"02996ttx50

it's funny you mention that. my car ( much like my acquaintances say of me..) is "half wrapped" already.

but to your point? i JUST redid! the roof/hood/spoiler etc in 3m satin finish, since it's fairly hardy stuff, and i get a lot of rocks/debris as I've said, but i look the other day and find a brand new hood chip center of the front bonnet. not a way in the world to touch it up! so it's like what does one do? give up and collect the dings? i used to have a dentless paint repair guy come by..but would you guys call every single time?! but now its a ding here, a tiny scratch there.. 132,500miles. waddya gonna do i suppose...

this is the first "old" car that wasn't a classic i've ever had! now that I'm thinking about it! it was always 3 years, and turn em in lol. thing is, i'd like to live long enough to see the 996 turbo ( finally ) get the respect it deserves, and not have mine look like a rat rod! lol. my days of buying NEW expensive toys are behind me sadly so its either a higher mileage 997.1 or refresh this one.

i think i need to paint it. ugh.

more ot rant..sorry., what is with 997 turbo wheels on a 996 turbo? is it just me?! or does that look really weird? i guess it's like the led tails. ya love em or hate em...

gophaster

Mark, your car looks really nice in the pics!... are most of the nicks and stuff on the front bumper, leading edge of hood and front fenders? You may be able to just have those areas resprayed, blended, and cleared over each of those panels. Basically you'd have a shop respray the bumper and then spray the leading edge of hood or as much of hood as needed and blend in into same panel, and do the same to the fenders. Take a bunch of pics before doing it to show that this was done for cosmetic reasons only, also have the body shop state the same on the invoice.

Have the rest of the car compounded/polished. Then once the resprayed areas have cured, have a self-healing clear bra put on the front bumper, fenders and hood.

I haven't had a car resprayed since around '94 so I'm not sure on current pricing for this (it can vary pretty wildly, so get a couple quotes from good/recommended shops). I have priced out the self-healing clear bras pretty recently and it's about 2 grand to do the full front bumper, full hood, full front fenders, and mirrors. Same thing with the clear bra, get a few quotes and make sure they know what they are doing and using the really good films. I think most of the shops will offer a warranty so if the bra gets damaged they will re-cover the panel. The really good films are really strong and completely clear so you can't even tell they are on there!!

"02996ttx50

kind of you to say, that's the miracle of distant phone pics lol. actually after writing that moanful post, i happened across a purportedly good detailing/body work place ( at 3 am lol ) that *might* be able to at least help me get at the boulder ding, and see about some scratches that exist!

barring that, i'm gonna go talk to these guys in la here that have a thread on 6spd about that 997 gt ta front with the led's etc, and if i did that? that would obviate the necessity of a front bumper re-spray since the only time i EVER did that was on my 993 and i hated it. of course, it may have been just a lousy re-spray. but thx for the kind words, i'm gonna look into what i can do that won't cost 10k in cosmetics refurbs! lol.

yeah I've got bumper nicks, peeling ( minor ) paint and a couple hood things that are currently hidden under the 3m wrap! ack. thx for the advice!!

add: never again with the bra. the last one i paid 800 at the dealer for a 3m coverage mirrors/hood bumper ya know..and after time it yellowed after time etc. not gonna go that route ever again. not even sure why?! it was garaged!

leftlane

I think you'd spend at least $10k for a paint job worthy of your car. A full wrap would be around $2500. Or - just enjoy the hell out of it and spend the money on all your go-fast plans. Don't look at the dings and nicks as flaws - to me they are all character lines that tell a story.

"02996ttx50

that's good advice, point well taken. thx. i wouldn't do anything to make this car faster though!
though a 3.8 build is a faraway dream.

Danyol

Naw, my pictures are from before I left FL 5 years ago 140 mph blasts in the desert; sand blasting and small rocks take a toll. Worse still, commuting on a busy highway...lots of chips at the front.

Still less than 50k on mine, contemplated replacing it but concluded it would be for vanity. The car is still a hoot and new track prepped vettes at DE still cannot pull away (on curves or straights). It is lightly modded (compared to many); UMW1 bar flash, coil-overs & sways (on factory X50, aero & ceramics).

rmc1148

I have had my full front wrap for three years and no yellowing, could be I don't notice it as the paints dark?

"02996ttx50

i think that's more to do with driving vs garaging etc
but I'm just guessing lol.

the sunlight here in CA will ruin ANY vinyl whether wrap or headlamp vinyls faster than you can develop melanoma's

rmc1148

Yes I have my garage windows tinted and between that and the amber its looking good! Hope my F car will hold up as well= when I get it.

"02996ttx50

"amber" again..lmao.

gophaster

Not sure how long ago the last clear bra you did was? I've seen the yellowed and fogged bras myself so I know what you mean. They have come a long way with the latest materials....

"XPEL's Ultimate Paint Protection Film combines best-in-class durability and clarity not previously available in the market. With its very low surface energy, XPEL ULTIMATE sheds contaminants that would otherwise stain or yellow conventional films. In addition, the clear coat employs special elastomeric polymers that "heal" over time eliminating swirl marks and other fine scratches without having to do anything.

This product carries a 10 year warranty against, yellowing, cracking, peeling, staining, and hazing, and reimburses both film and labor in the unlikely event of a failure. XPEL ULTIMATE is truly the most revolutionary Paint Protection Film ever invented!"

Again, not saying you need it at all...just passing on the info I have looked into...no film on mine...yet

rmc1148

I have the xpel ultimate and so far happy.

"02996ttx50

been awhile six years i'd say? but was a previous car. i also wasn't crazy about that line that ran halfway up the hood?
but there's no doubt it protected against the rock chips.

the current hood has been 3m wrapped for some long now that i have NO idea what even the paint underneath the wrap is going to look like since i didn't even see it when they just re-did it a cpl months ago. now again, new chip front and center on the bonnet! argh lol. i'm really leaning toward that new front bumper upgrade anyway.. ( sacrilege to many, I'm sure ) and at the same time i'll once again, RE wrap the hood so i can stay with the faux gt2rs two tone color scheme. i just like it, prefer it over the "one color" look. just my preference and love of anything that looks like the 2 tone RS versions of the 911 i guess. it gets a lot of compliments from passing strangers, so i guess folks don't see the chips and dings I SEE! LOL

FRUNKenstein

+996 on both points.

"02996ttx50

ok so got 3 estimates on the body work under the side skirt so thats paint take out the ding/dent and its funny how all these guys wanna do that porsche tax thing. 400 from one. 850 another and a remote truck guy says he can do it all plus a nick on the PDR on the bonnet for 500 hun = bondo + paint to match + clear coat all of it. I'm gonna do the remote truck thing as I've had good luck with em before plus i can watch em! ha

i figure thats how car begins that downhill slope. one nick/ding at a time, then it eventually turns to sh*t. i'm gonna get em taken out. looks like my "turbo script" oem vinyl decal will be a thing of the past. was kinda cheesy anyway, but i needed an excuse to destroy it! lol.

then i can see about that gt 997 TA front w led's. car may end up looking sharp again after all! just hope it doesn't become frankenturboish lol