As time has progressed, LED car door sill plates have become a very common form of car decorative lighting. Additionally, due to the high prices of offline sales, car owners are increasingly choosing to purchase online. When searching “LED door sill” on Google, you will be inundated with product recommendations, making it truly difficult to choose. Compared to metal plates with illuminated logos, acrylic ones are much cheaper. This article focuses on analyzing the considerations needed when purchasing acrylic illuminated door sill plates. This will help you buy the illuminated door sill plates that best suit your preferences.
Is the led door sill plate compatible with your car?
Is the led door sill plate compatible with your car? This is the primary consideration when purchasing an LED door sill. There are a vast number of global car brands and models, with iterations and variations occurring, and different configurations for the same model in different countries and regions. Given the enormous and complex database of car models, suppliers may not always have accurate information. Additionally, some car owners may not fully understand the model year of their vehicle. Regardless, if the product details of the LED door sill plates do not provide specific dimensional data, my suggestion is to directly contact the store’s customer service to confirm the dimensions of the LED door sill plate. This can help avoid purchasing the wrong sill plate and wasting time and money. Most acrylic LED door sill plates cannot directly replace the original scuff plates. If you are planning to use them to replace the original scuff plates, be sure to carefully review the product specifications to avoid making a mistake.
Handwired LED doo sill or wireless led door sill?
I personally highly recommend purchasing Handwired LED door sill. Why?
Because apart from the complex installation, there are almost no subsequent issues. The lighting follows the car’s system for turning on and off. Unfortunately, this installation step has deterred a significant number of car owners.
Installing Handwired LED door sill requires some basic skills in installing electrical stuff. You need to have a general understanding of the vehicle’s structure and wiring. Alternatively, if you have the patience and confidence, you can find suitable installation videos on YouTube and learn how to install Handwired LED door sill. If you don’t have this knowledge, I don’t recommend installing it yourself, as it’s too easy to encounter problems. Damaging the car is a minor issue, but it’s not worth it if you injure yourself. Some car models require drilling holes to pass the wires for installing LED door sill, so you need to consider whether you can accept this.
Of course, if you have a friend who can install it, that would also be a very pleasant thing, and you can seek their help. Another option is to spend money and go to a repair shop to find professional staff to help with the installation, which may require a considerable fee.
If you don’t want to bother too much with installation, then choose wireless LED door sill.
I need to remind you that although the installation is simple, the power supply aspect may cause you some trouble.
Many LED car door sills on Amazon come with built-in batteries. When the power runs out, you need to use a USB cable to charge them. This in itself is a simple and convenient thing to do, but I’ve seen many comments below these products stating that the batteries are not durable and the power is quickly depleted. Especially in winter, in low temperatures, the battery level can even drop to zero within a few seconds. Frequent charging of LED car door sills can be very frustrating. If you have 4 pieces of LED door sills, and all 4 need to be charged, it will consume a lot of time. Moreover, if the batteries are not durable and they fail, it’s as if that LED door sill is already useless.
There is also a handwired free LED door sill from AoonuAuto that is powered by AA batteries. It requires the car owner to purchase the batteries themselves, with each door sill requiring 4 batteries. Under normal circumstances, a set of 4 good quality AA batteries can power the LED door sills for about a month. When you calculate it, the battery consumption is also a small expense.
The “on” or “off” of the wireless door sill lights may be controlled by light sensor or magnetic induction. With magnetic induction, the magnet is installed at the bottom of the car door, so it’s important to be careful not to lose it.
Is the surface of the LED door sill plate prone to scratching?
The surface of the acrylic door sill plate is very smooth and mirror-like. However, it is still made of acrylic and not marble, so it is not possible for it to remain completely scratch-free after prolonged use. Nonetheless, you can opt for a higher quality acrylic LED door sill plate, which, although it cannot entirely prevent scratching, will at least maintain its appearance for a longer period. Minor scratches that are not very noticeable are acceptable. Moreover, good quality acrylic provides more even and brighter light transmission, making the door sill lights look more attractive.
Multicolored lights or solid color lights?
The brightness of LED lights is measured in lumens, with higher lumens indicating brighter LED lights. Additionally, the color of the light itself can also affect the brightness. Some colors are inherently less bright, such as purple lights. If brightness is not a concern for you and you like the color, then it’s not an issue. Common LED door sills are capable of changing colors remotely or have multicolored flowing lights, but not everyone likes these colors. I saw a post on Reddit where a car owner was hoping to purchase door sills that emit a solid color light, and specifically, a static solid color. If you also prefer solid color door sills, you might want to check out AoonuAuto door sills.
Would you like to customize the style of the LED door sill light?
Many stores also offer customized door sill services, including customizing the size of the door sill and the design/logo on the plates. Buyers may be concerned about the clarity of the customized logo. The clarity of the logo depends on the production process and the complexity of the logo. If the lines of the logo are relatively simple, then this may not be a concern. However, if the logo has complex lines, it’s important to carefully consider the feedback and reviews from other buyers. I believe that a reputable store should not make promises if they cannot meet the buyer’s requirements. However, this is difficult to control, so buyers should make their purchases carefully.
3M adhesive, magnet, buckle, Velcro?
At the beginning, the LED door sills on the market were all fixed with 3M adhesive. The door sills installed with 3M adhesive are very strong and durable. When installing, you can use alcohol to clean the dust and oil on the car sill frame, and dry it. In winter, heating the 3M adhesive with a hairdryer before pasting will have a better effect. After installing with 3M adhesive, the door sill plates are basically difficult to remove.
With the increasing consumer demand, LED door sills are gradually being upgraded, and the installation methods are becoming more diverse. Especially for the wireless LED door sills that need to be charged, it is more convenient to disassemble for charging, so the use of magnets, buckles, and Velcro to fix the LED door sills has emerged. Magnet fixation requires that your door sill frame is metal and flat. However, this method is somewhat flawed, as the LED door sill plate is prone to shifting and falling off when subjected to external impact. Another method is to install magnets on both the door frame and the sill plate for stronger attraction and less likelihood of the sill plates falling off. In this method, a piece of magnet or iron is first attached to the door frame, and then the sill plate is attached to the door frame.
Compared to magnet fixation, Velcro and buckle fixation are more secure. Velcro and buckles are fixed to the door frame, and then the LED door sill is secured to the door frame through these Velcro and buckles. It is not certain whether these installation methods will increase the thickness of the door sill plates and affect the closing of the door.
Waterproof or not?
Waterproofing is essential. Whether it’s getting in and out of the car in rainy or snowy weather, or going for a car wash, there is a possibility of water entering the inside of the door sill. That will damage the electronic components or wiring. Sealed and waterproof door sills can make them more durable.
In conclusion, different door sills can meet different needs. I hope the information I share about purchasing LED door sills can be helpful to you.
