davidbijan

Hi Guys, I waited too long to vinyl wrap my front end (have to leave for cali in AM). It would take several days to vinyl wrap it and BTW expensive $458. Anyways does anyone have any suggestions on what i can do to protect the front end for the trip?

CEB

Sure, blue painter's tape from any home improvement store. Make sure that you get the higher quality one from 3M (not the generic) as there will be less residue.

Tape the bumper, about a quarter of the hood , the mirrors and a strip in the roof right above the windshield. If you expect lots of gravel, then you can do a bit of the area behind the wheel wells.

Start taping from the rear of the car forward to prevent wind from lifting up the tape.

Make sure that you remove in 14 days and you'll be fine. You might look a bit goofy though.

ImInPA

Kind of like buying a comfortable couch and then having it wrapped in plastic. Just drive the damn car. lol

CEB

Right. And just as you might wrap your couch in plastic when the rels from the wrong side of the track come visiting, so should one protect a car's paint when driving long distances - especially when bad weather may be encountered and trucks toss gravel at your car.

ImInPA

Sheeeesh. It is a just car for goodness sake. This is not some holy alter or item of worship. If you are the kind that wraps everything to protect it, then, just do it!!! If you bought it to drive then just drive it. Every couple years or so have the front re-sprayed. Much better looking than the wraps. Or, just rent a car for the trip. Cars get stone chips and other things like that only when driven. I could never give up something I enjoy just because of the risks associated with using it. Life is just to short to worry about normal stuff.

davidbijan

your an idiot

davidbijan

Thanks for the input. This time of year there is alot of loose gravel on the roadways from salting. I dont want paint chips, and IminPA suggestion to repaint it every couple years is idiotic.

aeggroup

+1...

K-A

Drive cautiously, don't tail anyone, and hope that nobody cuts you off. Make sure you keep your eye on cars trying to speed ahead of you, and when you do, back off (so when they switch into your lane, you don't get tossed a pebble salad). It makes for a less relaxing drive, but this is how I drive my car on long distance trips. Also, when you pull over, wipe off the bug death.

ImInPA

You are quite an orator. I mean, for a douche bag.

ImInPA

A light coating of PAM cooking spray on the front will make those bugs rinse off. An old Florida trick for love-bug season.

CEB

No he's not, he just has a different attitude towards cars.

Many people, especially those living in big cities where parking dings are inevitable, respray their bumpers periodically.

I do a clear bra but I've done the painter's tape on long trips in bad weather or in Florida during love bug season - so much easier to peel off the tape than to scrape off bugs.

As another poster said, leave lots of room and don't stay behind trucks if you can avoid it, but just because somebody doesn't have your priorities about a car doesn't make them an idiot.

CEB

Never thought about that. Much easier than tape.

Any particular flavor of spray

ImInPA

Just the original PAM. Pure vegetable oil. Just a light mist of it. Washes off easily with any car wash soap product.

PHML

Yep...any color painters tape will do the trip. A lot of car show guys do this when they need to drive their ride to the show...to put it in the show...painters tape does the trick without hurting your wallet.

Ctrl+alt+Elite

i got it.... this is pure genious!!!!




Rent a car

Seriously, its what i would do, I'm super @n@l about my car as well and wouldnt even consider taking it on a long trip where I thought something could happen to it, not that something cant happen in my own driveway, but you know what i'm saying. Just rent a car

reckrab

Well to each his own and I understand about trying to prevent damage but I bought the car for it's comfort and highway ride. Taking a long trip and leaving my car parked in the garage is the last thing in the world I would ever do. I want to pamper myself, not the car.

K-A

To some of us, a pampered car is like a pampered soul.... It just makes us feel so warm and fuzzy inside.

Really, I think a "balance" is what is necessary. The E-Class is first and foremost, a LONG DISTANCE Highway master. If someone Rents a car for occasional 1-2-3 hour drives (and even more occasional longer drives than that), that's ludicrous, they can still maintain a healthy pamper-fest with their E's, while not being too ****/ridiculous about it. Now, if you're doing what I've been doing, then I understand the necessity to drive something else, if you want to keep the pamper effect alive....

I've been driving my new E on 600 Miles trips, twice a month. I am now considering buying a second car to continue these drives on, but mine are regular drives, and 8 hours round trip (absolutely sublime in the E, and I actually look forward to the time spent with the car.... But eventually, the car starts losing that "sense of occasion" at the same time).

In O/P's case, he has the best car you can have for that incredibly long drive he's about to embark on. So he'd be crazy not to coddle himself on what would otherwise be a rigorous task, right? On the flip-side, that loooong drive could result in lots of visual wear and tear on the car, so I understand why one would want to Rent something for a drive like that.

newyorktoLA

When I drove the GL up to Tahoe this past summer, I didn't have a clear bra so I was afraid of all the rock chips. I decided to cover it in Road Wrap, a clear plastic that sticks to wherever you put it. Truth is, the more I tried to cover the car, the more I harmed the paint because the plastic would come up, catch dirt from the freeway, and then flap violently on the paint in the wind. I decided not to use it on the way back. Guess what? I only got like one rock chip.

A few weeks ago, I drove my E on the freeway next to my house. It got sandblasted near my house by a gravel truck.

Honestly, I feel like there is less of a chance for rock chips if you drive on less crowded roads, such as interstate highways. Yes, there are trucks, but for the most part, they are easy to pass.

Save yourself the time, money, and energy, and just drive the car. I know you're worried as was I, but the chance of rock chips is very slim. Just drive carefully and you should be fine.

ImInPA

+1 It is just a car.

steelgrey

Although you won't be able to get this in time for you cali trip this might come in handy in the future. It is a temp clear bra...can be installed for those long trips and removed when you return. I have not tried this product...was looking for something to use in just the type of situation you're describing and found this. http://www.buyroadwrap.com/ Would be much easier than tape.

K-A

That's the road wrap stuff that Amaycg said harmed the paint more than helped it. Makes sense, because like the old "Leather Bra's" that also damaged paint.

Invest in some Touchup Paint also, makes those little rock chips disappear.

steelgrey

Whoops...missed where he mentioned it in his thread. Kinda sounds like he might have had an installation problem. I have used a vinyl oem bra on my black G35 and have never suffered any damage. Again it's a case of proper installation and making sure everything is really clean i.e. paint, underside of bra. They also should not be left on. Just used for trips and then removed.

threeMBs

I do the same - use oem vinyl bra for long trips only and lovebugs seasons in FL, applied to clean surfaces only. Bra is never left on to dry while wet and is removed immediately after a trip.

On a side note, how rediculus is the fact that they have a bra for W212 E (a four door sedan) but not W207(C207) E (a two door, unquestionably sportier car)? I mean they have a bra for SL, SLK - their other "sportier" cars.

Stick Girl

...which is why, like you, I'm already over my annual mileage in 10 months!

The drive long distance is quite enjoyable. She has gone on 4 long distance trips so far. Kinda regret leasing it when I'm enjoying this car so much and would probably want to keep it for the longhaul.