Noooooooooooooooooo!

[SliverBullet]

First rock chip on the hood . I swear I never have good luck with cars. Car has 3400 miles. Still have the expired new tag on it (3 months).

[Roadstergal]

I feel for you. I got my first stone chip with 100 miles. I had it fixed and immediately got the clear 3m bra. Two years later, not one more chip.

[z4z4z4]

Sorry.
At least you were innocent. I can only blame the long hood when I rubbed the bumper on the side of my garage. Talk about at yourself.
$200 mobile repair service and a couple hours later all was like new, even a couple stone chips. I told the guy that I hope I never have to see him again, and he said I wouldn't believe how many repeat customers he has, including annual stone chip repairs for Ferrari/exotic owners. A spring ritual for some apparently....

[Mr. ///M3 RD]

Originally Posted by SliverBullet

First rock chip on the hood . I swear I never have good luck with cars. Car has 3400 miles. Still have the expired new tag on it (3 months).

Sorry to hear that ... hope you find a good shop that can make it all like new again ...

Good Luck

[Jayda]

Sorry to hear this. I am sure my first chip is right around the corner! I think I will look into the clear bra as well.

[lrc454]

Originally Posted by z4z4z4

Sorry.
At least you were innocent. I can only blame the long hood when I rubbed the bumper on the side of my garage. Talk about at yourself.
$200 mobile repair service and a couple hours later all was like new, even a couple stone chips. I told the guy that I hope I never have to see him again, and he said I wouldn't believe how many repeat customers he has, including annual stone chip repairs for Ferrari/exotic owners. A spring ritual for some apparently....

Ha! I thought I was the only one to do this. Pulling my wifes car into the garage, that long nose fooled me. Cost me $300 and a lot of apologies.

My Corvette has a long nose too but I've been very careful so far.

[2045]

Originally Posted by z4z4z4

Sorry.
At least you were innocent. I can only blame the long hood when I rubbed the bumper on the side of my garage. Talk about at yourself.
$200 mobile repair service and a couple hours later all was like new, even a couple stone chips. I told the guy that I hope I never have to see him again, and he said I wouldn't believe how many repeat customers he has, including annual stone chip repairs for Ferrari/exotic owners. A spring ritual for some apparently....

the more u re-paint it the easier it'll get chipped again. i'm just speaking in general. those mobile paint repair guy doesn't use automobile-grade paint due to limitations. most of them use model-grade paint. they look great for a short period of time before fading starts to appear (same for those mobile wheel repair guy too). also because there's no proper primer bonding & proper bake cure process, the paint will not even close, or as strong as factory paint.

my experience on a re-paint bumper, even it's done properly at body shop, is that u'll start to see the sand-blasted effect on the paint surface rather than the typical small rock chips. reason being factory paint is strong enough to withhold the minor rocks. only bigger, sharper & faster rocks chip the paint. on a repainted bumper, because it's never primed or bake-cured like factory therefore the surface can not even take tiny rocks. it'll basically get sand blasted on the road right away.

the best way to protect the paint is still the clear bra. if one really care about chip damage, do it as soon as after delivery.

[Jayda]

Anyone who had the 3M clear bra put on, where did you install it on the car? To me it doesn't look like it would need to go up onto the hood, just the front bumper. What did it run price wise? I've always wondered if the edges of the film would start to show accumulated dirt. My car is AW so dirt accumulation would be really noticeable. I had a new Audi a few years back and got killed by a rather large rock early on, it took a gouge out of the paint.

[Marauder73]

Originally Posted by Jayda

Anyone who had the 3M clear bra put on, where did you install it on the car? To me it doesn't look like it would need to go up onto the hood, just the front bumper. What did it run price wise? I've always wondered if the edges of the film would start to show accumulated dirt. My car is AW so dirt accumulation would be really noticeable. I had a new Audi a few years back and got killed by a rather large rock early on, it took a gouge out of the paint.

I did the complete 3M kit, including the mirrors. It is a full day job on on dry sunny day. A Pro can charge as much as $1000 for material and labor. Is it hard to do yourself?... Yes, most definitely. I am very handy, but I still felt challenged. Getting it to sit just right and work out all the bubbles is not easy. But it's a MUST if you value your original paint job. I installed it a week after I picked it up. Dust will collect along the hood seam, so wash your baby weekly to keep it looking beautiful.

[az34]

Originally Posted by SliverBullet

First rock chip on the hood . I swear I never have good luck with cars. Car has 3400 miles. Still have the expired new tag on it (3 months).

i know it sucks theres some on my car too it seems the more we take care the worse it get,to be console just look at CGARCIA post halloween crash.this one really hurt!

[Roadstergal]

Originally Posted by Jayda

Anyone who had the 3M clear bra put on, where did you install it on the car? To me it doesn't look like it would need to go up onto the hood, just the front bumper. What did it run price wise? I've always wondered if the edges of the film would start to show accumulated dirt. My car is AW so dirt accumulation would be really noticeable. I had a new Audi a few years back and got killed by a rather large rock early on, it took a gouge out of the paint.

I had the dealer install mine. They did the front bumper, the backs of the mirrors, and yes 1/3 of the hood. I believe I paid $800. It is well worth it. My car is light colored, and two years later, there is no evidence of accumulated dirt.

[2045]

Originally Posted by Jayda

Anyone who had the 3M clear bra put on, where did you install it on the car? To me it doesn't look like it would need to go up onto the hood, just the front bumper. What did it run price wise? I've always wondered if the edges of the film would start to show accumulated dirt. My car is AW so dirt accumulation would be really noticeable. I had a new Audi a few years back and got killed by a rather large rock early on, it took a gouge out of the paint.

going rate is about $600 ~1,500 depends on coverage & design (on our Z. the coverage is not so big). the pre-cut design is cheaper but less coverage. it's easier to install than a custom kit, which requires trimming on the paint surface. that, u need to make sure u have an experienced installer otherwise it could turn into a disaster.

i like full coverage not only because of protection. it also makes maintenance much easier because u don't have to worry about avoiding the ''line'' during waxing. i had few experience on white car that i can share. the edge of the film is not really a problem but the corners are, if not installed properly. on darker color car it's ok but the dirt is very noticeable on white car. also, the film tends to turn yellow after awhile if the car is not garaged. the discoloration shows more in white than any other colors as well. be careful when detailing the car too. u don't want to let the wax residual get into the film edges. it's nearly impossible to get rid of the white wax residual once it get trapped in the film. however, white car hides that better than darker color cars. anyway, i wouldn't let anyone touches the car expect u because only u would know what to watch out for. i hope this helps.

[2045]

btw, think twice about clear bra if ur paint is not OEM from factory. if ur paint is not OEM, there's a big chance that when removing the film (in needed), the paint will peel right off with the material. sometime that would even happen during install because there's some lifting needed. make sure the body shop properly baked the paint. also let the paint cure for about a month before apply the film would prevent the above from happening.

p.s. for those of u have mobile guy re-touches the paint, forget about clear bra, if u're thinking about remove or replace later, the paint will peel off with the film for sure.

[Jayda]

Originally Posted by 2045

going rate is about $600 ~1,500 depends on coverage & design (on our Z. the coverage is not so big). the pre-cut design is cheaper but less coverage. it's easier to install than a custom kit, which requires trimming on the paint surface. that, u need to make sure u have an experienced installer otherwise it could turn into a disaster.

i like full coverage not only because of protection. it also makes maintenance much easier because u don't have to worry about avoiding the ''line'' during waxing. i had few experience on white car that i can share. the edge of the film is not really a problem but the corners are, if not installed properly. on darker color car it's ok but the dirt is very noticeable on white car. also, the film tends to turn yellow after awhile if the car is not garaged. the discoloration shows more in white than any other colors as well. be careful when detailing the car too. u don't want to let the wax residual get into the film edges. it's nearly impossible to get rid of the white wax residual once it get trapped in the film. however, white car hides that better than darker color cars. anyway, i wouldn't let anyone touches the car expect u because only u would know what to watch out for. i hope this helps.

Thanks for this information. I did not know the film might yellow. My car is in a garage at work and home though. I'll price it out and weigh the options. If dirt accumulates and it yellows than maybe rock chips are better! I do wash my car regularly and wax it. I would definitely have it installed. There is a reputable place in CHARLOTTE, NC.

[z4z4z4]

+1 advice about clear bras!
I admire everyone who gives their ride love and care.

[Roadstergal]

Originally Posted by Jayda

Thanks for this information. I did not know the film might yellow. My car is in a garage at work and home though. I'll price it out and weigh the options. If dirt accumulates and it yellows than maybe rock chips are better! I do wash my car regularly and wax it. I would definitely have it installed. There is a reputable place in CHARLOTTE, NC.

It takes a real long time for it to yellow. You may not even own the car by the time that happens. My S/A told me at the time that I had this one installed that it is easy to remove and replace should you want to. I still think it is a lot better than a lot of pock marks.

I did not get one installed on my first car (Z3) and it was loaded with chips at the time that I replaced it with a Z4. My next two Z4's both had a clear bra and looked as good when I traded them as the day I picked it up new from the dealer. I think the advantages far out weigh any disadvantages.