear applique at the lower edge of the rear door?



Thanks,

 

I'll leave the question regarding the hooks to others. The applique at the bottom of the door is to protect it from chips. That's a pretty common area for them, as rocks, sand, and gravel are often kicked up by the tires. It's a much bigger issue if you live where it snows and they "sand" the roads. Be aware that "sand" isn't what you would see at the beach! It's far more course, and can really damage paint. Not that you would see that in Florida!

 

Yes, that is an area that is particularly vulnerable to paint damage from rocks and other debris that are kicked up by the tires.

I know that there are some here on CL who have removed those pieces of protective film, but I've noticed that, after washing the car, the first areas of the car that get new streaks of mud and dirt are the spots where that film is. If mud and dirt are kicked up by the tires into those spots, stones and other objects that can potentially damage the paint will be thrown up into those spots, too. That tells me that the protective film there is well-placed and offers meaningful protection of the paint there.

 

I would like to hijack this thread for the similar topic. How do you clean the "dirt" stuck on the edge of the door applique and the paint. Mine has a "dirt line" right on the edge and I had hard time to clean it off.

 

QTIPS? Apply some wax around the edges to minimize it.

 

I've used wood toothpicks before. It helps, but you have to be VERY careful no to get under the film, and obviously not to be too aggressive on the paint. Plastic toothpicks might work, too. Never thought about it until just now. My advise would be to get the worst of it off as mentioned, then wear it down with patience, soap, and water. My guess is that it will likely never be 100% dirt free.

 

I've found that there are a variety of tools like these that work well for cleaning spots like these. Here is a whole set of them on Amazon.

I've got a detailing tool that I bought years ago at one of the auto parts stores. It is similar to the brushes in the set that I linked to, but it has a brush on one end and a somewhat hard rubber tip on the other end. The combination of both ends is quite effective at cleaning along the edges of the film without damaging either the paint or the film.

 

A quick "thanks" to you

 

This is where old tooth brushes go to continue their useful lives after they no longer work well on teeth. Especially the "soft" ones which work really well for this type of cleaning.

 

I am a firm believer in the protection film and have it on the front bumper, partial hood, mirrors and headlights. I took it off the two places mentioned. It was always getting dirty and was very visible. The main reason though if you look down the side of the ES that portion sticks out so little the chance of a rock hitting that spot is almost zero. Removed them from my 2013 and 2017 and with a combined 150,000 mile have zero marks.

 

With my wife's Satin Cashmere 300h I've never really noticed buildup around the film, but I keep old heads of my electric toothbrush for just such situations. Just pop an old one on with some dish soap should do the trick.

 

Re. the original question - I believe the shopping bag holder(s) from a 2018 Camry fit a 2018 ES but the 2019 appears to have a different hook so you would have to remove it to find out for sure.

Dave Mac

 

 

I'm afraid that I don't buy what you (or your installer) are saying.

For several reasons, I don't believe that the film in front of the rear wheels is there "to protect the car's finish during the manufacturing process".* First, if it was there to protect the finish during the manufacturing process, after the car was built, it would be removed either at the factory or by the dealer as a part of the dealer prep process.* Also, if it was there to protect the finish during the manufacturing process, it would not be held on with the strong adhesive that is used to affix that film.* Further, those pieces of film are Lexus parts with a price of around $15 each.* When a body shop has to do repair work in that area, they will order those pieces of film and put them back on the car.* That would not be the case if the film was only needed to protect the finish during the manufacturing process.* Finally, as I said in an earlier post, the area protected by the film is, in fact, an area that is vulnerable to damage from stones and other debris thrown back by the front wheels.* If you don't believe that, wash your car.* Then, drive through a few puddles.* You will see that the area protected by the film is the first spot that will collect mud thrown back by the front wheels.* If the front wheels are throwing mud in those spots, they will also be throwing stones and other debris there.

I'm also not buying what you said about paint protection film needing to be removed and replaced every 5 years.* When paint protection film was just starting to be used, there were various issues with the adhesives, with fading, etc.* Over the last 15 years, manufacturers, including 3M and Expel have come a long way with regard to improving their products and with eliminating issues that were problems with the earlier versions of their products.* I've seen cars that have had paint protection film on them for well over 5 years, and I have not seen any issues with regard to paint damage on those cars.* That may have been an issue 15 years, but I don't believe it is an issue now.*

(I have no idea why the asterisks appear in your post or in my reply, but I can't seem to get rid of them.)