shashivr4

Has anyone had paint protectant film applied to their vehicle? If so, would you do it again? Also, elate there any negative consequences from having this done?

Munich77

I have a clearbra on the front of my car and the headlights. I would not hesitate to do it again. This is the second car on which I have had it. On my 2008 BMW the headlights looked like new after almost 6 years.

I have also put on a paint coating, which I find helps greatly to keep the car looking like new.

bmeck2003

I had the 3M clear bra installed on the front of my 2001 Corvette. I made this decision beacuse the shape of the front of the car was very vulnerable to bugs & nicks from stones and sand. I also had the 3M film applied to the outside mirrors and the lower portions of each fender, right behind the wheel opening to prevent chipping from debris that the tires throw.

Nine years later, I sold the car and it still looked like new.

When I purchased my 2010 E350 coupe, I decided not to have the clear bra installed. I think the shape of the front of the car is much less susceptible to small nicks because the front of the MB has many more separate sections than the smooth nose of the Corvette.

FYI, I also did not have the clear bra installed on the front of my 2008 Lexus LS460 which now is 6 years old and has very few tiny chips that I have easily touched up.

If my car was one that I planned to keep a long time (I owned my Corvette for 13 years), I probably would have the clear bra installed. I take very good care of my cars, however, my E350 and my Lexus are daily drivers and will eventually be traded. Whatever wear and tear they will show will be appropriate for the age and mileage when I trade them in.

joeyza

I had a clear bra installed and was a great choice. Road salt this winter would have left my black car looking like it had been hit with birdshot. For about $600 installed, it is a no-brainer on a car in this price range.

Armoredfilms

I install the 3M Clear Bra for a living. We're at Mercedes dealers everyday installing the film and they are probably one of our biggest customers behind Porsche and Lexus. I guess it's the mentality that if you spend good money on a car, you want it to look good for years to come. Plus it helps with the resale / trade-in value.

When shopping for the film, make sure that the dealer knows what kind of film is being installed. For example, 3M has Venture shield, Scotchgard with clear coat (848) and Scotchgard without clear coat (846)

Then there is Xpel which usually costs more but is self-healing, Suntek makes a good paint protection film as well and then there there is Durashield.

Finally, there are computer cut installations or freehand. If the installer is freehanding the installation, that means they are using a very sharp knife on your new cars paint and the chance of scratching it has just increased.

Another option is to search the 3M paint protection site for certified installers near you.

Once that is done, to maintain the film, there are sealants and waxes. Proskin is one of the best in the market.

Good luck with the purchase. Let us know how it goes.

shashivr4

Which brand do you recommend on a white car (3M, Xpel, etc)? If 3M, which one specifically?

Thanks.

Airmousam

I have xpel on mine, really like it...make sure the installer does a paint correction before installing. Need to remove any swirls before the install. Good luck

dis6933

Hi
I just finished self installing a complete front end film on a 2012 E350 Bluetek.
The film is Ventureshield film from Invisible mask.
I used 3 kits, one for the hood with mirrors, one for the front bumper and one for the lights.
The installation took a few hours and was not the easiest in the world, but it came out ok. Have a few wrinkles in some hard places, but on the hood and front
bumper it looks great. I cut the large kit into 4 sections for the ease of installation, with the seam in the middle under the license plate the other seams separating the upper from the lower sections.
I have done the same for the other cars I own (Porsche 964 & SL500) or owned and and satisfied with the outcomes after many years.

Airmousam

Cool, Nice job, way outta my league

Armoredfilms

I use 3M Ventureshield on 90% of the installs. It tends to look the best and hold up pretty well. For a premium, the Xpel film is good.
The 848 and 846 tend to have a orange peel look to them.

shashivr4

What state are you located in?

Armoredfilms

Ontario, Canada. It's just about 20 hours north of Key Weston the I-75. Turn right at Bobs Igloo and follow the scent of Bigfoot. I'm just down the road near the Beaver Dam

hyperion667

ah ha!!!
I saw a SLS at the dealer the other day that was covered entirely in the clear bra!
was def going to have my next car done up with this.....is there any particular brand that would be better for Diamond white paint??

shashivr4

Do you know who the dealer used for the clearbra? I'm in NC as well.

hyperion667

it was the Cary store........don't know what they used though.....

joeyza

BTW - Roadblock Paint Protection is the type that was used on my car. It was recommended by an exotic collector that I know from the watch forums.

samkimg

I had the dealer install a partial 3M clear bra on the front of my 2010 E350 and it had zero nicks when returned, but looked a bit bad with the slight, white line across the hood.

This time for my 2014, I fully covered the entire front from the windshield forward with XPEL. This eliminated the white line across the hood. I also had the mirrors, door edges, cameras, door handles, etc. and rear trunk loading deck covered. The pieces were computer cut to avoid a sharp knife near my paint. And the install took two days with full tinting done at the same visit.

I have had a few small rocks hit the front, saw a slight bump immediately after the impact, but with the self-healing properties of the XPEL covering film, I found no such marks after a few minutes.

I went to Genesis Tinting in Elk Grove, CA and highly recommend them to others.

shashivr4

Called a few tint shops and dealers this morning. The only dealer that I found that actually installs a clear bra in-house was my local Porsche dealer. However, they use Premium Shield.

http://premiumshield.com

Has anyone had any experiences with this product?

shashivr4

After a lot of time on the phone today with a few local installers, I've narrowed it down to the following. BTW, "partial" means full bumper, partial hood, partial fenders, and mirrors. "Full" means full bumper, full hood, full fenders, and mirrors. What would you guys do based on the following information:

Installer #1:
Porsche Dealer (in-house)
Film: Premium Shield
Partial cost: $750
Full cost: ?

Installer #2:
Recommended by Maserati/Aston Martin dealer
Film: Suntek
Partial cost: $700
Full cost: $1000

Installer #3
Film: XPEL Ultimate
Partial cost: $860
Full cost: $1440

All the above installers use computer generated cuts. Appreciate any feedback. BTW, my car is Polar White and has less than 1,000 miles.

Lastly, has anyone seen any rainbows on their film when viewed with polarized glasses? I've read this could be a potential issue.

Thanks in advance!

eNNCity

How much does a job like that cost? Is it the same as shishivr mentioned above?

My biggest concern is that white line across the hood on a partial cover

samkimg

Yes, out-the-door price was very similar ... but my main concern was the quality of the labor and they did an excellent job!