DaveK

My bank manager will not like me reading these posts / looking at these pictures............

Graham L

cant wait to see it on sunday - I thought it looked stunning before, it must be really remarkable now.

Computamedic

Marc,

It wasn't quite as bad as that. The side skirts weren't fitted very well originally so I wanted to get them fitted better. It's true that if any work was required on the oil thermostat or oil pipes it would be necessary to get the side skirt on the right removed - but that would be true of any fibreglass aftermarket body kit - they all seem to rely on bonding rather than convenient clips like the originals.

The side skirts are now fitted much better - as, indeed, are the bumpers. All the paint anomolies are sorted, dents fixed etc.etc. I'm very pleased so far.

Regards

Dave

kris

It's a good thing you stuck with the body kit you have, the car was and will be stunning.

Computamedic

The final stages now. The front bumper has been ArmorCoat'ed and is awaiting fitting. The masking is being put on in preparation for the ArmorCoating of the side skirts and things are on schedule for completion by tomorrow evening.

Looking good for Sunday.

Regards

Dave

BTW in case you wondered, the car sitting under the sheeting behind my front bumper is a Mercedes SL300 Gullwing!!

DaveK

I hope the stuff covering the car in the second photo isn't the armor coating, 'cos I think you're being ripped off if it is.....

Out of interest - how much of the cost was the amorcoat? It's not something I would have considered - until you mentioned how hard it was for them to get off when they needed to correct some mistakes, and that made it sound like it might really make a difference.

Computamedic

Dave,

That made me chuckle!! Maybe there's something they're not telling me!!!

Seriously though, the ArmorCoat came from Germany (where it's actually called Seidenfaust - Silk Fist). They bought 3 "kits" which consisted of 1 US pint of each part (parts 1 and 2) so, in total, it was a little short of 3 litres in all. Including shipping it was €300 (about £200) and they've used pretty much all of it although, in fairness, they did re-do the bumpers because they weren't happy with the finish first time around.

If TABS do any more ArmorCoat I suspect they will be better second time around. They had to do a lot of experimentation with thinners and coat thickness to get it right but I'm pretty impressed with what they've achieved.

Regards

Dave

See you Sunday???

Marc Shaw

Would they be willing to share their secret formula for successful application for anyone else who is considering it (but can't get it done at their shop)?

Marc

DaveK

I hope so. I'm looking forward to seeing it in the flesh so to speak.

Computamedic

Marc,

I'm sure their reaction to that question would be that they, themselves, would like that too. John Ryan at ArmorAuto seems perfectly willing to give whatever help he can but the time difference between UK and Minnesota made it difficult for them to get help. They took John's basic advice and experimented a bit. The difficulty was knowing what thinner to use and what spray thickness worked best. It seems it's quite dependent on the ambient temperature too so what works best in Minnesota isn't necessarily best for the UK. They initially did 4 coats but found much of it gave a strange finish. They sanded it down with 400 grade paper and refinished it with 2 more coats and that came out fine. I suspect any paint shop could do it - they just need a bit of enthusiasm to experiment to get the best out of it.

If you need contact information for ArmorAuto I have it but you can find all you need if you Google "ArmorCoat".

Regards

Dave

DarrylH

http://armorcoat.armorauto.com/

Appears not to be a DIY product. But it sure seems like a great idea. Dave, how much of your car did you decide to coat?

Computamedic

Darryl,

We did start with the intent of doing the whole car but the shop's nervousness about the difficulty to rework problem areas gave rise to a decision to just do the critical parts. So we finally did the full length of the side skirts, the full front bumper, the leading edges of the rear bumper (immediately behind the rear wheels), the headlamp rims, the door mirrors and the brake light spoiler and rear spoiler (coz they were in the spray booth at the same time). I didn't feel it necessary to do the front part of the bonnet although everybody was telling me that it could be done without a noticeable line. I've never got stone chips on the bonnet so I decided to pass.

We're all eager to see how it performs but I can tell you that hitting the bumper pretty hard with a screwdriver handle made no impact whatsoever!!! I can assure you though that the test was done BEFORE the final coats were done (just in case it didn't work!!). It also seems to make the paintwork very resistant to "keying" attack too. Time will tell.

Regards

Dave

BTW Darryl, you're right, it's NOT a DIY product. It's equivalent to a 2K paint with cyano acrylic content I believe. Also the product goes hard in the gun in less than an hour so you have to get a move on!!

964polar

So you added 3 kilos at the lower part of your car at least (i guess almost all vapourized during the spray)

Just kidding, I am not weight freak (not with my car at least)

Computamedic

Assuming they used all of what they had it works out to a little less than 2Kg. The new paint and lacquer probably added more than that. I don't think I'll notice it.

Regards

Dave

108.5dba-static

Wow Dave certainly yella. Looks great, I am sure I will see it again the flesh soon.

All the best. Andy