First of all, please forgive me for any butchering of the English language since my first language is Spanish (I am Cuban).
I bought a 2013 FWD RDX with Tech in white/parchment leather a week ago. My color choice (interior & exterior) had to do with the fact that I wanted a white/light interior because I was fed up with the colors of my Chevy avalanche (black with black leather).
Coming from an avalanche, I am still getting used to the smaller driving space (I was aware of the pains involved with the switch and was willing to make this sacrifice). The one thing that I am having a hard time getting used to is the driver door threshold; I think that it is way too high compared to the clearance of the floor (they are at the same level in trucks and at different levels in sedans but closer to the pavement in the latter so you notice it less). I am getting the plastic threshold (under driver and passenger doors) dirty all the time (mainly marks from shoes soles) and they also show a couple of minor scratches.
My question: Does anybody know of any good protector (film or something of that sort) that could help me protect them? Would the running boards (had them in the avy) help with this problem as it would provide an extra step to get into the car? I am planning of installing the roof rails in a couple of months (with crossbars and bike attachment) and I am strongly considering the running boards (although they cost a lot of $) because stepping on these plastic thresholds to load a bike would be a very bad idea in my opinion. Any thoughts?

PS: I am not big at all, average 5’ 8” athletic 175lbs so I would like to hear the experiences (getting into and out of the car) for taller people and those with a few extra pounds, especially for anyone coming from a truck.

 

I have a Nissan Titan truck and know exactly what you mean. I am tall although my wife, who is average height, normally drives the RDX and the plastic threshold you are talking about does get dirty. Ours has not yet scratched but surely will. Our RDX has the tan interior and I clean the threshold using armor all with good results. However, I would not bother to cover it or buy the expensive step rails if all you are trying to do is protect it from scratches. The threshold is very cheap <$15 from the online discounters (Part #84251-TX4-A01ZA) and simply clips in place. Much less hassle to just replace it in a few years if you think it looks bad. I suspect the drivers side will be the only one you would need to replace.