theflystyle Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 With an impending new car purchase on the horizon, protecting an investment like that got me looking at the clear protective films from 3M. Link for reference My first question is does anyone currently have one installed on their car, and second does anyone have any thoughts pro/con on them as well. I have similar "Zagg" sheilds on all my other stuff like phone, ipods, xbox (i know) and it holds up very well to drops and damage. I have read some performance reviews and they seem to hold up well against rocks, bugs, etc. Lastly I am trying to find a location in the NOVA (Northern VA) area that installs the product. If anyone knows of a good place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seanlsb Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I've used a clear bra in the past. At the end of the day you may have protected the paint on the nose of the car, but when you remove it there is a definite line of difference (protected versus unprotected paint). You will need to have the nose re-finished anyway. Save the $500 it takes to get a really good clear bra and spend $200 every 4 years to have the nose re-painted. Just my opinion.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el5y Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 http://www.detailauthority.com/ my friend took his car there for it and he loves it. Though personally I don't think I'll do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el5y Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I've used a clear bra in the past. At the end of the day you may have protected the paint on the nose of the car, but when you remove it there is a definite line of difference (protected versus unprotected paint). You will need to have the nose re-finished anyway. Save the $500 it takes to get a really good clear bra and spend $200 every 4 years to have the nose re-painted. Just my opinion.... I second this, all you're really protecting is the crappy stock paint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madjik_Man Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I've used a clear bra in the past. At the end of the day you may have protected the paint on the nose of the car, but when you remove it there is a definite line of difference (protected versus unprotected paint). You will need to have the nose re-finished anyway. Save the $500 it takes to get a really good clear bra and spend $200 every 4 years to have the nose re-painted. Just my opinion.... agreed not to mention my neighbor has it installed on his ABP legacy and it looks "hazy" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theflystyle Posted February 6, 2009 Author Share Posted February 6, 2009 if on a black or dark car i feel the hazy is correct. i work with someone who has a black g35 and it is noticeable from a close distance. im imagining this on a harvest gold or deep bronze and wonder if it would be as noticeable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madjik_Man Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I think I misspoke with the ABP paint color on my neighbors car. It's the dark blue Subbie paint. Is that ABP or the Regal Blue (?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PsycoticClown Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I have it on my ABP Legacy and it is pretty hard to see it unless your right up next to the car, even then, the only way you can see it is the line from where the 3M stops. Great against rocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sdrvr Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I have it on a gray H3 and it works great protecting against stone chips. You can't even see it if you're not specifically trying to find it. That said, it needs to go on right away on undamaged paint. If there are any surface imperfections, it highlights them. On said H3 I have a couple of little dings in the rear fender before the film was applied, and it highlights these. Exactly the way you can see air bubbles in a window tint film; if there's air under the 3M there's a visible spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theflystyle Posted February 6, 2009 Author Share Posted February 6, 2009 Does anyone have pictures of this installed on their legacy? ive seen plenty of pictures but it wouldnt hurt to see it on the car it would be going on right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eag1969 Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 Take a look at my car because I have one on there. It makes taking bugs off your front end sooo easy and you don't have to worry about nicks or scratches. Mine came with a 6 year warranty against fading and install defects. DO NOT do the painting option. Anytime a car has paint, one assumes it has been wrecked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Euclid Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 Here ya go. 3M Scotchcal. Front end still looks great after 4 1/2 years. http://celicaman.f0e.net/albums/lgt_ocdd/DSCN4876.jpg http://celicaman.f0e.net/albums/lgt_ocdd/DSCN4874.jpg The first car I had it on was my S2000. After 2 years it was flawless. http://celicaman.f0e.net/albums/s2kclearbra/DSCN2764.jpg I've put it on every car since. I will never not have it on a car of mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theflystyle Posted February 7, 2009 Author Share Posted February 7, 2009 did you get them on your headlamps too?? my concern would be the temps and the plastic melting and/or discoloration Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el5y Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 hmm...not bad, Euclid all the previous ones I've seen you could really tell that the 3m clear bra was on there. The paint under the bra looked really hazy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mendozer Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 When I purchased the car I really REALLY didn't want the clear bra on it. Always thought it looked lame. However, over time it really isn't that noticeable unless you are standing within 5 ft of it. Initially I was going to get it removed but now as I go along I think I'm going to leave it on. My windshield was replaced one month ago and my new windshield now has 5 huge chips in it. Front end looks fantastic though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Euclid Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 did you get them on your headlamps too?? my concern would be the temps and the plastic melting and/or discoloration Yes, my headlamps are done as well. Your headlights don't get hot enough for it to melt, and from what I can tell there is no yellowing either. This could vary depending on the brand/quality of protective film used. hmm...not bad, Euclid all the previous ones I've seen you could really tell that the 3m clear bra was on there. The paint under the bra looked really hazy. I can't say the area under the bra gives a crystal clear reflection. There is certainly a bit of "blur," but it's not bad enough for me to warrant complaining. You can see in this pic how the bra blurs the reflection of the tree http://celicaman.f0e.net/albums/wolfgang/post_clay_frontsm.sized.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el5y Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 Thats still not as bad as I've seen, thought closer. Its still got a decent amount of reflection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theflystyle Posted February 8, 2009 Author Share Posted February 8, 2009 Thats still not as bad as I've seen, thought closer. Its still got a decent amount of reflection are the ones you see that are not clear from that place you recommened detail authority? if so i may steer clear of there and hope there are other shops in the fairfax, nova area that have the good stuff? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el5y Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 are the ones you see that are not clear from that place you recommened detail authority? if so i may steer clear of there and hope there are other shops in the fairfax, nova area that have the good stuff? Sorry I wasn't clear, I've seen several online that are pretty bad. I haven't seen my friend's car up close to really tell you how good it is but he likes it. Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theflystyle Posted February 9, 2009 Author Share Posted February 9, 2009 according to the link you provided, they have some high prices (compared to others online ive seen, but no other local so far) they have one that covers the entire hood, fenders, etc for 1800 lol!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rimfaxe Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 FWIW, I've had a RockBlocker on the hood, bumper, mirrors, and headlights since late 2004. I just removed the headlight covers a few weeks ago because of fogging. the rest still looks good, but it is near the end of its life. I may remove the rest of it this summer. The paint underneath looks great except for one spot that caught a golfball sized rock from a dumptruck, and even that is not as bad as it would have been.... It was worth it overall- I had it installed by a guy on NASIOC- the bumber is a PIA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theflystyle Posted February 9, 2009 Author Share Posted February 9, 2009 FWIW, I've had a RockBlocker on the hood, bumper, mirrors, and headlights since late 2004. I just removed the headlight covers a few weeks ago because of fogging. the rest still looks good, but it is near the end of its life. I may remove the rest of it this summer. The paint underneath looks great except for one spot that caught a golfball sized rock from a dumptruck, and even that is not as bad as it would have been.... It was worth it overall- I had it installed by a guy on NASIOC- the bumber is a PIA. was the guy on nasioc in the richmond area? does the product come with the warranty if not installed by a shop/dealer? did the fogging of the headlight just occur on the protector and leave the headlamp clean and looking new or did it haze both? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rimfaxe Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 was the guy on nasioc in the richmond area? does the product come with the warranty if not installed by a shop/dealer? did the fogging of the headlight just occur on the protector and leave the headlamp clean and looking new or did it haze both? The person that installed my Rockblocker and window tint was leeberbs from NASIOC. He did a super job on both and was very reasonable in price. He is located in NJ- I had it done while visiting some friends up there. I don't know if he's still doing installs, but it was worth it. After the large rock hit the hood, I purchased a new film for the hood. I may get the hood fixed and install the hood film myself. After watching him do the bumper, I wouldn't attempt it myself. The stuff still looks pretty good after 4.5 years. I applied the headlamp film myself without too much trouble. It did a great job of protecting the lenses. I finally removed them and cleaned the adhesive using 'Goof Off' and the headlights look like new after all this time- no fogging, etc. Removing them took about a half hour for both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theflystyle Posted February 9, 2009 Author Share Posted February 9, 2009 does anyone have a preference of 3m vs other brands? ive taken car to two places and got quotes from both. 3m product install $895 at one place and the other is called clearsheild and installed is $695. pretty big difference. both come with limited lifetime warranties Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Euclid Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 I've got the 3M stuff on all my cars and have had no problems. I've heard from people that the "ventureshield" is very good stuff as well. I can't say anything about other brands since I have no experience with them. The prices seem a bit high though. The place I have my cars done is around $600 for their standard package which is: bumper, lights, hood, fenders, and side mirrors. I suggest asking some of the local dealerships where they take their cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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