Autobahn

I knew right from the start I wanted to have the 3M scotchcal paint protector applied to by Z. I have it on my wife's A4 and it's great. After reading about the quality of Nissan's paint and reading about guys getting their first rock chips I didn't even want to take the car out of the garage until it was "protected". I found a company in Southern California (in Torrance) that does kits and custom jobs. Since kits aren't available I went the custom route. After looking at the kit on my wife's A4 and the custom job on my Z I have to say I prefer the custom. You really get complete coverage with no seams. Anyway I took pictures as it was being applied and will try to post a short series so you can see how it goes on.

My Z Paint Protection included: Hood, front fenders, front bumper, headlights, and mirrors. The normal cost was $750 but this shop was willing to give a discount of $100. This will also apply to any other “My350.com” member. If the pictures post okay you’ll see the big pieces of urethane being applied and then several of the finished product. For the final pictures I tried to take the angles where you could see the “line” showing where the film starts so you could see it. From many angles and at a short distance away it truly is “invisible”

If any of you are interested here’s where I had it done:

Envisage Design Labs
20710 Manhattan Place, suite #116
Torrance, CA 90501-1853
Phone: 866-335-3456 (toll free)
Alt Phone: 310-787-7544
e-mail: edl@envisagedesignlabs.com

The first picture I’ll post shows how close Silverstone is to a 2002 A4 Avant in Atlas Gray.



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Okay I can't count. There are still some small imperfections that typically iron themselves out after a couple of days. Thats what happened with our Audi. Overall I extremely pleased with the result and I'm happy knowing I can drive my Z at 100mph into flying rocks and debris and my paint will be protected.

raceboy

For $650 I'll get the front of the car resprayed!! I have seen beautiful paint film protection jobs done on an MR2 Spyder for under $300. $20 worth of material and $630 in labor?? I don't think so!!

Danimsta

iTrader: (3)

fro some reason that reminds me of putting tint on
but good looking car though
but 650 does sound steep

SilverStreak

I think you paid too much. I got a custom job including:

hood
fenders
bumper
front splash zone
rocker panels
rear splash zone

for $650CDN which is about $1 USD

No seems, no gaps.

Seriously though, you should only pay about $350 to $400 US for a custom job.

I would go the custom route for sure, the kits will have gaps depending on how good the installer is but with a custom job, the installer has to be good to pull it off.

N4Spd

autobahn,

What do you use to cut the film around the edges
to smoothly. Do you use an exacto-knife, scissors, etc?

krinkov

When the whole process of using 3M film for automotive paint protection first came out(it was originally designed for the military to protect the leading edge of helicoptor rotors, thats why it used to be referred to as "blade" or "edge" tape) all kits were custom cut on the car and Ive never seen one that didnt go through and into the paint in at least a few areas, no matter how good the installation, or how experienced the installer. This material is very tough and flexible and theres no way of knowing that a cut is too deep until you cut into the paint, remember, even a very experienced installer is still human, and its your car that is at stake. I am truly surprised that anybody still custom cuts the film on the car. Since the technology to make computer cut kits has been around most everybody has stopped this dangerous practice. I find that only those that dont want to buy the equipment or pay the licensing fees for the available design software are the ones that still try to do this. Ive heard custom guys justify their technique by saying that they provide better protection and have no seams, this is completely absurd. Our computer cut kits are designed to protect the full frontal impact area of the vehicle, you can pay more to have the film go further back past the frontal impact area but why? Dont confuse more coverage with more protection. As for seams, all kits use one piece for each part they cover, one piece for the hood, one piece for the bumper, etc. There are a couple of cars where, due to compound curves, there are relief cuts that are necessary to get a flat piece of material to lay down correctly into complex geometries, but Ive seen these same relief cuts on the same cars on custom cut jobs!(BTW the 350Zs bumper and hood are very smooth and should not require any relief cuts) I work with these kits every day and each kit has been exhaustively refined to give the perfect coverage for each car every time. Think about it, why would the same car need to be custom cut every time? The factory makes the bumpers and hoods the exact same, so if nothing changes, why do they have to custom cut each one, each time? Since we are all working with the same material on the same cars theres nothing that a custom cut guy can do with it on a car that a computer cut guy cant do, period!

Sorry about the rant On the bright side the kit does at least look good, hope those imperfections clear up for you, its usually OK as long as its just a bit of moisture or fingerprints, but trapped air can turn into a problem. And I understand not wanting to risk driving it around until the computer cut kits are available. Please keep us posted if you have any further impression on how its working out on your Z! If anybody has questions about computer cut kits feel free to mail me. Jeremy invisiguard@sbcglobal.net

Dr Bonz

iTrader: (1)

I agree, it does look like a nice job but for that kind of money you could have the entire front of the car repainted.

One question. What happens if you DO get a little nick in the 3M film? It seems like you'd get a small tear and this would look just as bad as a chip in the paint. Worse yet, if you do get a tear, it would seem like it would get bigger and bigger over time. To me, it seems like it would look like a CD jewel case shrink wrapped in that cellophane stuff and when it gets nicked (to remove it) it then easily tears the rest of the way.

Again, I have no experience with this stuff. I'm just theorizing.

Z CRAZY

I'm with Autobahn even if the price seems high. Who wants to live with paint chips until they look bad enough to have to repaint the front? Also this stuff is warranteed for five years so if there's a tear in it or some other problem it should be covered. It is removable with a heat gun and does not damage the paint underneath.

It sounds like it would be better to wait for a kit so the risk of slicing through the paint is eliminated. I think I will go for it when I get my car. I've had paint chips and they drive me crazy. I'd rather live with a small, very slightly visable seam.

Just my opinion.

kman

Congrats Autobahn, I wish my garage looked like yours! Do you think most window tint places would do that kind of work? Just curious, trying to find a place in Austin, TX that would do the same.

KG

ToddLuc

To tear the 3M film, it is very difficult. It takes quite a bit of abuse where chips and nicks would normally appear.

If you do get a nick in the film, it can be replaced. I know, so far it sounds like it may be better to simply repaint.

There are two problems with repainting, IMHO,

1. value decreases on a vehicle that is repainted
2. if you get a few nicks, you will probably not repaint the car. the end result is a Z that has numerous nicks and is looking bad, but not enough to repaint, whereas the 3M film will not have this problem. and if it *should* have problems, it will be at a much higher threshhold, so it will take much longer to get to the same point.

My friends Audi A4 has the protection. The vehicle is a few years old. Next to another car of similar age, the Audi A4 looks brand new. 0 nicks or chips. It looks flawless. The other car... well, not so good. Chips and nicks on the front part of the hood where it wraps to the grille.

For me, the issue is not that the cost can be comparable to touch ups, it is that most people (okay, me) will not repaint the front end until it would get bad... and by then I would just replace the Z.

My .02,
Todd