3M Scotchgard clear Bra

[FrankC]

Originally Posted by htp autoworks

As an installer I have to tell you that price is a little high... if when you say that "all side panels" include the full fenders, full doors, full rear quarter panels, and full hood (you say full hood then no hood in your post). That is a tremendous amount of film (a lot of 60" film for all of those full panels... which is at a permuim right now due to a shortage) and a lot of hours of labor. I also think that that is WAY overkill and you do not need that mcuh coverage unless you have a custom paint job and want it protected for driving to shows. Really a full bumper, partial hood/fenders, lights, mirrors and gills are what you need to get. Get a quote for that coverage and see what they come back with. Good film is very pricy... especially 60" VentureShield right now since they are 2 months on backorder for producing more. Even though I am short in it right now I am still not going ot raise my rates because I will get more... just not sure when. and its not fair that the customer has to pay higher prices when I orderd my film at the standard rate. These guys may be bumping it up a little but the coverage you requested is a lot... and I doubt anyone else in here has had that much film on their cars.

Thanks for the feed back. To clarify, I meant to say no film on trunk.

So, you think it is overkill? I can see partial fenders but; I think full hood. Rocks to fly up there and you do not see the seam with the full hood.

I was looking at siyes and pricing 3M. The have cutouts for the bumper, full hood and fenders and I'm sure you can get mirrors. For the bumpers and full hood and fenders customer price for mkaterial 557.40. That price is not for professionals which they probably get a discount.

I agree with you, I was quoted for allot of coverage but; the installer was making a nice profit.

The price blew me out of the water because; if you read these threads many are stating they are getting full coverage from 750.00 to 1500.

As far as 3M vs Venture Shield which 3M owns now. Other than the orange peel it seems 3M is the more durable product over the long haul.

The installer also mentioned Venture Shield to me. Sang it's praises when I balked. He then said; it does cloud after a few years.

In any case thanks for the info! Much appreciated!

[FrankC]

Originally Posted by hypurone

Just did it (3M ClearBra) on mine. I got complete front bumper, larger partial hood(custom cut around stripes) & fenders(24"), partial roof, mirrors, A-pillars, full rockers and behind the rear tires for 900.00.

Looks killer. Wife couldn't see it afterward until I pointed out where it ended on the hood for her.

I hadn't seen a car with it installed beforehand so I was a bit nervous it wouldn't look good when done, but no more! Do it!!

FYI, My guy told me to let it set up for 24 hours before driving it.

Go here to find a local installer:
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3.../Where_to_Buy/

That's were I went to get the name of the installer I called in New Jersey. For the mirrors, full hood, fendors, side panels, front bumper .... He quoted 2,999.00. According to your price which seemd in line with what I have been reading on the site. His quote was ridiculious or maybe in New Jersey they are getting those prices. No way am I going to pay those prices. I would pay the price you did for what you had done. I would probably do the whole hood though and go over my stripes.

[FrankC]

Originally Posted by hypurone

Just did it (3M ClearBra) on mine. I got complete front bumper, larger partial hood(custom cut around stripes) & fenders(24"), partial roof, mirrors, A-pillars, full rockers and behind the rear tires for 900.00.

Looks killer. Wife couldn't see it afterward until I pointed out where it ended on the hood for her.

I hadn't seen a car with it installed beforehand so I was a bit nervous it wouldn't look good when done, but no more! Do it!!

FYI, My guy told me to let it set up for 24 hours before driving it.

Go here to find a local installer:
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3.../Where_to_Buy/

Exactly what did you mean when you said behind rear tires? How much and where exactly?

[hypurone]

Originally Posted by FrankC

I would probably do the whole hood though and go over my stripes.

I went around the factory rally's cuz the installer said it would make the area of the stripe covered by the film look shinier than the rest. That ain't gonna work for me....

FrankC; Exactly what did you mean when you said behind rear tires? How much and where exactly?

Hard to explain but if you look you will see a slight body line (crease) that runs behind the rear tire. I had the film done to cover the entire area behind the tire up to the body line I just mentioned and all the way back and around the corner a bit. It came out tits!! I can take a pic if you want. Might be hard to see tho

[FrankC]

Originally Posted by hypurone

I went around the factory rally's cuz the installer said it would make the area of the stripe covered by the film look shinier than the rest. That ain't gonna work for me....



Hard to explain but if you look you will see a slight body line (crease) that runs behind the rear tire. I had the film done to cover the entire area behind the tire up to the body line I just mentioned and all the way back and around the corner a bit. It came out tits!! I can take a pic if you want. Might be hard to see tho

If you can tqake a pic that would be great. Even if I can't see. I will get the idea.

[fee5fofum]

Had mine done , here is my post w/ pictures :

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showpo...7&postcount=47

[FrankC]

Originally Posted by fee5fofum

Had mine done , here is my post w/ pictures :

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showpo...7&postcount=47

Nice pictures! Thanks .... It looks great!

[htp autoworks]

Originally Posted by FrankC

Thanks for the feed back. To clarify, I meant to say no film on trunk.

So, you think it is overkill? I can see partial fenders but; I think full hood. Rocks to fly up there and you do not see the seam with the full hood.

Full hood and fenders are the cleanest look you can get and it maximizes your coverage. Full doors though are overkill... and full rear quarter panels are overkill as well.

I was looking at siyes and pricing 3M. The have cutouts for the bumper, full hood and fenders and I'm sure you can get mirrors. For the bumpers and full hood and fenders customer price for mkaterial 557.40. That price is not for professionals which they probably get a discount.

Not much lower than what you are quoted. I pay near that for that amount of film... but I use VentureShield Ultra. It costs a little more than 3M, looks much better, and has a lifetime warranty versus 3M's 5 year. Even though 3M owns venture it is two completely different films.

I agree with you, I was quoted for allot of coverage but; the installer was making a nice profit.

Yes but you have to remember you are paying for a qulaity install. SO you are paying mroe for his level of skill, his overhead, and so on just like any other product you buy. You simply arent paying for the film and thats it. If that were the case getting your car painted would be standard anywhere you went. But if you want it done right then you are paying for for his craftsmanship than say the guy who just got certified. Where you are located impacts price as well. More competition means lower prices sometimes... less means higher prices... even though I dont really agree with it.

The price blew me out of the water because; if you read these threads many are stating they are getting full coverage from 750.00 to 1500.

Most prices are for partial hood, partial fenders, bumper lights and mirrors... some with rocker panels and the gills. But most Camaro owners are not going with full hoods and full fenders yet. So thats why the prices are lower. You stated you were quoted for full doors and full rear quarter panels... that is a LOT more 60" film required... thus increasing the price.

As far as 3M vs Venture Shield which 3M owns now. Other than the orange peel it seems 3M is the more durable product over the long haul.

Not so sure about that one.

The installer also mentioned Venture Shield to me. Sang it's praises when I balked. He then said; it does cloud after a few years.

False. It does not cloud. In fact thats the first time I have ever heard an installer make that claim... or anyone for that matter. I have been installing the film for 7 years and never had any issues with it at all. I have yet to have one single warranty claim and I have worked on hundreds of cars.

In any case thanks for the info! Much appreciated!

No problem. Let me know if you have any more questions.

[FrankC]

Originally Posted by htp autoworks

No problem. Let me know if you have any more questions.

So, give me your final recommendation on what I should do. Please any language or info I would need to know when getting a quote from an installer.

So, are you saying Venture Shield over 3M? What doe their lifetime warranty really include or should I say not include and conditions.

Does Venture Shield look better than 3M? What is the difference with the Ultra? Does Venture Shield have a clear coat on it?

Thanks again for your time and patients.

[FrankC]

Has anyone heard of XPEL and what is their opinion on that?

Here is a link that compares pros and cons of 3M, Venture Shield Ultra and XPEL

http://www.guardlineppf.com/Product_Compare.aspx

[htp autoworks]

Originally Posted by FrankC

So, give me your final recommendation on what I should do. Please any language or info I would need to know when getting a quote from an installer.

So, are you saying Venture Shield over 3M? What doe their lifetime warranty really include or should I say not include and conditions.

Does Venture Shield look better than 3M? What is the difference with the Ultra? Does Venture Shield have a clear coat on it?

Thanks again for your time and patients.

If it were my car I would get the full hood, full fenders, bumper, lights, rocker panels, gills, and mirrors... all in VentureShield Ultra. The Ultra line is clear coated and looks fantastic compared to 3M. You will also need 60" VentureShield to do the fulll hood in one shot without any seems. I beleive 3M only comes up to 48" widths... so you would have a seem line.

http://************.com/Gallery-1.html

At the bottom of that link there are two pictures showing 3M and VentureShield side by side on a black Viper GTS. I think it will be very obvious what the difference is between the two films.

Xpel seems to look good initially but they are having some problems with the gloss on the film fading quickly. Not sure why... and maybe they will get that fixed. I personally am not a fan of their film... but their kits are excellent.

[htp autoworks]

Originally Posted by FrankC

Has anyone heard of XPEL and what is their opinion on that?

Here is a link that compares pros and cons of 3M, Venture Shield Ultra and XPEL

http://www.guardlineppf.com/Product_Compare.aspx

Good information on this guys site. I have not heard of him or his site before but he does break down the three main films pretty well. One thing I noted is that he says 3M has an anti fungul agent in it. Well suprisingly enough the only time I have seen fungus grow in film was in 3M. See 3M uses and acrylic topcoat to prevent the film from scuffing during transport. Well acrylic does not stretch... in fact it cracks when the film is applied. if you are in a hot weather environment those cracks can get larger and fungus can grow in it. Now I have only seen the fungus issue once... and it was really bad... in fact horrible. I was shocked. But I have seen 3M crack down her in the Texas heat... and it can be a total "Bitch" (excuse my language) to get off. And I can overstate that enough. I had one car come in and it took me 8 hours to remove the 3M that had been on it. It tore into little pieces while removing... I will never do that again!

VentureShield can scuff... but if you are careful with it you will not have any problems. In fact just treat like you treat your paint and you will be fine. Dont use anything abrasive on it and no isopropyl alchohol/rubbing the surface. Other than that it looks great and is durable.

Xpel... well while they make great patterns, the one issue I have with them besides the finish lasting is the company itself. Their stock is now a penny stock and the company could fold... as far as making film goes. If that happens then bye bye warranty. Just something to consider when choosing films. 3M and VentureShield are strong financially... so I highly doubt they will ever close. Well 3M will never close... in the words of Obama (LMAO) they are too big to fail.

Hope this helped out a little.

[Redlands Clear Auto Bra]

REDLANDS CLEAR AUTO BRA will put one on your Camaro for only $525.
That includes the hood,fenders,mirrors and bumper.
We use VentureShield film (we feel the best on the market right now)

http://redlandsclearautobra.com

REDLANDS CLEAR AUTO BRA
1000 NEW YORK ST. #112
REDLANDS, CALIF. 92374

(951) 333-7647

[hypurone]

Originally Posted by FrankC

Exactly what did you mean when you said behind rear tires? How much and where exactly?

As promised. The first one shows how it wraps around to the rear diffuser and the second one shows the "crease" line that I used as the stopping point going upward: