Paint Protection

[Rob]

hi all, i am trying to guage an opinion on a project i am working on.

As i am sure many of you have seen my car with the clear paint protection film on the leading edge of the bonnet, the only prob is that it only extends about 12" up the bonnet. and i have had a few chips above this line ( BUT ONLY 1 CHIP IN 3 YEARS ON THE VERY FRONT!!!!)

Would people be more interested if the film extended to a maximum of 24" up the bonnet?????? If you are please post a simple YES OR NO and how much you would be willing to pay ( bear in mind the normal 12" version is about 70.)

If you are not sure what the paint protection film is do a search for x-pel this will give you all the info.

Cheers

Rob.

[Rob]

COME ON GUYS!!!! 36 people have looked at this subject and cant be bothered to even put YEs or NO!!!!!

everybody complains and bitches about stone chips and i am trying to help people with this.............

I wonder why i even bother sometimes

[Fidgits]

Sorry mate... I havent seen your thingy...

And all of my stone chips are on the bonnet... but would I spend 100 quid on something to protect it.. probably not.

Ian.

[GRiM]

Ditto..

And as these paint shields don't stop ALL stone chips, I'd rather put the money towards a re-spray.

Just my sixpence....

A good topic discussion though Rob..

[rhaines]

If it's the protection photo I tam thinking of and you can make out the diefference in colour I would only be interested if it covered the whole car so there no colour mismatches, if it's not the same one.....

[Rob]

the film when it is new is nearly impossible to see unless you are standing directly above it, but as the years go on, the plastic does slightly yellow ( < 15% max), it has a life of approx 5 years according to 3M, mine has been on for 3 years and you can now see it, but it is not a massive contrast (mainly because i have not cleaned the polish away from the edges of the film)

I do agree it will not stop 100% of stone chips but i would say that it stops a minimum of 95%, as i said i had 1 stone chip in 3 years, i know i would rather pay £70 instead of £300 for a blow over respray.

Anyway I have sourced a huge roll of the 12" wide film from work so i can redo the bonnet,wings and mirrors and if i am feeling adventurous the front bumper......... looked at yours recently??

oh the film ONLY comes in a maximum width of 24" from 3M so covering the whole car is out of the question.

[ifraz]

I have had alot of my stone chips sorted out recently because I had so many. This idea does seem to do a great job in reducing the amounts of chips that you get, but I'm not sure if I would want to pay £100 plus to stick film on the front to protect it. I haven't seen your car but to me it sounds like it would be too obvious and show up

So my answers is NO. It's a good topic though, there maybe some poeple to may want to try it. <_<

[imi]

i'd be interested in getting my front bumper done, but the bonnets ok for now...

[UKPulse]

I imagine that for best results, it would be best applied to the car when it's brand new. I probably wouldn't go for it because of the discolouration - 15% over 3 yrs would be really noticeable on silver. Also, the hassle of removing the film after 3 yrs, cleaning and re-applying new film sounds tricky.

The website says they also do film just for the headlights. Now that might be a good idea - HIDs are very expensive to replace I'm told

[Fargo]

If it's the protection photo I tam thinking of and you can make out the diefference in colour I would only be interested if it covered the whole car so there no colour mismatches, if it's not the same one.....

words & mouth..

[Unregistered_User1]

I would probably say YES to protecting the bumper and wing-mirrors, but NO to protecting 24" of the bonnet... especially because of the ~15% discoloration and my car is black!

If the film could be applied to the whole bonnet then that would be a different story, but not just for 24" (and you specifically state that 24" is the max. size).

How much would a respray cost for a bonnet anyway? Knowing this cost would help people to compare wether £70 for 12" would be a worthwhile investment.

To specifically answer your two questions...

1. Would people be more interested if the film extended to a maximum of 24" up the bonnet?

NO, I would not be interested.

2. How much you would be willing to pay [for 24" cover if 12" cover is £70]?

~£110 for 24" cover.

Hope my opinion helps you out. p.h.

[Glyn C]

I looked into the cost of this stuff when my new 430 was delivered

I thought it was expensive and the worsts chips on the old one were half way up the bonnet!

I would like it for the lights though having just had the fog light smashed after 1800 miles!! £70 including bulb!

Where can you get this in just sheet format rather than a specific kit then??

I tried and couldn't find anyone to supply it? :duh:

[Rob]

sorry all, i amde a mistake in one of my previous posts - the coulour change is less than 2.5%. i was looking at a different type of scotchcal film.

As for removal you can just peel the film off and it leaves very little if no adhesive on the vehicle - if there is adhesive it comes straight off with adhesive remover from Halfords. I will be replacing mine nect weekend ( when im back in the UK) ill take a few pics to show you what is involved in the fitting and you can see how invisible it really is.

oh BTW i fitted mine when the car was a year old so no probs for older cars.

I have a roll of the 12" stuff if anyone wants to try a piece.

[Glyn C]

Where did you get the roll from though? <_<

[Rob]

we have a few rolls of it at work,

[UKPulse]

Will be interested to see the pictures :)

I have this idea that applying a "flat" film to a curved surface like the front of a Lexus must be like trying to gift wrap a bottle of wine - you'll end up with creases? Guess there must be a special knack, or way of applying it?

[Rob]

it all depends where you are applying it really - as on the mirrors which have compound curves, you get problems on the edges but in general where you will get creases there are slots cut in the plastic to prevent this . For the bonnet this wont be a problem - for people that have seen mine i have had to cut slots as the one i have is designed for the IS300 ( the kits were not available for the is200 3-4 years ago) and i do believe that it has a flatter bonnet front edge.

there is a knack to applying it also, which minimuses these creases greatly. ill post pics when i am back home - i am also planning to do the leading edges of the wings when im back.

[Glyn C]

[i have a roll of the 12" stuff if anyone wants to try a piece. ]

I would be interested in trying some if you can spare some?

I'm totally fed up with stone chips on the front of the bonnet after 200 miles!

Can you send it via the post?

I'd gladly cover the cost - let me know and I'll PM you my home address

Cheers

[lexicon]

Yeah, I would be interested (subject to seeing how noticeable and how easy to apply) and would pay ~£100.

However, I would be MORE interested in Lexus actually using some real paint to cover their cars - I have never seen such poor paint on ANY car.

It's one of the things that really puts me off getting another one.

[stevenage_saint]

Must admit I too would be interested in trying it, if any spare pieces can missing