Re: Why not dip the whole car ?!?

My car is in port and hopefully will be at the dealer in a few days. The sales guy has asked if I want to add "Speedfilm" to the car. It is $995 for coverage of the impact areas and $1395 for full coverage of the front - including hood and fenders. Is this a fair price and is it worth it? Also, how do you care for it. Do you wax it? Is P21S wax OK or do you need to use something special.

I saw one car recently with film on the front and it had clouded and looked horrible. Hopefully, this was an aberration.

mike

you want to buy the installer more than the film. Price sounds high but I don't know your market, type of film being quoted and all the coverage. Right now, IMNSHO, best film out there is Expel 10yr guarantee / self healing stuff. Crystal clear when installed properly (after it dries for a day or two and has the initial chemical burn-off depending on car color).

Basically you care for film (clear specifically) like paint but use a gel-wax or synthetic... or at least a natural wax that does NOT have yellow carnuba in it (especially on a white car). Only other suggestion is to either get the whole hood or none (front fenders are not as imperative but rocker panels and behind rear wheels are). With whole hood they they can wrap edges so you don't have to see/worry about a seam in middle.

In a nutshell, I'd pass unless you know first hand the installer is A+... but still sounds high (you'd probably save 25%+ if you go direct to installer). Regardless, clearbras are good to have especially on low slung vehicles.

Congrats and good luck

At the suggestion of the supplier of my 3M product, I've used Meguiars NXT on mine. It doesn't contain wax, and hence, no yellowing. Also, it doesn't leave a residue, and makes bug removal easier.

Remember, the film is susceptible to scratches. so use a very soft cloth and GO EASY.

I've been using P21S on my 3M for 6 years and still no yellowing. Bugs come off just with a sponge and warm water. No scrubbing required.

The CURVEN8R normally goes topless, but never bra-less.

I've got the Venture Shield, and I didn't realize how easily it scratches up. I wipe down the car with those yellow micro-fiber cloths after a car wash (the no-touch kind of course) and after a while I noticed the clear bra was all scratched up. They managed to get it back up-to-snuff when I had the car detailed at the dealer, but I didn't even know how to fix it myself.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/26/2012 12:05PM by Laz. (view changes)

Quote
Lawdevil
My car is in port and hopefully will be at the dealer in a few days. The sales guy has asked if I want to add "Speedfilm" to the car. It is $995 for coverage of the impact areas and $1395 for full coverage of the front - including hood and fenders. Is this a fair price and is it worth it? Also, how do you care for it. Do you wax it? Is P21S wax OK or do you need to use something special.

I saw one car recently with film on the front and it had clouded and looked horrible. Hopefully, this was an aberration.

mike

I've never heard of Speedfilm. Sounds like it should be good for at least an additional 22.3 HP and another 7.45 mph top speed.

I have my front bumper done with 3M. It has stood up for 6 years. You saw it back in June. No stone chips on the bumper. I just wash and wax (with P21S) it like the rest of the car.

I believe there is/was another product out there, but don't recall the name. It was supposed to be a bit softer than the 3M. I just did a quick search and couldn't find anything on Speedfilm. Maybe I didn't search fast enough?

Speedfilm is apparently a network of installers - one of which is my Porsche dealer. they use X-Pel film.

I believe it's called Venture Shield, and as applied it's just about invisible. The edges are hardly apparent. The dealer's installer did the entire hood, the apron (nose,) the mirrors partially, something behind the front wheel openings (I think,) and the headlights. The owner's manual says not to cover the headlights with anything; I questioned that, but it's on the dealer. Now that I'm reminded of how much junk hits the front of the car, I'm very glad I had it done. It was something like 1300 bucks. Just yesterday I decided to get the Crystal Fusion windshield treatment: being I replaced my 2001's on my dime just because of the pitting, I think this is worth getting now. Don't have a price yet.
I can see how a really hard wax can offer some finish protection from particulates, it's not going to stop a lot of the usual sand blasting and bigger bits of silica, etc.

Yes, it is high, because the dealership is offering it. Having said that, I got it when I got my car as I rolled it into the loan. The installer is an independent the dealership hires to come in; each get their cut. What is on my car may be the X-Pel mentioned above. I know it is not 3M as the installer said the stuff he puts on cars is thicker and tougher than 3M.

If you want to save money, have the guy come to your house for the install and pay him directly. Get the entire hood, at least a portion of the front fenders,air dam, and mirrors done if you can. The door edges are also a desirable location.

My experience is exactly like KevinR: I was able to have the installer come to my house and install X-Pel, and he charged $600 or $800 (it's been over 3 years) for the bumper, fenders, partial hood, mirrors, and the areas right behind the rear wheels. He did a great job; we had one wrinkle on one of the mirrors that he fixed for me, and after 3 years the whole job looks and shines like new. This stuff is practically invisible on the Ruby Red, and works great to protect the car. My only regret is that I "saved money" by only getting the partial hood. Wouldn't you know that within days after installing the clearbra, a truck threw a rock and managed to hit the unprotected part of the hood!?! Arrrgghh. Get the full hood!

I agree that if you're going to get the hood done, get the whole thing done. I didn't get my hood done because I didn't like the line the partial one left. Some of the worst stone ships I've had have been on the top part of the hood, so the partial one wouldn't have helped.

At least I've managed to make the hood chips almost invisible with Dr. ColorChip.

I have decided to go ahead with the Speedfilm. Got the dealer to give me a substantial discount (he's already making plenty on me). Thanks for the input, guys!

I have partial coverage on mine and don't mind the line (it lines up perfectly with the film line on the fenders, and that makes for a good 'look' in my view). If you opt for a partial hood make sure they line it up with the fender coverage.

In view of Guenter's strong preference for the full-hood job, and given that I have unwavering respect for his judgment, I'd consider the full hood if I were to do it again.

BTW, make sure you get the wheel wells done, particularly the inside lips.

I'm gtting the "Full Coveragee":
• Bumpers
• mirrors
• fenders
• Lower Bumpers
• Door Cups
• Door Edges
• Rocker Panels
Wheel Wells

What happened that whole "healing paint" thing?

Quote
Bruce In Philly (195K+)
What happened that whole "healing paint" thing?

They're still working on it.

[www.dailytech.com]

I never understood people who got "nice" furniture and then lost all the value of its contact surfaces. Nothing like a hot day, Bermuda shorts and plastic covered dining room chairs! Yech! The notion of actually covering just about everything came up when I bought the car, but I felt that would be ridiculous. The original idea was to protect the main frontal area from stone chips and sand blasting. On my 2001 the only places I saw some damage (roughening) of the paint other than the nose and hood was on the back edges of the rear wheel well folds. I might've mentioned somewhere else that I'm having the Crystal Fusion windshield treatment done.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/27/2012 12:07PM by Laz. (view changes)

Hi - saw your post about Crystal Fusion, read their web site, and came away with no more knowledge than before. It's a most unhelpful web site. What is it? Film? Liquid? How it is applied? DIY or installer? How does it strengthen glass? If they can't explain how it strengthens glass, I think I'd just stick with Rain-X for $7.99 and have essentially the same benefits.

I've seen an article or two that say it's "transparent aluminum," (which is what the whale holding tanks were made of in one of the Star Trek movies!) Perhaps it's similar to what Porsche has on the side windows of their cars. My dealer has some credibility because of its promotion of the 3M film, which is working very well, so I'm willing to try Crystal Fusion, promotional gibberish aside. I believe it's a liquid application and requires occasional reapplication. The Boxster owner's manual mentions the side windows require retreating, too. If it actually protects against the infernal pitting that Porsche windshields are susceptible to, I'll be quite happy. Rain-X is great stuff, but definitely doesn't offer any significant damage protection. For less than 500 bucks on a circa 75 thousand dollar car it doesn't seem like too much of a risk. If it saves me the expense of replacing the windshield for the "life" of the car, it'll be worthwhile.

Because we never know when this might happen...