What are door sills Kalina and how to install them

Lada Granta was developed on the basis of the previous model Lada Kalina; the first front-wheel drive sedan entered the market in 2011. The budget car attracted attention with its reliable chassis assembly, efficient engines and updated body. The standard plastic protection for the thresholds of the Lada Granta was made of a durable polymer composition.

In 2022, a planned modernization of the family took place. The extended series included hatchback and station wagon models; after restyling, the equipment was called LADA Granta FL (facelift).

Types of door sills for Grants

The factory lining of the Grant's thresholds is made of plastic; the linings protect the interior of the cabin from moisture and do not allow the floor covering to quickly get dirty. For the power threshold, as a sidewall element, the plastic lining serves as additional protection against mechanical damage and reduces the rate of corrosion propagation. The average service life of standard parts is 1.5-2 years. In addition to a short service life, factory linings do not provide the car with individuality. Drivers prefer to tune the Lada Granta to their liking. Common types of cladding:

1. Plastic longitudinal linings.
2. Plastic or metal body kits.
3. High strength steel linings.
4. Decorative overlays made to order.

Metal door sills or an aluminum profile, in addition to their decorative function, increase the overall rigidity of the body by up to 12% and are considered as additional strength elements. The cladding can be painted or chromed. They are distinguished by a long service life, at least 5 years, and protect the bottom from corrosion when installed correctly.

Plastic body kits and trim panels have affordable prices and come in a variety of shapes. The Fast and the Furious pads are made of ABS plastic and are most popular among Granta owners. The parts are manufactured strictly to the dimensions of the Lada body, have a long service life of up to 3 years, and have an original shape. The covers are easy to install yourself. In case of a mechanical shock of medium strength, if there is no rupture of the paintwork, the part can be easily straightened with improvised means.

Plastic panels ensure the cleanliness of the interior; they are installed on the standard threshold using screws or using glue. The panels prevent the anti-gravel from quickly crumbling and ensure the aesthetics of the interior.

Vulnerabilities of the Lada Kalina

Before talking about Kalina's thresholds, you should consider all the vulnerable spots of the car in order to understand where additional protection needs to be installed. Lada Kalina is a good car, significantly different in all respects from the developments of previous years, attractive, dynamic, but not ideal. Produced in four versions: sedan, station wagon, hatchback and Kalina Sport, the model has similar shortcomings that affect each body version.

Let's study them. Let's take the hatchback as an example as the most popular version of the Lada Kalina. The hatchback has a medium-sized, harmoniously proportioned silhouette and is made of medium-quality materials. The headlights of the Lada hatchback are medium-sized, teardrop-shaped, often fail to work, and as a rule, the contacts burn out quite quickly. In extreme frost conditions, the headlights even crack, and it is not necessary to cling to them; the damage occurs on its own, without any reason.

The soundproofing of the cabin also needs additional work. Just a year after purchase, the hatchback begins to frustrate its owner with an abundance of unpleasant sounds in the cabin during high-speed driving. Therefore, you should immediately, when purchasing a Lada Kalina hatchback, carry out additional sound insulation.

The foam rubber of hatchback seats is also not of good quality. It remains in perfect condition for no more than three years, and then turns into something frightening and unaesthetic. Therefore, knowledgeable car owners prefer to immediately, after purchase, replace standard seats with better ones. Installing seats on a hatchback does not take much time, and this is a plus.

Professionals also include the sealing of windows and doors among the shortcomings of the Lada Kalina hatchback model. If installed anyhow, it soon leads to squeaking, and it has to be changed. Rear door locks often jam; this is a purely VAZ problem that most car owners are familiar with.

And finally, the thresholds on Kalina quickly go out of working order, become covered with defects, cracks, chips, which is why the hatchback may soon succumb to dangerous corrosion, which is very difficult to stop. Shortcomings can also be traced in other systems of the car, in the chassis, braking system and others, but we will focus our attention specifically on the thresholds of the Lada hatchback, so invisible visually, but so significant for the car itself.

Why are internal door sills needed?

In addition to decorative functions, the sill lining of the Lada Granta serves as protection, namely:

• does not allow moisture and dirt to pass between the power threshold and the bottom;
• allows you to protect the inside of the box from rust;
• protects the floor covering from premature wear.

The carbon element ensures a tight fit of the door and increases the service life of the rubber seal.

Before choosing an interior panel, you need to evaluate the operating conditions of the car. If frequent trips over rough terrain are not expected, then it is recommended to choose plastic body kits. When a car is often driven outside the city, steel linings are chosen, which wear out and deform minimally.

Do-it-yourself installation of plastic thresholds on the Lada Granta

AvtoVAZ offers standard linings for all Grant trim levels. The cladding is a panel made of ABC plastic, the kit includes: a set of clips and self-tapping screws. Catalog numbers for original spare parts:

• 1118-5109078 and 2170-5109078 – rear right panel;
• 1118-5109079 and 2170-5109079 – left;
• 1118-5109076 – front right trim;
• 1118-5109076 – front left.

The rear panels are equally suitable for Grants and Priora, Kalina. Spare parts can also be used for VAZ 2108, 2109 models.

Self-installation takes up to 20 minutes per threshold and does not require special equipment. tool. To work you will need:

• set of overlays, cost of original replicas from 500 rubles;
• crosshead screwdriver;
• 18 self-tapping screws with a length of at least 3 cm;
• plastic clips – 18 pcs.;
• knife, flat screwdriver.

Experts recommend preparing more clips, since the fasteners are consumer goods and often do not meet the requirements; when screwing in a self-tapping screw, every fifth clip cracks.

The process of replacing a simple threshold trim step by step:

1. Pull the door seal out of its seat near the threshold.
2. Attach the standard carpet to the thresholds using steel brackets. Using a knife or flat-head screwdriver, carefully bend and pull out each bracket.
3. Bend back the standard carpet, pull out the standard threshold.
4. Check the condition of the bottom, if there is rust, correct the defect.
5. Insert plastic clips into the rectangular slots; there are a total of five holes for clips around the perimeter of the front door threshold. The hole, which is located vertically under the panel, comes from the factory with a plug already installed.
6. Use a knife to make holes in the carpet in the area of ​​the installed clips, make sure that the slot is rectangular and of a suitable diameter, the clip should completely fit through the carpet with its top.
7. Install the door seal in its original place.
8. Attach a new threshold, try on the combination of screws and clips.
9. Screw the screws into the clips. The first screw to be screwed is the self-tapping screw, which is aligned with the stand. Do not over-tighten the bolt as this may damage the plastic clip.
10. Screw all the screws halfway, gradually pressing the panel against the threshold.

Installation of the trim under the remaining doors is similar.

An accessory such as body kits or plastic sills, which are installed on the Granta for painting, can be additionally tuned with linings to protect the interior from dirt and sand. The principle of installing plastic removable thresholds differs from installing linings; repairs can be done independently. For installation, choose stickers or metal plates for self-tapping screws.

Characteristics of protective elements

There are linings made of plastic, fiberglass and stainless steel. Plastic door sills are considered the most popular. Their advantages are reasonable price, usually good quality, and aesthetic appearance. Plastic linings serve as protection against mechanical damage, absorb low impact impacts, and keep the paintwork intact. If the impact on the threshold is severe, then this will not damage the car.

From such a blow, the trim itself will only suffer, it will crack, and then it can be easily replaced with a new one, and the repairs that would be necessary if the molding was missing will no longer be needed. The disadvantage of plastic products is their fragility. They cannot stand either time or harsh climatic conditions. In severe frosts, they crack even from the slightest blow, which, of course, is bad.

Although high-quality plastic moldings have recently begun to appear, it is quite difficult to recognize them among thousands of other options. Fiberglass fabric is becoming increasingly popular due to its technical characteristics. Lightweight, flexible, reliable, it has great potential, receiving many positive reviews from car enthusiasts. Today, fiberglass is used everywhere.

Need to restore a badly damaged car? You can’t do without a composition that includes fiberglass. Do you want to modernize your bumper or headlights, give them an original look and improve their shape? And here you can’t go without fiberglass. Moldings made from this material are durable, lightweight, quite affordable, and not much more expensive than plastic ones.

Some drivers, in order to improve the aerodynamics of the car and make it lighter, use fiberglass in the design of the body. This solution has long been used by Japanese designers, who place practicality and economy at the forefront.

In terms of technical parameters, stainless steel comes first. After all, it is difficult to find any other material that is stronger and more reliable than steel. Having installed steel moldings, you can be sure that it will last, if not for centuries, then for decades. Yes, and steel looks more impressive, richer, more stylish and luxurious, and does not make it look like a budget, like plastic. But there are two nuances.

Read also: Remove Skoda door trim

First, the steel pads add weight to the car. For sports modifications, for example, this is an unacceptable luxury. And a simple hatchback will become heavier, which the car owner does not always like. Secondly, steel linings are much more expensive than their plastic and fiberglass counterparts. But here everyone is guided by their own goals and capabilities.

Anti-gravel for thresholds

Anti-gravel is applied to the outer part of the body in two versions: as independent protection, under car enamel. Factory anti-gravel protection is applied to the bottom, lower part of the wings, sills; on the 2018 Grant, the lower parts of the front doors are covered with protection.

Before applying anti-gravel, the threshold must be prepared as for painting:

• remove the old paintwork;
• treat corrosive plaques, if any;
• prime.

The primer is applied only to bare metal; if anti-gravel is applied to old paintwork or putty, then no primer is used. When making repairs, it is recommended to mount the car on a jack, having first checked the metal of the jacks.

Depending on what surface the anti-gravel is applied to, the work process varies. Algorithm for applying protection to painted thresholds:

1. Cover with tape the part of the threshold that does not require protection.
2. Clean the paintwork on the threshold with sandpaper and use R-80 sandpaper.
3. Degrease the surface.
4. Spray anti-gravel from a can.

Plastic overhead sills and plastic body kits are not treated with anti-gravel. Alternatively, you can use armor film or metal panels on the top of the part.

There are several types of anti-gravel protection available on the market:

1. In aerosols or spray cans. Convenient to use when working on the body yourself.
2. Cylinders for a special gun. They are most often used in industrial body processing at specialized service stations.
3. In cans, the compositions are applied with a brush.

Depending on the type of application, anti-gravel can be used for painting or instead of car enamel.

If anti-gravel is used as additional protection for paintwork and is applied without painting, then the composition is sprayed onto the threshold in a thick layer. Manufacturers produce material in different colors, the most common being black, gray, and white.

Anti-gravel under enamel is marked by the manufacturer with a special sign: “for painting”. After the protective layer has dried, the threshold is painted with auto enamel to match the body color.

Preparing the body kit for painting

You can also choose a set with or without painting at your discretion. It is quite possible to paint the front bumper of Kalina 2 in your garage, but before painting the body kit you need to prepare the parts. First, wash thoroughly, then use masking tape to cover the areas where paint should not come into contact.

Purchase the necessary paint in advance, which is sold in a specialized store. Thoroughly degrease the surface of the bumper and evenly apply paint in several layers. At the same time, let each layer dry. Or, if you don’t have time to wait, use drying, but try to keep the temperature in the region of 30-35 degrees. Otherwise, the part will simply become deformed.

Stickers

Protective door sill stickers for Lada Granta are an affordable alternative to plastic covers. The sticker covers a large surface area, is highly durable, and is available in different color options. The set includes 6 stickers, the cost of the set is from 400 rubles. Drivers choose stickers instead of armor film on plastic panels.

The protective sticker is made of vinyl, propylene, and consists of a base layer that determines the overall color of the coating:

• chrome effect;
• silver;
• black metal.

The outer decorative layer imitates carbon, plastic, textiles, leather.

What to do if the paint is peeling off

The paint on any part of the body, including the sills, begins to peel off for several reasons:

• there is a corrosion area under the paintwork;
• chips after impact with gravel;
• enamel rupture after mechanical damage;
• the paint may peel off after contact with a chemical reagent;
• natural wear and tear.

Paintwork wear is observed in Chinese-made cars, when body parts are painted in one layer, are not protected, and after a year of operation the paint begins to peel off. AvtoVAZ models are painted as standard in two layers; the paint wears out if the car is used in extreme conditions. Algorithm for repainting:

1. Sand the part.
2. If there is no rust under the peeling enamel, treat with a degreaser.
3. Apply primer.
4. It is recommended to use a primer with a high zinc content. This will allow the part to be locally galvanized.
5. Paint it with paint to match the body color.

If corrosion is found under a strip of peeling paint, then it is necessary to carry out a full repair, first checking the condition of the bottom and wheel arches.

Preparation

Before replacing the thresholds with your own hands, it is necessary to carry out preparatory work:

Raise the machine and adjust it level. To avoid distortion, it is advisable to use several supports.

Repairing thresholds requires dismantling other elements: facing plastic, seats, rubber seal. The floor covering can be rolled up.

When you replace the thresholds, for example, of a VAZ car with your own hands, due to the appearance of corrosion, you need to clean the place of rust and the area around it, thereby defining the boundaries of the damage. This makes it easier to understand which area needs to be cut out and which one can be left alone.

Carefully close the glass, interior parts of the paint and varnish coating to avoid sparks from the electrodes and scale from the grinder.

Before using the welder, you must disconnect and insulate the battery terminals.

Dent Repair

Dents on decorative plastic overlays are corrected if there is no crack in the product. When the plastic ruptures after an impact, the lining is replaced with a new one. Fast and Furious spare parts are quite difficult to crush, the body kits can withstand significant side impacts, and they are repairable. Metal thresholds, as part of the sidewall, are straightened in ways that depend on the depth of the dent and damage to the paintwork. Repair options:

1. Extracting a metal dent with a reverse hammer.
2. Repair without welding using a vacuum suction cup.
3. Correcting dents using hooks using the PDR method without painting.

The method without welding is used for metal linings and plastic elements, if the car enamel layer is not damaged. The most common option is using a reverse hammer, if the standard metal element is significantly deformed, and the vacuum suction cup method, if there is no damage to the paintwork. After removing the dent, it is recommended to additionally install protective panels.