StormRedAMG

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

I am a new MB owner(2007 slk55 AMG). Car will be here around Mar. 1st. I am wondering if anyone has had any experience with the clear coat option offered by MB dealers? I am thinking of having them do the entire car. Is it worth the money? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

jbanks15

hello and welcome..a little confused am i. the paint is clear coated from the factory usually. do you mean that for extra money the dealer wants to spray it for some sort of protection? if so, NO NO NO! sham, flim flam. others will chime in soon if that is the case. get a clear bra for front end protection from chips, etc.

bmwnomore

From everything I have seen and read, this is nothing more than huge profit, high dollar snake oil the dealer is selling you. Don't do it. Go get some Zaino stuff or similar for a fraction of the cost. Invest in the claybar, Z7 car wash concentrate, Z2 polish, Zfx additive and the Z6 gloss enhancer.

It's a little bit of work to do the process, but well worth the effort. After about four coats of the Z2, you'll have a showroom finish, great protection, the car will be easy to clean and all for about $ 60.00. Consider it a labor of love. Other products probably are similar, but I have religiously used Zaino with great satisfaction. I would spend my money there and definitely not with the "stealer".

StormRedAMG

Thanks for the replies. Sorry for not being more clear. I'm talking about the clear bra that the dealer here in Minnesota is offering. It is supposed to protect from rock chips, etc. Sounds like I should reconsider. Will definitely look into other options before I decide. Thanks for your help.

drakon

The clear bra is a good option actually, however you should shop around your area and see if they will give you a better price. Opinions vary greatly as to which brand to use, (most side with 3M) but in reality, the quality of the application is most important, and the warranty that they offer.

jbanks15

i have a clear bra and am completely satisfied. brand is ventureshield. $550. covers, grill, bumper, hood, headlights and mirrors. have had it 2 years in august 07

http://accuguard.biz/

other brand is 3m.

StormRedAMG

Thanks jbanks15 & drakon,
I will find out what brand the dealer here uses. I am considering having them do the whole car(not just the front, mirrors, etc.). Not sure yet what that would cost. I am kinda particular when it comes to rock chips and that kind of stuff with my cars. Take care!!

jbanks15

storm, here is a link to pictures i had of my install

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/r171...=ventureshield

StormRedAMG

jbanks,
I appreciate the pictures but its not letting me look at them. Says I'm not logged in. When I try to log in says invalid log in name or invalid password. I logged in before I try to look at the pictures but still have the same problem. Must be something wih the server. I'll keep trying. If I have something done like Ventureshield, does Zaino kit work well with it or do you not recommend using Zaino with clear bra treatment. Seems like Zaino comes highly recommended. Any thoughts?? Thanks!!

jbanks15

sorry you probably need to login and become a member. i don't zaino but i wax right over the clear bra. no peeling or yellowing in 2 years. many members swear by zaino but i don't use it. don't have the time. too busy. i clean my car twice a day, windows twice a day, vacuum once a day, wash twice a week, leather the seats twice a week, clean the rims twice a day and gel the tires once a day. whew!!!!!

StormRedAMG

jbanks,
I like your attitude towards keeping your car clean. I will need you to talk with my wife to get her to help me when my car gets here. She's pullimg the Nascar thing, "I just drive the car!!" Don't know what I'm going to do??!!
Later

RonJeffries

I have had an abbreviated version of the clear stuff put on: the headlight glass, and the under part of the bumper area, which I knew I'd be scraping all the time.

I had seen a car in my color (firemist) with the clear stuff on the hood and there was visible orange peeling. My intention was to protect the headlights against stones, since those curved covers cost a fortune.

On the other hand, I do have a stone chip on my hood. On the gripping hand, it's probably above the level of the plastic.

On my other car I only protected the headlight glass.

sgn

I had researched this option some time ago. There are several clear films out there; I liked ventureshield. Even with ventureshield, you might find several installation options. The cheapest is a laser-cut package which they put as a nose bra on the front of the car. For this, it might be $300-$800. Then some installers do custom packages which use large single sheets to cover, for example, the hood and the side fenders. You are looking at $1000-$1200 for semi-custom job, at least here in the marvelously expensive San Francisco area. The best installers are capable of doing custom jobs. I had an enlightening discussion with Sam at www.premiermobilegroup.com; he comes highly recommended on the net.

A friend had this done on his SLK 350 which was black (through a dealer). I can see the lines of his film installation, although on a silver body it might be different.

Anyhow, I opted against this since I own a silver slk. The cost of a protective film was too much, given the installation lines, the waxing issues, and the overall cost of the car. I do not live in an area with lots of small rocks. The risk of dents and dings from a shopping cart is just as great. For most urban folks, it is easier to buy a silver or white car, and live with the little chips, and not even that if you're handy with the touch up paint. Noone will see the primer with white or silver.

On the other hand, if I had a Ferrari F430, well, then, I might be convinced, but then I would do a full body custom wrap job (3-4K).

The paint on the SLK 350 is pretty durable as far as I can tell. I haven't had a problem in nearly a year of driving.


Kind Regards,

--andy