I've never seen the 3m fade. My dad had it on his Lexus for the lifetime of the car and it was fine. The 3m wrap is amazing plus no rock chips, just look at our roads

 

Nice to see another C63 in Calgary! I had the 3M put over the front of my car. Can't see it at all. No way I'd have a car without it... one trip down deerfoot and you'd regret it!

I am running 245/275 on my car, but I only have 18s. They do protrude a bit but that won't bother you as much as never having traction will! I am also running PSS tires and they are fantastic. Will be putting another set on this spring. Got 13,000kms out of the first set of rears with mixed use driving.

 

You really can't see it? I had it done on my G37S and I totally regretted it. Firstly because like you said "one trip down deerfoot". It has a bunch of marks on it and when I'd wax the car it never seemed to match up to the rest. Both cars are black... maybe on a white car or lighter colour it would blend more but the clear plastic on a black car shows up any nicks and you don't have the option of wax, buffing etc.. just replacing the 3M ...I guess I could do the entire hood and front end to avoid that silly line you get where the wrap stops. I just don't want to waste 3-4 grand on something that doesn't look proper and that in the end a 2 grand paint job would fix. I think I'd have to see it on a black car thats had it for a little while to really make my decision.
Thanks for the tire info... I'll try the 275's on the back and see how that goes. Nice to know there a few Calgary guys on this site

 

I just looked at my wife's black C350 with the clear bra and you can see it. Definitely more than my silver C63.

There is another Calgary guy that matte wrapped his car. He claimed it looked really beat up by rocks and stuff after a year. I don't know if it would protect as well as a 3M either.

I figured after a year or two I could just pay another $350 and get another clear bra installed. Or, take it off entirely the year before I sell.

My M3 is black and it's very seldom clean and chips show. Such is life with a black car...

Good news for you is with the P31 all the eyes will be on your calipers so a few knicks won't attract much attention.

 

I think rage2 did his C63 in matte black wrap.

I always put a clear bra on the front end of my cars as the rocks being flung at it are ridiculous here in the winter. As for being able to see it, it really depends on your coverage IMO. If you do the typical 1/3 hood, you'll probably see the seam line. The seam is definitely more visible on darker cars and less visible on silver cars. If you just do the front end, it shouldn't cost more than $1,000.

I did the full front end on my C63 (full hood, full fenders, bumper, a pillars, side mirrors and top of roof). If you go to a reputable place like Shadow Tint or Refine Auto Salon (Where I went to get mine done) that uses premium film, it shouldn't fade, yellow, or crack. I had my C350 done in 09 and the front end still looks like it's new.

If you do a vinyl wrap, it's thinner material and gets stretched, so it does not stand up to rocks as well as clear bras which are thicker do. I think they offer special clear matte film now in the thicker clear bra material, so you can essentially turn your existing colour into a matte finish without the risk of tearing.

 

"If you do a vinyl wrap, it's thinner material and gets stretched, so it does not stand up to rocks as well as clear bras which are thicker do. I think they offer special clear matte film now in the thicker clear bra material, so you can essentially turn your existing colour into a matte finish without the risk of tearing."

So I can either use premium film and do the entire front end of my car, or use the thicker material to end up with a matte finish....because the other two options have the flaws I was talking about.
I'm still not sold on this wrap thing. I understand it helps to prevent rock chips, but it also prevents me from waxing and using a clay bar , buffing and other cleaning/ polishing options to let me get that mirror finish that is the whole reason I ordered the car in Obsidian black in the first place. Once its wrapped I have to use certain cleaners on the plastic film yes? It wasn't so bad having to be careful waxing just the tip of my old car , but to have the entire front end covered in plastic and then wax and clay bar the back end of my car to make it shine... and you really don't think the difference will be that noticeable ?
Like I said before if my car was white or silver or any other lighter colour I would have to say that the wrap would easily be the way to go but since its black I really don't think I want to chance it.... how can you get the wrapped half to match up polish wise to the unwrapped half? Can't buff the film or it shows the scratches right?
Illusive- You have the black finish as well , Magnetite, and have the whole front end of your car covered. You're happy with the finish? and your guy only charged you 1k? The dealership tried to talk me into it when I picked it up and wanted well over 2k just to do half the hood and front bumper, but its not the money thats holding me back it's what will happen over the next couple of years to the plastic film they use. I don't want to have to redo the film when I can just pay for a paint job on the bumper and hood in 3-4 yrs and have it like new again. Or I could wrap the whole car in the matte finish film you mentioned...LOL it would be so easy if they'd only use sand on Alberta roads like normal people instead of gravel. I'd definitely be interested in checking it out though to see what the actual places have to show me and say. I'll check out Auto Salon ( thats your place and you're happy with the results, yes?) when I get back in a month. Thanks for opinions guys.... I'm not trying to put them down. I just don't want to put a wrap on the car and then tear it off in two months to let me wash and wax properly in the summer... or do I lol... is that an option... just put a wrap on the front for the winter months then remove it in the summer? cause its only 1k dollars or so to do the front bumper and hood yes? can you just rewrap every winter?
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I know... the black car curse. But all my vehicles are black...I'm a glutton for punishment that way.. when they are clean and polished its like a mirror driving down the road.

I had hopes that most people ( Benz drivers excluded of course ) wouldn't even know what the P31 package is. Most of my friends don't think its as sporty as my G37....which is fine by me, although I'm certain when they hear the exhaust note the whole "sleeper car" idea goes out the window lol

 

3 of my 4 vehicles are black.... *nothing* shines like a black car when clean. my C63 is my first light colored car and I must say I do like that I can avoid having to take 2 hours each weekend to wash the exterior. Since it stays relatively clean my obsessiveness has turned to the interior of the car lol. When I am on my game it's like driving an operating table

The best thing (in my opinion) about the C63 is the duality that the car offers. It can do the lux cruising thing no problem and it has a very classy look to go along with it. You can wear a suit in it and it doesn't look out of place. Put it in M, floor it to nearly 3x the speed limit between stoplights and then hammer in two downshifts and it is pretty obvious that the car is first and foremost a performance vehicle.

 

love the wheels, congrats!

 

Yup, if you want the material to last through a winter here.

Nope, you don't need anything special. Treat the film like your paint. You can clay bar the film and apply wax to give it a final shine. Don't think you need to polish it which is nice (don't use abrasives), saves you a step. The only thing you have to be careful of is wax collecting on the edges of the film. But because the whole front end would be covered, there won't be any edges except at the a-pillar. Check here: http://www.xpel.com/care/

Definitely avoid the dealer when it comes to any additional items like this. They will charge you a lot more for less. Give Leo at Refine a call, he did mine and did a great job. The dealer wanted to charge me $1,500-$2,000 for the 1/3 hood, fender tip, bumper, and mirrors. Ridiculously overpriced. I paid less than what they quoted me at Refine and got the whole front end done plus window tinting. Most places guarantee their film from yellowing and defects so if you ever have any, you can bring it in and they will replace it for free. You could pull it off every summer, but you shouldn't have to. The stupid gravel sticks around even after they clean our streets, so you'll still get rock chips in the summer. Personally, I'm more concerned with rust as any chips down to the metal with the salt on our roads will pretty much ensure they will rust sooner rather than later.

When you are back in the city, if you want to have a look at my car with the complete front end clear bra, let me know, I'd be happy to show you over a coffee or something.

 

Thanks again guys, I appreciate all the input. I will be checking out the wrap when I get home. I have read that you shouldn't clay bar the film wraps because it puts tiny micro scratches in them and etc. and you're supposed to use special cleaners for them... but if you don't have to thats always a plus

 

Chocofishez- WOW that interior looks sharp !

I guess you might be the one to ask on what leather cleaners you're using? Especially since you have such a light interior. I'm sure you aren't cheaping out on quality treatment for that stuff.
Nice looking car man!
I hope that a few of us can get together for a coffee or some sort of meet when I get back in town if you guys aren't too busy, trust me I understand scheduling conflicts. Just to ask a few questions about car care, mods etc see what you guys have heard or used vs my own info and if any of you have experience with shops around Calgary that are good to customers vs ones to avoid.