Hi all, new here! Just got my 2008 TL and love it so far. Got tint put on and they warned me of the no felt issue and scratching the tint. So I am super OCD and of course want to take care of that (tint place wanted $160.... screw that lol) and make sure my tint stays nice. It brings up a couple questions, one is can I remove the door panel with the window still up? I ask because my second question is if I cant take the panel off with the window up am I screwed and the tint will get scratched since I will have to roll the windows down once? And no worries I am not even trying this for a few days after getting the tint on so no problems with rolling them down early lol. Thanks for any help!!!

 

the problem is sand or tiny bits of dust settling into the window channel. that's what causes the scratching! bits of sand stuck in the window channel.

i added craft store felt to the window channel AFTER I got my windows tinted.. but of course, the car was new to me and i wanted to cruise with windows down... so you guessed it, I have micro scratching that NO ONE CAN SEE, except me. LOL

ive had the car for 7 years now, with the same tint on it for almost 6 of those 7 years.
what Ive learned over the years is that....it's just a car. sure, I WOULD LOVE TO GET EVERYTHING PERFECT....but sometimes, things are out of my control..it's just a car

 

oh yeah by no means do I need it perfect lol. In fact there are a few gouges and scratches in the interior, but that is what happens when you get used and I am fine with it. I am more concerned the engine and the inards are in working order but of course a nice interior is always a bonus! That said I feel like the scratching of the tint is something I can control (to some degree) so I definitely want to try and slap the moleskin / felt on there.

 

right, so you're going to have to lower the window. that is out of your control.
there's no way to add the felt or if you prefer mole skin...without dropping the window.
i tried moleskin but I guess I wasnt skilled enough to get the adhesive on just right...so i just went to a crafts store and picked up some felt and lined the window...no adhesive needed as the door panel holds the felt in place

 

i followed this guide

https://acurazine.com/forums/third-g...od-diy-944883/

 

Ok gotcha, I am by no mean a mechanic, ive popped a few door panels in my time coincidentally only when a window had come off track so it was always already down. I am just curious, what is it that prevents a door panel from coming off if the window is up? Not arguing here lol just genuinely curious since they are 2 separate pieces.

 

you cant get the felt around the window strip!
and that's the whole point of doing this, to line the window strip channel thingy with felt

 

yeah but the strip is also separate from the window, once the panel is off it lists off the door, and actually in that guide the window is up lol so that answers my question!

 

and actually now that I think it through, you have to be able to pull that window strip out with the glass up since the rear windows never actually go down all the way. thanks for the help and that guide, searched with google a bunch and could only find ones where the linked pics didnt work any longer,.

 

yeah, when I searched this morning for you...all i found were dead links.