3M Clear Guard 612

Any negatives of 3M clear guard on a 612? What is a reasonable price to get installed?

 

Put it on my 612 and it looks great, the newer 3M does not have the orange peel of the earlier version. I have it on the full front up to back of headlights and across hood, the headlight covers, the door edges, mirrors, inside door handles and lower rear rocker panels. Paid about $800 for all.

 

It should cost around 800/900 to do.. it looks great!

 

I've posted before about my personal view that its a waste of time - I've done it on a bunch of cars and ended up having to paint them anyway. It seem to me that you always end up with a sill scratch or a chip on the hood above the 3M line or scratches from grounding under the front.

My 612 has a bunch of stone chips on the front and a sill scratch (from a friend parking it!). This spring I'll have that all painted and the cost will be somewhere in the 2-3K range. A full clear guard which would be the alternative (as opposed to the "vulnerable areas") is probably about the same cost (3-3.5K).

Given this I prefer not to bother, as when detailed I think detailed paint looks much nicer than clear guard. I also always notice the line across the hood as it often picks up wax from a detailer and stands out.

 

im with u on this. im taking the clear off all of my cars that have it. especially the ones that i drive in the summer and leave parked outside during the day. 2 shades of paint is the last thing i need. im surprised how many people like the clear bras.

 

Have never experienced this. And according to the professional installers this is not an issue.

 

i dont buy it. the clear bra has uv protection, the paint doesnt. atleast not to the same degree.

 

Well, I can only speak from my own experience. And if the film was truly a liability why aren't we hearing more about this from disgruntled owners. Paint protection film is certainly nothing new to the industry.

 

mmmmh. interesting point.

so has anyone experienced a 2 tone after taking a clear bra off?

 

There is a new product put that is even better. I just leased some space to a detail shop and the guy did it for free and took my old 3M off. It is crazy not to have a very professionally installed clear bra. Ferrari is even offering at as a factory option.

Cover the entire hood and you will never know its there. Cover the headlights as they are prone to get chipped and it will cost ya 2200.00 if it starts to let in humidity for just one.

full front bumper / full hood / door handles / mirrors just below the trunk area and the lower painted area on the lower parts / front headlights

Even if you take care of your car the sunlight is VERY hard on it. I can't imagine someone letting their Ferrari being exposed to direct sunlight all day. If so buy a cover and install ceramic window tint.

I do not understand how you guys got it done so cheap. I checked around and the cheapest I found was 1400.00 and I did not go with the cheapest. I am a fan of pre ordered material as the exacto knife does cut your paint when the installer does it from
scratch.

My car is washed by me 99% of the time and to see all those chips would kill me!

 

Why not do the whole hood?

3M has too much clear coat in it. I will find out the new product. When I went to the detailer last week I asked him why the bra wasn't put on as I wanted the car for the weekend. He looked at me and said - that is the best response he could have hoped for.

 

I've had it done to 8 of my cars in the past few years with no ill effects. Just get someone to do it right and you're ok. I've used Premier in Calfiornia and touted as the "best" and imo they are. just get that part right and no worries.

 

I just bought an 09 Scud and had the "Racing Package" clear installation done for about $1400. I've alrady tracked it twice and it looks great. Just sold my 07 599 which had the standard package installed before I even picked it up for about the same money. For the peace of mind it gives me I couldn't be happier. I think its worth the money and if you track your cars like I do a definate no brainer.

 

The reason they got it done "so cheap" is due to the difference in coverage/protection. You chose to have much more area protected than those that got the ~$800 coverage. Full hoods, full fenders and bumper, along with other bits & pieces like the headlights, etc. should definitely be more cost than partial hoods and partial fenders, etc.

The car I was working on yesterday requested a 24" hood with fenders to match, but when he saw the slightly visible line across the hood, he said to remove it and do the entire hood & fenders - NO LINES! No wax build up either.

 

The two tone effect is usually because of not waxing over the bra and the paint together. Sometimes it's because of a cheaper material being used for the paint protection film.

The best option, is to get the entire hood, front fenders, bumper covered, so that there is no line, & no chance for different paint fade. This is expensive, but so is a paint job.

Some people say they can just get their car repainted every two years or so, but you could get a chip or two on the way home from the body shop. The next 3 drives gives you 4 or 5 chips, & there you go, needing a paint job again.

The biggest source of complaints about paint protection film, almost always starts with the installer. Just make sure to see references or work examples of the installer.

 

I agree - continually painting a car is not the way to go. Spend the extra few bucks upfront and call it a day. My guess is most people do not think to wax the clear bar.

 

Do you have the name of the product?Thanks

 

Just called him - it is the NEW 3M product. Here is the catch and be careful.

The NEW product is the same price as the old, but these guys have a ton of the old product and will try to dump it off on you if you allow it. There is a HUGE difference and you can see the orange peel in the old product, the NEW product unless you have lines is near impossible to see.

 

I installed on front bumper only.

Mike

 

Do not use 3M if you want to say you have original paint. The 3M adhesive is great and will peel the paint off of a 612 front bumper, don't ask how I know.

People are using different clear bra like Avery.

As for the different shades, yes, if your car is out in the sun a lot. You can tell after a while.

 

I REALLY like the new Avery film also!

 

For the guys that do not believe in clear bra products

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk5eWEZTkNA

 

In my experience, the best film to use would be the 3M Venture Ultra. It is a top coated product instead of a clear coated one. The difference is the clear coating, like the 3M ScotchGuard has a clear coat sprayed on the surface. While this makes it a bit more durable it also make for more orange peel and less of an ability to handle compound curves while installing. Not a do it yourself film. The Ultra uses a top layer of urethane film that is polished smooth. This allows it to stretch more, (3 time the tensile strength), but also make it the smoothest, clearest film out there. Couple that with the lifetime warranty and you have a winner.
As for the UV and two tone issue, the films today, (at least the 3M) are totally optically transparent. The UV protection helps keep the film from yellowing and cracking while allowing the visible light to pass thru. I've only seen a two tone paint in two situations, one an older not clearcoated film, or a film that was not maintained (cleaned etc.) and therefore blocked light from that part of the hood.
Located here in Ma, we get a fair variety of weather conditions, so make sure you have a professional install, and maintain the film with a 3M Performance Finsh wax. That will solve the problem of yellowing the film by using the wrong type of wax as well.
Hope this was helpful info.

 

The issue of paint peeling upon PPF film removal is an intesting one. Generally, if the the paint is indeed original,(and sometimes you just don't know), there won't be any issues in the proper removal of film. That said there are some variables to consider. Most of the film manufacturers don't manufacture their own raw film, they do their own coating with their own blend or a standard available adhesive. This adds to the variation of aggressiveness of the adhesive. Even the two 3M products have different adhesives.

If the film takes your paint off, it is usually the result of aftermarket paint, or improper removal technique (eg. w/o heat etc.)

High end car companies like Ferrari, etc. would never endorse the Venture Ultra as an oem product if it even gave them a hint that it would remove your factory paint. I suppose there are always exeptions, but so far after many hundreds of installs, we haven't seen one yet.