Some pictures of 3M Scotchgard paint protection film

[birdfan]

Re: Some pictures of 3M Scotchgard paint protection film

Thanks for the quick reply, Dino.

There is a car dealer that is listed as a trained Xpel installer a few miles from me. I was going to ask him about removel, but I am always suspicious that a dealer will tell you what you want to hear. Your info gives me confidence it is removable when I want to take it off.

Now, to see if he is interested in doing it, and how much it will be. Just like you did, I thought I would give him one of the sets of Ford strips for templates. However, I like your idea of making it wider, after all, it is practically invisible so a little more around the edges gives some extra protection.

[Prairie360]

Re: Some pictures of 3M Scotchgard paint protection film

I am thinking of using the 3M / Xpel for under the hardtop instead of the Ford strips. Do any of you know how hard it is to remove it when you want to take it off, or how it is removed?

I'm treating my film installed for my hard top as semi-permanent. The installer used a heavier gauge version of the same 3M material.

So far, its perfect... And doesn't need to be reapplied every year like the Ford strips. That alone was worth it to me.

[joe166]

Re: Some pictures of 3M Scotchgard paint protection film

I want to warn you that while the hardtop film is no problem to remove easily, the bra part was a bear. I had the 3M material installed on my 04 when it was about 3 months old and I loved it! It saved me several small nicks and scrapes. When I read the earlier post a few months ago about the cracks and damage underneath I started looking into removing the material and maybe replacing it. It was over five years so I didn't really expect 3M or the installer to do anything for me, but I did want to talk to the people who sold it to me or the dealer that installed it to get any tips they might have.

It was a disaster to remove! It was not XPel, it was the other company that was doing the work a few years ago and as far as I can tell, they are out of business. I tried to call the company in North Carolina that I bought it from and couldn't find them. I called the shop in Pompano Beach that installed it and they said they had so much trouble with it they stopped installing it and the guarantee was from the people in North Carolina that they stopped dealing with.

I finally got a company in South Miami that specializes in Window Film and similar 3M clear bras to take it off and it took them most of three days. The film, while it looked fine for the most part had started cracking in some places and would not come off even when heated in any pieces larger than 1/2 inch square. That meant they had to use a heat gun and work very slowly indeed.

It cost me quite a bit of money (about $350 as I remember it) to remove it and afterward it still had little marks where the cracks had been. A miserable experience. I urge you not to wait too long to remove the clear bra. It took me several total detaillings to finally remove the last traces of old glue and odd little pieces that remained on the lower edges of the front bumper.

Maybe it was because of the hot Florida sun and the fact that my car is a daily driver that sits outside a lot. Maybe I got a bad batch or a bad installation but it sure looked great for a few years. Just be careful and try to remove part of it before the five year guarantee is done.

[Bruce]

Re: Some pictures of 3M Scotchgard paint protection film

I have had pieces of the Xpel removed several times and replaced without any problems what so ever.

[Prairie360]

Re: Some pictures of 3M Scotchgard paint protection film

Maybe it was because of the hot Florida sun and the fact that my car is a daily driver that sits outside a lot. Maybe I got a bad batch or a bad installation but it sure looked great for a few years. Just be careful and try to remove part of it before the five year guarantee is done.

Joe,

Sounds like the heat literally baked the adhesive into your finish. I'm glad you were finally able to get that off. And thanks for the heads up! My car sits in the garage most of its life and isn't a daily driver. But we are looking to move to south west Florida and that could become an issue for us, although I think our 'Bird will always be a garage queen.

[Lonestar]

Re: Some pictures of 3M Scotchgard paint protection film

I recently purchased a Buick Enclave – White Diamond Tricoat over Satin Nickel. If you have ever paid attention to the Enclaves then you may have noticed that the lower cladding, front, and rear bumpers are a statin finish. While driving on a freeway Father’s Day weekend a truck next to me blew a tire – a large piece of tread shot out forward and then I ran over it and a small piece rocketed from the tire and hit my left front door. The result was a dented and chipped LF door and a scuffed lower front bumper. Certainly could have been much worse. Although I love the color I will never have another tri coat painted car (I now have 2, the Enclave and Thunderbird) nor will I have a “satin”. They simply can not be repaired easily. A chip the size of a black eyed pea would require painting the entire front fender, front door, and blending into the rear door or the repair would be noticed. The texture of the “satin” is a nightmare to match as well.

Anyway, after having the front bumper repaired at a custom shop within a large dealership in Dallas (this custom shop blings out and custom paints Hummers, Infinitys Cadillacs, Lexus, BMWs, Mercedes, etc for high end clients and local sports stares – I do not fall into either catagory) I asked if they installed the clear bras for I wanted to try and protect the front end from chips and etc. I was told they stopped installing the clear bras for they had tried every brand and all of them either yellowed, cracked, or both. As described above, it would cost them more in time to removed failed material then they made in the first place and in many cases they had to do this more than once on a specific vehicle.

I suspect, as mentioned, it is the Texas heat coupled with the tremendous temperatures hoods and front facials get too due to the radiant under hood heat results in just cooking this stuff. It may take folks who live in cooler climates much longer to experience material failure if they experience it at all.

[birdfan]

Re: Some pictures of 3M Scotchgard paint protection film

Wow, lots of great info in the above posts.

There appears to be a trend of more problems encountered if it is left on for a while and in very hot climates. Those in the more northern latitudes, as I am, seem to have better luck. Perhaps the best approach would be to remove it each summer and re-apply when the hardtop goes back on.

I went to the dealer today and talked to the installer. I explained what I wanted and he was extremely reluctant to do it. He said they only did the full front covers and had never done something like that. He said he had to talk to the owner and get his approval.

Now, it seems to me that a couple of small pieces on a flat surface would be much easier than the whole front of the car, so from his response I am a little taken aback. He took my number and said he would call.

He also said it is difficult to take off and not only leaves a lot of glue mess but will take the paint off if there ever has been any touchup or repaint. Fortunately the paint is all original, only 6k miles on the car.

So, I will wait to hear from him, and if they say they will do it I will have to really sit down and talk to them in detail. He did give me a sample of the Xpel, and it is so much better than the Ford tape (as some of you attest to). I am a little nonplussed at his initial response, however.

[birdfan]

Re: Some pictures of 3M Scotchgard paint protection film

So, from my earlier post, the dealer/installer never called me about making strips for under the hardtop. I went to the xpel site and ordered a piece 6 inches wide by 12 ft. It was only $33.96 + shipping. I used the Ford strips as templates and with careful positioning was able to fit all 4 strips in a section 3 feet long. So I now have enough for 3 more applications if I need it!
Cutting the film was real easy with sharp scissors. I printed off the xpel installation instructions and with Sue spraying the alcohol solution and me placing the strips, and then both of us smoothing out the bubbles, we were done in a couple of hours. With practice it could be done quicker, but we went real slow being the first time working with this material. The hardest part was that since it is clear it almost dissappears as soon as you put it down, so a bright light over the work area is a must to see it good enough to line it up and get the bubbles out.
The job is done and looks great, which seems strange to say since you can hardly see it, which is the whole idea. I will let it dry for a day and then put the hardtop on. Time will tell how good it works, but from some of the earlier comments I have confidence it will do the job.
I hope this isn't too wordy, but I thought some of you might be interested to know this can be a do-it-yourself job if you careful, patient and have some aptitude working with your hands. Personally, I wouldn't try a large area with compound curves or lots of contours and would leave that to a trained installer.

[Prairie360]

Re: Some pictures of 3M Scotchgard paint protection film


Along the edges of the underside of the front bumper, the 3M film started to crinkle. Matt of Detailing Dynamics is making the adjustment to the film by cutting off excess.